Transfer Rudy Sautron was expected to have a big impact on the Tennessee men's golf program. Little did he know that it would be felt immediately.
The Nebraska transfer was stellar for the Volunteers on Tuesday, signing for 7-under 63 in the final round of the Visit Knoxville Collegiate at Fox Den Country Club to help the hosts storm from behind and claim their home opener for the second year in a row. Sautron finished second individually, teammate Jackson Herrington placed T-7, and Tennessee, down its No. 1 player in Tyler Watts due to the Walker Cup, won by four shots over Memphis.
Tennessee entered the final round trailing by six but carded an impressive 14-under performance, the best score of the final round by eight strokes. Freshman Pennson
Badgett signed for a 2-under 68 while Christian Pardue also finished under par with a 69 on Tuesday, and Tennessee jumped six spots on the leaderboard to begin the 2026-27 season with a win.
Sautron was expected to be one of the biggest-impact transfers this season, and right away his addition was pivotal for Tennessee. With world No. 3 amateur Watts in Ireland, it was Sautron and Herrington, the 2025 U.S. Amateur runner-up, leading the way for the final-round charge up the leaderboard.
Chattanooga's Evan Rogers claimed medalist honors at 10 under, topping Sautron by a shot. Second-team preseason All-American Carson Bertagnole, a sophomore at North Carolina, claimed third at 8 under.
In his college debut, 2025 U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell finished T-23 for Georgia while 2026 U.S. Junior champ Noah Maclauchlan of Liberty placed T-36, also his first collegiate tournament.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Rudy Sautron sparks Tennessee men's golf comeback win at Visit Knoxville Collegiate
