Ricky Honeycutt’s golf game has made some strides since the summer.

The University of Tennessee senior may be ineligible this fall, but he’s put the time away from competition to good use. He proved as much on Thursday in stroke play qualifying for the Chattanooga TPC at Council Fire. Despite what he considered an average day on the greens, Honeycutt still managed to shoot the low score of the day, a 2-under-par 70.

As the No. 1 seed heading into the first round of match play on Friday, Honeycutt faces No. 16 seed Matt Mathis, who shot 77 Thursday.

Tyson Elliott, a junior on Chattanooga’s golf team and a member at Council Fire, shot the day’s second-best score, a 1-under 71 that earned him the No. 2 seed. He’ll play No. 15 seed Mitch Hufstetler Friday.

Honeycutt has battled some adversity in the fall, but has come away stronger. First, he found out he wasn’t academically eligible, which hurt because he played well enough to have qualified for the No. 1-ranked Vols’ first tournament. Second, Honeycutt’s swing coach, former Tennessee assistant coach Bowen Sargent, left in late August to take the top job at Virginia.

Sargent had been working with Honeycutt on shortening his backswing. After Sargent left, Honeycutt turned to teammate John Scott Rattan—"He’s got a perfect golf swing," said Honeycutt—and has continued making progress. "Right now I feel like I can hit all the shots," he said.

Honeycutt has also worked on the mental side of his game with Alabama-based sports psychologist Charles Plott. Plott helped Honeycutt become more consistent with his pre-shot routine and also helped him become a little less critical of himself.

"He’s got me focusing on other things besides hitting the ball close all the time," Honeycutt said. "Now I don’t get so down on myself if I don’t hit it close."

On Thursday, Honeycutt showed off his newfound mental approach. He hit three bad shots—all of them tee shots that ended up in hazards—that resulted in three bogeys and turned in 1-over-par 37. The Honeycutt of old might have proceeded to shoot 77. The new improved version made birdies at No. 10, 11 and 17 to post an incoming 33.

"And I didn’t make a thing out there today [on the greens]," Honeycutt said. "If I can get some putts to go in tomorrow, I could have a pretty good day."

Elliott, who teamed with Chris Gilliland, son of Council Fire director of golf Hunt Gilliland, to win the CDGA Four-Ball last month, admitted to feeling a tad nervous on the first tee on Thursday.

"It’s my home course, and I really wanted to try and play well today," Elliott said.

Elliott’s nerves got the better of him the first two holes. He pulled his tee shot into the hazard at No. 1 and made a bogey, then pulled his second-shot at the par-5 No. 2 hole and made another bogey.

A trouble shot at No. 3 jump-started Elliott’s round. Forced to punch a shot under the big tree that guards the third fairway, Elliott placed it perfectly. His ball cleared the greenside bunkers, hit into the mound and popped straight up and onto the green. He two-putted for par, and felt so good about that he proceeded to birdie the next two holes.

Elliott made another birdie at No. 8, but that was squeezed in between bogeys at No. 7 and 9. Undaunted, Elliott birdied No. 11 and 13 on the back nine for a closing 34 that added up to 71.

Now Elliott gets his second crack in match play—a format he doesn’t see too often as a collegiate golfer.

"I prefer stroke play because that’s what I play all the time," Elliott said. "But I like match play. I like the fact you can take a big number on a hole, then forget about it and go on to the next hole."