University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational
Best Round Since October Lifts Vols to Fifth
March 21, 2010 | Men's Golf
March 21, 2010
Garrick Porteous shaved five strokes off his previous collegiate low round, firing a 66 to boost Tennessee to a fifth-place finish at the Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational in Statesboro, Ga.
The Vols claimed low-round honors Sunday and gained eight places in the standings over the final 18 holes, shooting a 7-under-par 281 for their best day since mid-October. UT fought through rain and wind on the final day to finish in a fifth-place tie with Mississippi at 7-over-par 871.
Porteous almost matched his previous collegiate low of 71 on Saturday, when he fired an even-par 72. But that was merely setting the stage for Sunday's 6-under-par performance that featured seven birdies against only one bogey.
"Coach talked to us last night about a fresh start," said Porteous, who began Sunday in 60th place but climbed to a career-best 12th. "We've played some tough courses the last few weeks, but it's spring now and we all seemed to play well today.
"It's probably one of the top rounds I've played -- definitely my lowest. I just felt pretty comfortable out there."
Porteous and the Vols began play on No. 10 for the second straight day, having to face the more difficult nine holes to start. But the sophomore from Bamburgh Castle, England, was equal to the task and made the turn already 4 under par.
"No. 10 is probably the toughest hole on the course; making par there was really good," said Porteous, who finished even par 216 for the tournament. "And then I birdied 16, 17 and 18, which was really good because that's quite a tough finish."
Porteous also birdied the 11th and 12th holes, and then played his final nine in 2 under par with birdies at Nos. 5 and 7. He matched the three-day tournament's low individual round -- North Florida's Kevin Phelan shot 66 Saturday -- and for Sunday's final 18 holes, Florida's Tim McKenney (68) was the only other competitor in the 60s.
Jay Vandeventer birdied three of his last five holes for a 1-under-par 71 that tied his third-best round this season. The freshman played his first nine holes even par -- birdies at the 15th and 17th holes -- and was still even through 12 holes when he double bogeyed the par-4 fourth. But the Bristol native birdied the fifth, sixth and ninth holes to climb 19 positions to a tie for 40th at 5-over-par 221.
David Holmes shot even par 72 to record his team-leading fifth top-20 showing this season. The senior captain rallied from a 3-over-par start to his day through six holes by birdieing two holes on each side. Holmes closed with birdies at the seventh and eighth holes to finish tied for 20th place at 2-over-par 218.
Robin Wingardh also fashioned an even-par 72 and finished two strokes behind Holmes at 4-over 220. The junior was 2 under par through his first nine holes before hitting a rough patch and losing four strokes on holes 1-3. But Wingardh rallied with consecutive birdies at Nos. 5 and 6 to finish in a tie for 32nd place.
Darren Renwick shot 76 Sunday, his lone birdie coming at the par-5 seventh hole. The sophomore finished the tournament in a tie for 64th place at 10-over-par 226.
James Brannen, competing as an individual, played the best golf of his UT career. The Clarksville senior closed with a 74 to finish in a tie for 48th place at 7-over-par 223 -- personal collegiate bests for both placement and score. Brannen's previous best effort was a 226 score and tie for 62nd place at last year's Schenkel E-Z-Go event.
Auburn (862) rallied to claim team honors by one stroke over North Florida (863), which led after each of the first two rounds and owned a seven-shot lead over the Tigers entering Sunday's play. Mississippi's Jonathan Randolph (211) claimed medalist honors after winning a three-way playoff with a first-hole birdie.
The Vols are idle until the Administaff ASU Invitational, scheduled for April 3-4 in Augusta, Ga. As part of that weekend's tournament festivities, all teams are invited to attend the April 5 Masters practice round. It's also the last tournament before the SEC Men's Golf Championship, set this year for April 16-18 at Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside Course) on St. Simons Island, Ga.
| TEAM SCORES | ||
| 1. | Auburn | 288-283-291--862 (-2) |
| 2. | North Florida | 285-279-299--863 (-1) |
| 3. | Virginia | 286-287-292--865 (+1) |
| 4. | Alabama | 292-288-288--868 (+4) |
| t-5. | TENNESSEE | 299-291-281--871 (+7) |
| t-5. | Mississippi | 287-290-294--871 (+7) |
| 7. | North Carolina State | 289-286-297--872 (+8) |
| 8. | Florida | 294-297-284--875 (+11) |
| 9. | LSU | 291-289-297--877 (+13) |
| 10. | South Carolina | 293-293-292--878 (+14) |
| 11. | Vanderbilt | 291-291-299--881 (+17) |
| 12. | Georgia Southern | 292-289-302--883 (+19) |
| 13. | North Carolina | 300-288-300--888 (+24) |
| 14. | Kentucky | 295-293-301--889 (+25) |
| 15. | Louisville | 296-300-302--898 (+34) |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS | ||
| t-1. | Jonathan Randolph, Mississippi | 70-69-72--211 (-5) |
| t-1. | * Jordan Gibb, North Florida | 70-70-71--211 (-5) |
| t-1. | Hunter Hamrick, Alabama | 73-68-70--211 (-5) |
| t-4. | J.C. Horne, North Florida | 69-69-74--212 (-4) |
| t-4. | Kevin Phelan, North Florida | 70-66-76--212 (-4) |
| UT SCORES | ||
| t-12. | Garrick Porteous | 78-72-66--216 (E) |
| t-20. | David Holmes | 75-71-72--218 (+2) |
| t-32. | Robin Wingardh | 76-72-72--220 (+4) |
| t-41. | Jay Vandeventer | 74-76-71--221 (+5) |
| t-48. | * James Brannen | 75-74-74--223 (+7) |
| t-64. | Darren Renwick | 74-76-76--226 (+10) |
| *Competed as individual. | ||
Players Mentioned
