University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Defending '09 Title at The Ridges
October 14, 2010 | Men's Golf
Oct. 14, 2010
Tennessee's best chance for a home course advantage comes this weekend when the Vols tee it up at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate in Jonesborough.
The three-day event begins Friday at The Ridges Golf and Country Club (Par 72, 7,147 yards).
UT won last year's competition in a scorecard playoff over Oregon State, rallying from four strokes down during the final nine holes for its second fall victory of 2009. This season, Tennessee owns finishes of eighth at the Carpet Capital Collegiate and 14th at the Windon Memorial Golf Classic.
Head coach Jim Kelson's lineup this week features Robin Wingardh, Jay Vandeventer, Darren Renwick, Max Smith making his UT debut, and Garrick Porteous. Another freshman, Marshall Talkington, is playing as an individual.
WINGARDH LEADING THE WAY
Wingardh leads the team with a stroke average of 70.50 and three rounds of par or better. The senior captain from Morarp, Sweden, owns a pair of top-20 finishes -- 15th at the Carpet Capital and 19th at the Windon Memorial.
Vandeventer is coming off his career best collegiate showing, a tie for 14th at the Windon. The Bristol sophomore is averaging 73.00 strokes each time out, with two rounds of par or better.
Renwick tied for second at The Ridges last year, draining a nearly 40-foot birdie putt on the final hole to push the Vols into their scorecard playoff. The junior from Worthing, England, is off to a rougher start in 2010, however, averaging 76.33 strokes per round thus far.
Smith joins the Tennessee lineup for the first time. The freshman from Berkshire, England, had a pair of top-10s this summer at two of his country's top tournaments -- fifth in the Tillman Trophy and ninth at the South of England Open Amateur Championship. Smith also advanced to the second round of match play at the English Amateur.
Porteous finished in a tie for 43rd at the Carpet Capital, his only competition to date. The Morpeth, England, native's best round was an opening par 72, and he owns a stroke average of 75.67.
Talkington makes his collegiate debut this weekend as an individual competitor. The Jackson product finished fourth this summer at the Tennessee State Amateur in Gallatin, was fifth at the Western Junior Championship in Wisconsin, and captured a pair of in-state titles from the Bubba Conlee National Junior Golf Tournament in Bartlett and The Wally junior event in Nashville.
WINDY WEATHER IN FRIDAY FORECAST
Eleven of this weekend's 14 teams are rated by Golfstat in the top 100 nationally, including the Vols at No. 79 in the early going. Joining Tennessee and host East Tennessee State are Chattanooga, Coastal Carolina, Denver, Kent State, Louisville, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, UNC Wilmington, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
The Vols begin play Friday at 9:10 a.m. from the No. 1 tee, partnering with Virginia Tech and UNC Wilmington.
Friday's weather forecast calls for sunny but windy conditions and a high of 64. Winds should taper after the opening round, with highs reaching the 70s by Sunday's final round.
Live scoring is available on UTsports.com, via Golfstat.com.
Players Mentioned
