Surratt secures Vols the No. 1 spot in SEC match play

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. - Tennessee shot 8-under 272 on the final day of stroke play and finished stroke play at 14-under to claim the No. 1 seed for the match play portion of the event which begins Saturday at the par-70, 7,005-yard Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club.

The Vols' 14-under 826 marked the program's lowest 54-hole score in relation to par at the SEC Championships.

Caleb Surratt claimed the SEC individual championship after shooting a three-round total of 14-under to cruise past the field by six strokes.

Surratt becomes the fifth Vol in program history to win an SEC individual title and also the first freshman to win an SEC individual title since Alabama's Justin Thomas in 2012. His 14-under performance is the second best 54-hole score and the lowest ever by a freshman in SEC Championship history. Over the course of stroke play, Surratt led the field in birdies (16), par four scoring (-9) and par five scoring (-5).

The eight advancing teams will begin play in the quarterfinals Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET. The semifinals will follow and be on televised live on the SEC Network+ Saturday afternoon. Quarterfinal matchups are Tennessee vs. Mississippi State, Texas A&M vs. Missouri, Vanderbilt vs. Alabama, and Florida vs. Ole Miss.