University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
NCAA Finals
Vols Second After First Round of NCAA Golf Championships
June 01, 2005 | Men's Golf
June 1, 2005
The 10th-seeded Tennessee men's golf team surged into second place after the opening round of the 108th NCAA Division I Golf Championships in Baltimore, Md. Senior Ross McGowan led the way with a 3-under par score at the Caves Valley Golf Club.
With a combined score of 279, Tennessee is only five shots back of the leader, SEC-rival Georgia, who is in the clubhouse with a 274. UT and UGA are the only two schools with under-par scores. Arizona is third with a 2-over-par 282, while UNLV and Coastal Carolina are tied for fourth with 284. SEC team champion Kentucky is tied-for 21st with a 11-over-par 291.
The Vol foursome of seniors McGowan, David Skinns, John Scott Rattan and freshman Philip Pettitt finished the round strong with a combined 7-under on the back nine of the par-70 course.
McGowan led the Vols on the first day of competition with a 3-under-par 67. He was solid all day with 13 pars and four birdies to only one bogey. Individually, McGowan's 67 is tied for fourth, two shots back of co-leaders Kevin Kisner of Georgia and Major Manning of Augusta State.
Pettitt turned in the only other under-par score for UT. He finished 1-under-par with three birdies and two bogeys. Pettitt's 69 is tied for 14th with seven other golfers. He is one of only four freshmen under-par for the tournament.
Skinns, the SEC individual champion, was steady throughout the day with a 1-over-par 71. Skinns went on a back-nine run of back-to-back-to-back birdies to finish 1-under-par on the second nine. Skinns is tied for 34th individually.
Rattan trudged through a 4-over-par front nine then battled back with a 2-under-par back nine to finish with a 2-over-par 72 for the round. Rattan is tied for 51st with his 2-over 72.
The Vols' fifth team member, freshman Ben Spickard, scored at 7-over-par 77. At the NCAA championships the top-4 finishers for each team score.
The tournament is a 72-hole format with 18 holes being played over four days with only the top-15 teams playing the third and fourth rounds.
| Rank | Team | To Par | Score |
| 1 | Georgia | -6 | 274 |
| 2 | Tennessee | -1 | 279 |
| 3 | Arizona | +2 | 282 |
| T4 | UNLV | +4 | 284 |
| T4 | Coastal Carolina | +4 | 284 |
| 6 | BYU | +5 | 285 |
| T7 | Georgia Southern | +6 | 286 |
| T7 | Augusta State | +6 | 286 |
| T9 | SMU | +7 | 287 |
| T9 | Wake Forest | +7 | 287 |
| T9 | Georgia State | +7 | 287 |
| T12 | Duke | +8 | 288 |
| T12 | Georgia Tech | +8 | 288 |
| T12 | Arkansas | +8 | 288 |
| T15 | Florida | +9 | 289 |
| T15 | New Mexico | +9 | 289 |
| T15 | Washington | +9 | 289 |
| T18 | San Diego State | +10 | 290 |
| T18 | Southern California | +10 | 290 |
| T18 | Tulsa | +10 | 290 |
| T21 | Alabama | +11 | 291 |
| T21 | Kentucky | +11 | 291 |
| T21 | Arizona State | +11 | 291 |
| 24 | Oklahoma State | +12 | 292 |
| T25 | Stanford | +16 | 296 |
| T25 | Texas A&M | +16 | 296 |
| 27 | Texas | +18 | 298 |
| T28 | Purdue | +19 | 299 |
| T28 | UCLA | +19 | 299 |
| 30 | Missouri | +20 | 300 |
| Rank | Individual | To Par | Score |
| T1 | Kevin Kisner, Georgia | -5 | 65 |
| T1 | Major Manning, Augusta State | -5 | 65 |
| 3 | Aron Price, Georgia Southern | -4 | 66 |
| T4 | Ross McGowan, Tennessee | -3 | 67 |
| T4 | Oscar Alvarez, Brigham Young | -3 | 67 |
| T4 | Mitch Cohlmia, Tulsa | -3 | 67 |
| T4 | Michael Putnam, Pepperdine | -3 | 67 |
| T4 | James Vargas, Florida | -3 | 67 |
| Rank | Tennessee | To Par | Score |
| T4 | Ross McGowan | -3 | 67 |
| T14 | Philip Pettitt | -1 | 69 |
| T33 | David Skinns | +1 | 71 |
| T49 | John Scott Rattan | +2 | 72 |
| T129 | Ben Spickard | +7 | 77 |
