Virginia senior Ben James, the top-ranked golfer in the preseason PGA Tour U listing, will be competing at The Honors Course following his playing a key role in last week’s U.S. victory at The Walker Cup.
photo by UVA Athletic Communications
The Honors Course has a storied history of hosting some of the world’s best amateur golfers since its opening in 1983. The latest chapter of that legacy will be written next week when The Invitational at The Honors Course will be held next Monday and Tuesday featuring some of college golf’s top performers.
With the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga serving as the host, seven of the top 19 teams in the 2025-26 Bushnell/Golfweek Preseason Coaches Poll will be on hand among the 12-team field. Additionally, a dozen of the top 25 individuals listed on the PGA Tour U preseason rankings will be among the participants including three members of last week’s victorious U.S. Walker Cup squad won at Cypress Point.
The public is encouraged to attend what is considered one of college golf’s premier events which will feature 36 holes on Monday followed by 18 on Tuesday. Admission is free, and food and beverages will be available for purchase at the clubhouse veranda as well as the turn house on the course. The Honors Course golf shop will also be open to the public.
Hosting an event of this magnitude was a dream of UTC head coach Blaine Woodruff when he took over the program three years ago. The reality of this tournament unfolding next week at The Honors demonstrates the strides Woodruff has made since his arrival.
“It’s still surreal, even though we’re getting really close and I feel like I’m doing a lot of things just to make sure it flows smoothly,” Woodruff said. “Thankfully, they’re so amazing at The Honors Course that anything they put their name on is going to be top level. They’re rolling out the red carpet for this tournament which is fantastic, and I’m thankful for them and the membership wanting to be involved in hosting this.”
Welcoming some of college golf’s elite players is something that is intrinsic to The Honors Course. The club was the site of the NCAA Men’s Division I Championship in 1996 and 2010 in addition to five USGA national events and numerous Tennessee amateur tournaments. After welcoming the U.S. Senior Amateur last year, the U.S. Women’s Amateur will be staged at The Honors in 2026 followed by the 2031 U.S. Amateur.
“We get really excited that we get to do what our founder Jack Lupton wanted us to do, and that is to host big amateur tournaments,” said Henrik Simonsen, Director of Golf and COO of The Honors Course. “When we have an event that has the best players like we will see next week, it adds a little bit more excitement. And then to be able to help Blaine and his golf program with this is really neat.”
“I think it’s just part of our culture. Every year we try to host some outside event. It is part of the fabric of who we are and our members are 100-percent behind it.”
After opening their season at last week’s Visit Knoxville Classic hosted by Tennessee, the Mocs will entertain a loaded field in the first year of this tournament that will rotate annually among several of the premier golf courses in the Chattanooga region. Finding those interested in coming this year was an easy sell for Woodruff.
“Probably the easiest thing in the world was to put together that field,” Woodruff said. “I think everybody basically said ‘yes’ within five seconds of me asking them if they wanted to come. I started with Tennessee and Vandy because of all the connections there. After that, I just think The Honors Course and what it’s known for – the championships it has hosted, how prestigious it is, and what a fabulous track it offers – was the main draw. It’s going to be great being able to showcase all these teams at that golf course.”
Auburn leads the ranked teams participating, entering as No. 2 although they could be missing their top performer. Junior Jackson Koivun, ranked as the top amateur in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, is competing in this weekend’s PGA Tour stop in Napa, Calif. Also among the Top 10 teams are fifth-ranked Ole Miss, followed by Virginia at No. 7 and Oklahoma at No. 8.
Other teams listed in the preseason Top 25 poll are Vanderbilt (12), Tennessee (17) and Pepperdine (19), while Clemson and Duke also received votes. Marquette and College of Charleston round out the rest of the field along with UTC.
Ben James of Virginia is listed atop the PGA Tour U preseason rankings, which evaluates players based on their last two years of their collegiate careers. At the conclusion of the season, the No. 1 golfer earns a PGA Tour membership, while players Nos. 2-10 earn Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2026 and 11-25 qualify for the PGA Tour Americas Segment II in 2026.
Others listed on the PGA Tour U rankings include (3) Michael LaSasso, Ole Miss; (5) Jase Summy, Oklahoma; (6) Wells Williams, Vanderbilt; (10) Mahanth Chirravuri, Pepperdine; (13) Lance Simpson, Tennessee; (16) Tom Fischer, Ole Miss; (17) Dickson native Cameron Tankersley, Ole Miss; (18) Paul Chang, Virginia; (20) Bryan Lee, Virginia; (24) Ethan Evans, Duke; and (25) Cohen Trolio, Ole Miss.
James, LaSasso and Summy were key members of the resounding Walker Cup win over Great Britain & Ireland.
The Invitational at The Honors Course provides spectators an opportunity to witness the future stars in golf, and area schools are encouraged to bring their golf teams out to enjoy the action.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com
Defending NCAA Individual Champion Michael LaSasso of Ole Miss follows his appearance at the U.S. victory in the Walker Cup by playing in The Invitational at The Honors Course.
photo by Ole Miss Athletics
