Preview: #14 Vols Face Final Regular Season Test at Lewis Chitengwa Memorial

Monday, April 13

Charlottesville, Va.

University of Tennessee

Lewis Chitengwa Memorial - Rounds 1 & 2

Photo by: Elliot Walker/Tennessee Athletics

Preview: #14 Vols Face Final Regular Season Test at Lewis Chitengwa Memorial

April 11, 2026 | Men's Golf

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One test remains for the No. 14 Tennessee men's golf team before the SEC Championship as they head to Charlottesville, Virginia, to take part in the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial this week.

The three-round tournament will take place on Monday and Tuesday, with teams completing 36 holes on Monday before round three on Tuesday. It is just the third time this season the Vols will compete in an event that is less than three days of length, with the last occurrence coming at the Fighting Irish Classic last October.

Birdwood Golf Course will host the tournament. Residing on the grounds of Boar's Head Resort on the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Birdwood has consistently been ranked as one of the best college courses in the country by outlets such as Golfweek and Golf Digest. The par 71 course is set to play at 7,116 yards this week.

Tennessee will look to continue what has been a strong spring, including a top-four team finish in all four events played thus far and a team victory over a stacked field at the Pauma Valley Invitational. The Vols placed third out of 15 in their most recent appearance at the Mason Rudolph Championship, closing the event at 5-under-par.

This week will mark Tennessee's third appearance in the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial, as the team's first two appearances were accompanied by success. In the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2022, the Vols placed second as a team and Spencer Cross claimed individual medalist honors.

Returning in 2024 for the team's most recent appearance, Tennessee claimed the team title at 27-under-par. Current Vols Bruce Murphy and Lance Simpson were in the lineup, finishing in sixth place and 14^th place, respectively.

Tennessee Lineup
Lance Simpson
Simpson will be looking to bounce back this week from his previous outing at the Mason Rudolph Championship, where he tied for 44^th place at 8-over-par. Simpson carded an even-par 71 in the first round of the tournament for his 16^th round of par or better this season.

Josh Hill
The senior has finished inside the top 25 of all four events he has played in this spring. Hill shot even par to tie for 13^th place at the Mason Rudolph Championship, highlighted by a 2-under-par 69 in round two.

Chase Kyes
Kyes continues to carry positive momentum through the first spring season of his collegiate career. The freshman notched his second top five finish of the season to lead the Vols at the Mason Rudolph Championship, tying for fifth place at 4-under-par behind three consecutive rounds of par or better.

Bruce Murphy
Another Vol who has impressed on multiple occasions this spring, Murphy went 2-under-par to finish in tenth place at the Mason Rudolph Championship. Part of an improved tally of six career top ten finishes, Murphy earned medalist honors at the Coach Sykes Individual earlier this spring.

Luke Smith
Smith has been a steady presence in the Tennessee lineup this spring as a freshman. The Toronto native earned his third top 25 finish of the season at the Mason Rudolph Championship, closing the event with three consecutive birdies to card a 2-over-par 54-hole score.

Participating Teams
Charlotte (21)
Florida State (25)
Liberty (79)
Loyola Maryland (132)
Maryland (111)
NC State (62)
SMU (45)
Tennessee (14)
Texas State (116)
Toledo (147)
Virginia Tech (117)
Virginia (2)

Rankings via Clippd