University of Tennessee Athletics
The Front Nine -- Darren Renwick
February 26, 2010 | Men's Golf
Feb. 26, 2010
Tennessee returns to action this weekend near Jacksonville, Fla., opening play Sunday at the John Hayt Collegiate Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach. The Vols are one of four ranked squads out of 15 teams in the Sawgrass Country Club event.
Sophomore Darren Renwick already claimed his first collegiate individual championship during the fall back at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Georgia. He took his turn this week on "The Front Nine."
No. 1 (Par 4, 370 Yards) - As a way of introduction, tell us a little about your hometown of Worthing, England.
DR - "It's on the south coast, in Sussex, about 25 minutes from Brighton (and about 50 miles south of central London). It's pretty large, our towns and cities are more densely populated. But there's not a whole lot going on there.
"We have a couple of good golf courses nearby where I live. Hill Barn Golf Club is the closest - about five minutes from my home - so I could just walk down the road, play a round and practice."
No. 2 (Par 4, 410 Yards) - You've obviously had success in British golf, and success in the U.S. collegiate ranks. What are some of the differences in those two games, other than the team concept?
DR - "You play a lot of team golf at home, more so than here for sure. And because of the courses, there are big differences in the way you have to play.
"Here, generally, the greens are a lot faster and more sloping; the courses are longer and wider. So you need to be slightly more aggressive from the tee, hitting it further, and then your iron play needs to be more precise. You need to make sure you are missing the pins in the correct places. You can't afford to miss in the wrong place here because you can't make par. It's either an unbelievable par or you're making bogey.
"Whereas at home, things are a lot flatter around the greens and you can make up and down. It's slower. The grass is just longer, so you can make up and down from the short side a lot easier than here.
"You have to think your way around more here. Even though at home people would say American golf is more about booming it and going at every pin - target golf. It is to a certain extent, but you can't afford to screw up and miss it on the wrong side."
No. 3 (Par 3, 160 Yards) - You meet Coach Kelson and he's recruiting you. What convinces you to attend the University of Tennessee?
DR - "There were a bunch of things all together. The schedule we play, going against top teams and top college players. The facilities they have here. The players who have come through Tennessee - Ross McGowan, Charlie Ford, Chris Paisley - they all improved their games a lot after being here. I didn't know them personally, but they were part of the England golf setup and I knew of them.
"And, obviously, the weather as well. When I came on my official visit in the spring, the weather was unbelievable. So that kind of clinched it."
No. 4 (Par 5, 515 Yards) - Once you arrived and settled in, what was a pleasant surprise for you about your new college life in Knoxville?
DR - "One thing that surprised me is how much fun I have when we go on the road for tournaments. I wasn't really expecting that. The tournaments are the most fun thing about coming here, and the schedule we play puts us in some really outstanding tournaments.
"I really like the team camaraderie - practicing every day with the guys, pushing each other to improve and going on the road."
No. 5 (Par 4, 415 Yards) - Who were some of your golfing influences growing up?
DR - "My dad (Keith), obviously, has helped me a lot and given me a lot of advice. He's been a big influence on my life. Of the players, Tiger Woods was massive, like an idol, and Ernie Els too."
No. 6 (Par 3, 185 Yards) - Did you play other sports growing up?
DR - "I never played anything else seriously. I played basketball at school and just kicked around at soccer (he's a Newcastle United fan, by the way).
"I started playing golf when I was 9, and I started taking it really seriously when I was about 13 or 14."
No. 7 (Par 4, 420 Yards) - How comfortable were the accommodations at the Atlanta airport?
DR - "(Laughing) That was a story never to forget. It took 38½ hours door-to-door to get to California. We slept on the baggage carousel in Atlanta for a couple of hours and then managed to get through security. There were people lying down everywhere. It was a little bit more comfortable to sleep by the gate. We got a few more hours up there.
"But we're still in good spirits. We're still confident. It's kind of like that weekend didn't happen. We just weren't prepared to really give it our best shot because we didn't get a practice round in. It's the kind of course where local knowledge was a big advantage. Knowing the slope of the greens and the elevation changes from fairway to green; we didn't know those changes so it made it pretty hard on our second shots."
No. 8 (Par 5, 515 Yards) - Are your parents able to attend any tournaments?
DR - "My parents are coming to Vegas. It's my first (college) tournament they've ever been to. It's going to be awesome and I'm really excited about it."
No. 9 (Par 4, 435 Yards) - Finally, what's your favorite club?
DR - "I love my putter, and I'm not going to change that thing for a long time - until it breaks."
