Tennessee's Lance Simpson makes Walker Cup statement with dominant Trans-Miss Amateur win
Simpson, a rising senior at Tennessee, ran away with the title at the 2025 Trans-Mississippi Amateur on Friday at The Pfau Course at Indiana University in Bloomington. Simpson had only one bogey over 72 holes and finished at 17 under for the week, four clear of Cooper Schultz.
"Yeah, it was definitely a good week," Simpson said. "Coming off my last start was the U.S. Open. Took three weeks off. Happy to get back into amateur golf, and coming out with a win is more than I could ask for, especially starting off my last summer of amateur golf."
More importantly for Simpson is the statement he made to Smith, the U.S. Walker Cup captain. The competition, which begins in less than two months at Cypress Point — Golfweek's No. 1 Classic Course in the United States — pits the top male amateurs from the United States against their counterparts from Great Britain & Ireland.
With his win, Simpson will likely move to 16th or 17th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, his highest spot ever. It's also significant because his chances of making the Walker Cup team rose significantly.
Jackson Koivun, Ben James and Michael La Sasso are already on the roster, with the remaining seven spots being announced after the U.S. Amateur next month. Four of those spots (one to mid-amateur Evan Beck and three to Preston Stout, Ethan Fang and Tommy Morrison) are near locks at this point, meaning Simpson has a chance to secure one of three spots remaining for the squad.
He'll have to continue playing well this summer, whether it's winning another Elite Amateur Golf Series event or making a run at the Western Amateur or U.S. Amateur.
But the Trans-Miss belonged to Simpson, who closed in 2-under 69 on Friday and picked up one of the biggest wins of his career.
The Trans-Miss is the fourth event in the Elite Amateur Series. The Southern Amateur is next, set for July 16-19 at Blessings Golf Club in Johnson, Arkansas.
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