Pennson Badgett arrived at Tennessee as one of the country's top recruits, ranked No. 6 nationally by TUGR and No. 8 by Junior Golf Scoreboard. A member of the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup Team, Badgett built a decorated junior resume highlighted by a victory at the 2024 AJGA Polo Championship and top-five finishes at both the 2025 Boys Junior PGA Championship and Wyndham AJGA Championship.
Badgett made an immediate splash in his 2026–27 freshman campaign, opening his collegiate career with a top-15 showing at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate. Just weeks later, he captured his first individual collegiate victory at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate, firing a blistering 16-under 200 to match the second-best 54-hole score in Tennessee program history and earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
