University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Open Fall Season at Carpet Capital Collegiate
September 11, 2008 | Men's Golf
Sept. 11, 2008
The Tennessee men's golf team opens its 2008 fall season Friday in Rocky Face, Ga., at the 20th annual Carpet Capital Collegiate. The event marks the start of the 2008-09 schedule for many teams and is expected to showcase some of the top squads in the nation.
Twelve of the field's 18 teams were ranked in Golfweek's top-25 at the end of the 2007-08 season. Seventeen of 18 are in the same ranking's top-50.
"The field is kind of the best of the best," Tennessee coach Jim Kelson said. "It's like the Masters of college golf. They are all really just top-tier programs."
The field for this event includes SEC opponents No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Alabama, No. 7 Florida, No. 14 South Carolina, No. 17 Auburn, No. 36 Mississippi and No. 38 Mississippi State. This tournament marks the only time before the 2009 SEC Championships that six or more SEC schools are playing in the same tournament.
Rounding out the field is host and No. 9 Georgia Tech along with No. 12 Chattanooga, No. 13 Clemson, No. 19 Wake Forest, No. 24 Texas Tech, No. 27 UAB, No. 31 Central Florida and Georgia State.
The 54-hole tournament runs Friday through Sunday at The Farm Golf Club, a par-72, 7,012-yard course.
"The Farm is not the easiest place to play," Kelson said. "It's a long golf course, very demanding all around with very fast, undulating greens, and its something we don't actually have an opportunity to practice on a great deal. We have got to get down there and adjust very quickly. That's going to be the determining factor on how well we will end up playing."
Tennessee's lineup features Chris Paisley, Robin Wingardh, David Holmes, James Brannen and Darren Renwick.
Paisley, the lone senior on this year's squad, will play at the No.1 position for UT. Paisley is coming off a summer that saw him earn second-place finishes at three of the most prestigious amateur golf events in England, including the English Amateur Championships.
Wingardh will be at the No. 2 position. He is coming off a freshman campaign that saw him participate in 10 tournaments with a scoring average of 73.07, earning him a spot on the SEC Men's Golf All-Freshman team.
Holmes follows next for the Volunteers at No. 3. The Knoxville native enters his junior year with 13 tournaments under his belt, including six top-25 finishes during the 2007-08 season.
Next in the No. 4 position is junior James Brannen. Brannen has competed in two tournaments for the Volunteers and looks to be an integral part of the lineup this season.
Rounding out the Tennessee lineup at No. 5 is newcomer Darren Renwick. The England native will be making his debut on the links for UT.
At last year's event, the Vols fired a 292-300-291--883 to finish seventh in a field of 18. Alabama took home the team championship, while Chesson Headley of Georgia Tech won medalist honors.
Live results are available at www.utsports.com and www.golfstat.com.
Players Mentioned
