University of Tennessee Athletics
The Front Nine -- Garrick Porteous
March 27, 2010 | Men's Golf
March 27, 2010
Tennessee plays its final regular season tournament next weekend when the Vols compete in the Administaff ASU Invitational down in Augusta, Ga. It's the final tune-up before this year's SEC Championship, set for April 16-18 on St. Simons Island, Ga.
Garrick Porteous played some of his best golf last year in the post-season, and he appears to be tuning up his game once again. The sophomore fired a closing-round 66 to help lift UT into a fifth-place finish at their most recent event, the Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational. Porteous takes his turn this week on "The Front Nine."
No. 1 (Par 4, 402 Yards) - Talk about your recent round of 66 at the Schenkel and how that whole day went down.
GP - "It was weird. On Friday I wasn't hitting the ball so great, but after the round I had a bit of practice and Joe Whitney (UT mental training director) was down there with us. I just talked to him on Friday and Saturday to get my confidence up and that really helped.
"Saturday I shot level par and then, it obviously helped Sunday's round. My putting has improved a lot since the start of this (calendar) year. That's definitely part of my game that has improved."
No. 2 (Par 4, 433 Yards) - Describe growing up around Bamburgh Castle in England.
GP - "It's a great place. It's in northeast England, right on the coast, about an hour north of Newcastle. If you get a chance to take a train ride along the coast, it's really beautiful. It's the best train ride ever.
"I'm actually from Morpeth and went to school there, but I played in Bamburgh because my grandparents live there. We always used to spend the summer over there. There's the castle, and you've got a golf course right next to it. It's quite hilly, and if you go up to the 15th tee box on the top of a hill, the panoramic view is 360 degrees. You can see the Farne Islands off the coast. It's an awesome place.
"My dad is a lecturer of sports management at Northumbria University, and my mum teaches sport at a high school. We're quite a sporty family."
No. 3 (Par 5, 540 Yards) - Who were some of your golfing influences growing up?
GP - "Probably my dad, because he started me off in golf. I got my handicap when I was 9. That's when I started to play serious golf."
No. 4 (Par 3, 198 Yards) - What other sports did you play?
GP - "I played a lot of rugby. I played golf in the summer and rugby in the winter. I played for the county team and could have played for England, but when I was 16 it was either take up golf further or go further with rugby. I picked golf because rugby was getting a bit too tedious. You couldn't really play both at the same time; they just don't go together. But it's pretty awesome playing rugby. I still follow the Newcastle Falcons, that's the local team, and I follow England."
No. 5 (Par 4, 423 Yards) - What about Tennessee was attractive when you were being recruited? What convinced you it was the right place for college?
GP - "I've always wanted to come to the states to play golf because I had heard so much about Chris Paisley. He's local to me; we played on the same county team and I grew up seeing him progress. He kind of inspired me.
"Chris really like it at Tennessee, so I knew it was a good school. And it because I also felt it would give me the best chance to make it on tour."
No. 6 (Par 3, 203 Yards) - What's been your most memorable experience thus far in collegiate golf?
GP - "I thought it was pretty cool going to regionals last year and then to NCAAs. Everything about it - the competition, the course, the hype about it."
No. 7 (Par 4, 386 Yards) - What kind of music do you listen to?
GP - "I listed to a lot of techno and dance music, stuff like that. Robin (Wingardh) and I keep that going on the team. No one else likes it! It's European stuff, like Tiesto.
No. 8 (Par 4, 438 Yards) - In how many countries have you played golf, and were there any trips that were particularly memorable?
GP - "I've played in Spain, South Africa, Canada, America, Slovenia, Ireland, and all through the UK. Definitely South Africa and Niagara Falls were awesome. We went on safari in South Africa and then went on that boat trip into the falls at Niagara. That was cool.
No. 9 (Par 5, 564 Yards) - What part of your golf game do you consider your strength?
GP - "I'm pretty solid off the tee, but I'd like to say that I'm improving on my putting.
