Tennessee Golf seniors Bryce Lewis and Jake Hall lead & look ahead to NCAA Regionals
The loss of Caleb Surratt to LIV golf was expected to hurt the Tennessee golf team. It makes sense when you lose the 2023 SEC individual champion that a step back could happen but this team and its leaders weren’t going to let that happen. Seniors Bryce Lewis and Jake Hall pushed ahead and led this team to their first #1 seed in program history.
“Even my buddies are like man that’s going to suck, you guys aren’t going to be good anymore,” Lewis said. “I was like I don’t think that’s true at all. Obviously losing Caleb is a big part of the team. He is an incredible player but me and Jake knew we were going to step up and I certainly feel like I’ve found my game from the last few years and I’ve been working really really hard and it’s cool to see some of that work pay off.”
Hall has one individual tournament championship and has been a key member in several team wins during his time in Knoxville.
“Not only did Bryce and I find a way to turn that next gear but everyone on the team found a way to get that next gear,” Hall said. “It was really cool to see all the younger guys grow up so quickly and doing a lot more of the right things. But we have a month left of this and we aren’t going to hold up anything.”
Lewis has multiple wins and some of the best seasons in program history in terms of season scoring average. He is on pace to own the current record for career scoring average with a minimum of 45 rounds. He has grown into one of the most decorated players in program history.
“I used to only show up when practice was on the schedule,” Lewis said. “I never came out here on my own and now I find myself out here everyday on my own and practicing and wanting to improve and get better. It’s just the culture the coaches have built here with competition. We always compete against each other and I think everyone wants to truly get better. I think that’s why we have had success to this point and I don’t think we are done.”
Tennessee will travel to Austin, Texas for NCAA regionals which begin Monday. The top 5 teams in the Austin regional will advance to the NCAA championships in Arizona.
