University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Gen. Hackler Championship
Vols Blown off Course in Carolina
March 11, 2012 | Men's Golf
March 11, 2012
After an opening round that played like some sort of Myrtle Beach mirage, Tennessee rallied over its second 18 holes Sunday to climb into 13th place at the Gen. Hackler Championship.
The Vols opened with a 38-over-par score of 322 amid heavy winds at the DeBordieu Club on the South Carolina coast. It was the program's highest total for a four-player scoring tournament in more than 17 years.
UT then posted a second-round 300 to move past Air Force and Navy into 13th place at 54-over 622.
Garrick Porteous was Tennessee most consistent player, finishing at 10 over par after two rounds of 76. UT's hottest golfer of late, Jay Vandeventer, didn't contribute to the first-round scoring thanks to his 86. But the junior posted the team's best score in the nightcap with an even-par 71.
Brandon Rodgers scored in both rounds with a pair of 79s, and Rick Lamb made it on to both team score sheets with an 85-74 performance. Danny Keddie shot 82-85 to contribute to the Tennessee scoring in the opening round.
Justin Walker, playing this week as an individual, shot 80-78.
North Florida (582) leads Arkansas (584) by two strokes for the team lead, with North Florida's Sean Dale in front on the individual leaderboard behind his 3-under-par 139.
Vandeventer had a quadruple-bogey 9 and four double-bogeys in his opening 18 holes. But the junior matched three birdies against three bogeys in the nightcap to climb 26 places on the leaderboard to a tie for 56th at 15-over 157.
Rodgers seemed headed toward a better second round than his opening 79 before finding trouble at the end of the day. The sophomore was even through 13 holes -- an eagle-3 at the par-5 ninth paying dividends -- but finished with three bogeys, a double and a triple at the closing 18th. Rodgers is tied for 61st place at 16-over 158.
Also at 16 over is Walker, who made his season debut this week playing as an individual. The senior from Greenbrier had three birdies for the day against three double-bogeys in his first Vols action since February 2011.
Lamb posted two doubles and a triple in his opening round, but saved his best golf for the nightcap. The junior lefthander played his final eight holes in 1 under par to shoot 74 over the second 18 and climb 12 positions. Lamb is tied for 68th place at 17-over 159.
Keddie penciled two quadruple-bogeys and four doubles to wreck his 36 holes of work. The sophomore is in 82nd place at 25-over 167.
Sunday's opening round at the Georgetown, S.C., club saw an average score of 77.61, with the second round falling to 75.83.
The last time Tennessee registered 322 or higher in a four-player scoring tournament was Feb. 24, 1995, at the Mercedes-Benz Invitational in Jacksonville, Fla. That Vols squad shot 323 in the second round, but rallied for a closing 290 to tie for seventh in a 15-team field.
The Vols get their chance for just such a comeback when Monday's action begins at 8:20 a.m. UT opens on the 10th tee playing alongside Coastal Carolina, East Tennessee State and Lamar. Weather conditions call for partly cloudy skies and a high of 70, with winds from the southeast at 10 mph.
Live scoring is available via Golfstat.com.
| TEAM SCORES | ||
| 1. | North Florida | 300-282--582 (+14) |
| 2. | Arkansas | 297-287--584 (+16) |
| T-3. | Augusta State | 294-293--587 (+19) |
| T-3. | New Mexico | 296-291--587 (+19) |
| 5. | East Carolina | 292-297--589 (+21) |
| 6. | Virginia | 297-293--590 (+22) |
| 7. | Furman | 307-295--602 (+34) |
| 8. | Maryland | 304-300--604 (+36) |
| T-9. | Coastal Carolina | 304-303--607 (+39) |
| T-9. | Lamar | 311-296--607 (+39) |
| 11. | Pepperdine | 312-299--611 (+43) |
| 12. | East Tennessee State | 309-305--614 (+46) |
| 13. | TENNESSEE | 322-300--622 (+54) |
| 14. | Navy | 318-308--626 (+58) |
| 15. | Air Force | 317-326--643 (+75) |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS | ||
| 1. | Sean Dale, North Florida | 69-70--139 (-3) |
| 2. | Peter Valasek, Coastal Carolina | 70-71--141 (-1) |
| T-3. | Derek Chang, Augusta State | 71-71--142 (E) |
| T-3. | Victor Perez, New Mexico | 72-70--142 (E) |
| T-5. | Josh Anderson, Pepperdine | 75-69--144 (+2) |
| T-5. | Adam Stephenson, East Carolina | 69-75--144 (+2) |
| UT SCORES | ||
| T-39. | Garrick Porteous | 76-76--152 (+10) |
| T-56. | Jay Vandeventer | 86-71--157 (+15) |
| T-61. | Brandon Rodgers | 79-79--158 (+16) |
| T-61. | Justin Walker * | 80-78--158 (+16) |
| T-68. | Rick Lamb | 85-74--159 (+17) |
| 82. | Danny Keddie | 82-85--167 (+25) |
| *Competing as individual. | ||
