University of Tennessee Athletics
Monday, February 16
Melbourne, FL
University of Tennessee
vs
Moon Golf Invitational - Round 2
Photo by: Dan Lavin
#22/25 Lady Vols Mark 13-Stroke Improvement in Moon Golf Invitational Second Round
February 16, 2026 | Women's Golf
MELBOURNE, Fla. – The No. 22/25 Tennessee women's golf team resumed play at the Moon Golf Invitational on Monday, with round two contested at Suntree Country Club.
The Lady Vols fired a 2-under-par 286 in the second round to dramatically improve on Sunday's first round score of 11-over-par. The effort helped the team climb from ninth place to fifth place among the 17 teams competing through 36 holes.
No. 6 Texas A&M remains in control on top of the standings through two rounds of play at 4-under-par. The Aggies hold a three-stroke advantage over No. 8 Auburn in second place, the only other team currently under par. Tennessee is within four strokes of third and fourth place as No. 7 Wake Forest is at 5-over-par and No. 16 Mississippi State is at 6-over-par with one round remaining.
Madison Messimer showed on Monday why she is the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, climbing into the individual top ten with a 2-under-par 70. With one of just 11 rounds under par in round two, Messimer carded four birdies on the back nine to secure the Lady Vols' best round of the week thus far. She climbed 22 spots on the individual leaderboard to a tie for 7th place at even par. Messimer will need a big performance in round three to challenge for an individual title, sitting six strokes behind the 36-hole individual leader at 6-under-par.
Another big riser for Tennessee on Monday was Manassanan Chotikabhukkana. The senior tallied the Lady Vols' second score under par of the day with a 1-under-par 71. Utilizing four birdies to offset three bogeys, Chotikabhukkana climbed 17 spots to a tie for 12th place among the competitive 90-golfer field with 18 holes to play.
Sophie Christopher earned Tennessee's third round of par or better on Monday, closing strong with a bogey-free 2-under-par back nine to card an even-par 72. Similar to Messimer and Chotikabhukkana, Christopher's strong performance enabled her to rise 20 spots individually to a tie for 30th place with one round to play.
Tennessee's final score countable toward the team total on Monday came from Kyra Van Kan, who shot a 1-over-par 73. The reigning SEC Golfer of the Week improved on a 4-over-par round in Sunday's first round with another strong finish in round two. Van Kan posted birdies on two of her final five holes to move into the top half of the individual standings at a tie for 41st place.
Tennessee will conclude the Moon Golf Invitational with round three on Tuesday. The final round will feature a shotgun start at 9 a.m. EST.
Moon Golf Invitational Standings (Round 2)
1. Texas A&M (-4)
2. Auburn (-1)
3. Wake Forest (+5)
4. Mississippi State (+6)
5. Tennessee (+9)
6. Florida (+10)
7. Ole Miss (+11)
8. Texas (+12)
9. Duke (+14)
10. UCF (+18)
11. LSU (+23)
12. Florida State (+24)
T-13. South Carolina (+27)
T-13. Louisville (+27)
15. Alabama (+29)
16. Virginia (+35)
17. NC State (+36)
Tennessee Results (Round 2)
T-7. Madison Messimer: 74-70 = 144 (E)
T-12. Manassanan Chotikabhukkana: 74-71 = 145 (+1)
T-30. Sophie Christopher: 76-72 = 148 (+4)
T-41. Kyra Van Kan: 76-73 = 149 (+5)
T-47. Kaopan Thapasit: 75-75 = 150 (+6)
The Lady Vols fired a 2-under-par 286 in the second round to dramatically improve on Sunday's first round score of 11-over-par. The effort helped the team climb from ninth place to fifth place among the 17 teams competing through 36 holes.
No. 6 Texas A&M remains in control on top of the standings through two rounds of play at 4-under-par. The Aggies hold a three-stroke advantage over No. 8 Auburn in second place, the only other team currently under par. Tennessee is within four strokes of third and fourth place as No. 7 Wake Forest is at 5-over-par and No. 16 Mississippi State is at 6-over-par with one round remaining.
Madison Messimer showed on Monday why she is the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, climbing into the individual top ten with a 2-under-par 70. With one of just 11 rounds under par in round two, Messimer carded four birdies on the back nine to secure the Lady Vols' best round of the week thus far. She climbed 22 spots on the individual leaderboard to a tie for 7th place at even par. Messimer will need a big performance in round three to challenge for an individual title, sitting six strokes behind the 36-hole individual leader at 6-under-par.
Another big riser for Tennessee on Monday was Manassanan Chotikabhukkana. The senior tallied the Lady Vols' second score under par of the day with a 1-under-par 71. Utilizing four birdies to offset three bogeys, Chotikabhukkana climbed 17 spots to a tie for 12th place among the competitive 90-golfer field with 18 holes to play.
Sophie Christopher earned Tennessee's third round of par or better on Monday, closing strong with a bogey-free 2-under-par back nine to card an even-par 72. Similar to Messimer and Chotikabhukkana, Christopher's strong performance enabled her to rise 20 spots individually to a tie for 30th place with one round to play.
Tennessee's final score countable toward the team total on Monday came from Kyra Van Kan, who shot a 1-over-par 73. The reigning SEC Golfer of the Week improved on a 4-over-par round in Sunday's first round with another strong finish in round two. Van Kan posted birdies on two of her final five holes to move into the top half of the individual standings at a tie for 41st place.
Tennessee will conclude the Moon Golf Invitational with round three on Tuesday. The final round will feature a shotgun start at 9 a.m. EST.
Moon Golf Invitational Standings (Round 2)
1. Texas A&M (-4)
2. Auburn (-1)
3. Wake Forest (+5)
4. Mississippi State (+6)
5. Tennessee (+9)
6. Florida (+10)
7. Ole Miss (+11)
8. Texas (+12)
9. Duke (+14)
10. UCF (+18)
11. LSU (+23)
12. Florida State (+24)
T-13. South Carolina (+27)
T-13. Louisville (+27)
15. Alabama (+29)
16. Virginia (+35)
17. NC State (+36)
Tennessee Results (Round 2)
T-7. Madison Messimer: 74-70 = 144 (E)
T-12. Manassanan Chotikabhukkana: 74-71 = 145 (+1)
T-30. Sophie Christopher: 76-72 = 148 (+4)
T-41. Kyra Van Kan: 76-73 = 149 (+5)
T-47. Kaopan Thapasit: 75-75 = 150 (+6)
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