Tennessee men’s golf teed up Feb. 9 to 11 at the Puerto Rico Classic at Grand Reserve Golf Club. The Vols opened the spring season with a strong performance, finishing third in a stacked 15-team field.

The Vols closed the three-round tournament at 36-under-par, finishing just one shot behind LSU (-37) and well behind the tournament winner, Virginia (-55). Tennessee carded rounds of 12-under, 14-under and 10-under to remain in contention throughout the tournament on the Championship Course in Rio Grande.

After opening with a 12-under performance, placing them in the top five after day one, Tennessee surged with a 14-under day two to move into fourth place entering the final round. A 10-under final round moved the Vols up one spot, finishing the tournament in solo third.

Junior Lance Simpson tied for fifth individually at 14-under par. Simpson was consistent across all three rounds, posting scores of 67, 68 and 67. Simpson posted a bogey-free round one and another in round three. These scores proved to be crucial as the Vols climbed the leaderboard and held off several nationally ranked programs down the stretch.

Senior Josh Hill finished 7-under for the tournament, tied for 23rd individually. Hill provided a spark in round two, scoring a 66, the lowest posted single-round score for the Vols across the three rounds. His play helped the Vols maintain momentum during a tightly packed leaderboard battle.

Sophomore Jackson Herrington added a solid showing, tying for 29th individually at 6-under. Herrington completed all three rounds under par for the tournament. Freshman Luke Smith matched Herrington at 6-under, highlighted by an opening round 68. Senior Reed Lotter and junior Bruce Murphy rounded out the lineup for the Vols, although Murphy was competing as an individual in the tournament field. Murphy posted a 2-under tournament total.

Tennessee combined consistency with aggressive scoring, recording multiple rounds in the 60s and controlling the par-5s effectively. The Vols’ 14-under second round was their best of the tournament and kept them in contention entering Wednesday’s final round.

Four out of the six Vols competing birdied their final hole of the tournament. The third-place finish marks a strong early-season result for the Vols as they look to build momentum heading into the heart of the spring schedule. Competing against top programs, including Virginia, LSU and Oklahoma, Tennessee showed it can contend in elite tournament fields away from home.

The Vols now turn their attention to the Cabo Collegiate at Twin Dolphin Golf Club in Los Cabos, Mexico. That tournament starts Monday, March 2, and continues through Wednesday, March 4.