University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Golfers Set to Open 2003 Spring Season
February 07, 2003 | Men's Golf
Feb. 7, 2003
The Tennessee men's golf team travels to New Orleans, La., to compete in the inaugural Tulane Invitational. English Turn Golf and Country Club plays host to the event, Feb. 10-11. The Vols are looking to open the spring season with a team championship for the second consecutive season. Tennessee claimed the Rice Intercollegiate last season.
Head coach Jim Kelson looks forward to the start of the spring season and hopes for a solid performance from his team.
"We are excited to travel to New Orleans to compete in this first-time event," Kelson said. "It should be a very fine tournament played on a good, challenging golf course. Teams such as Wake Forest and South Carolina will be some of the higher ranked teams we will be competing against."
Leading the way for the Vols is sophomore standout David Skinns. The reigning SEC and Softspikes National Freshman of the Year enters the spring season with a stroke average of 71.45. Skinns ended the fall with back-to-back top 10 finishes at the Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions (second) and Turtle Bay Intercollegiate (fourth).
Also competing for the Vols are senior co-captains Ian Parnaby and Andrew Pratt. Parnaby ended a productive fall with a stroke average of 72.36. He began by claiming his first individual title as a Vol at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate. Pratt concluded the fall with a 76.18 stroke average and a 10th-t place finish at the Turtle Bay Intercollegiate.
Sophomores John-Scott Rattan and Ross McGowan round out the UT squad. Rattan ended the fall with a scoring average of 73.36 with his top finish coming at the Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions (fifth). McGowan recorded a stroke average of 74.64, while finishing seventh at the Turtle Bay Intercollegiate.
"Everyone is anxious to get back to playing golf and getting the season started," Kelson said. "We have not had a chance to practice a lot due to the weather. We need to be able to go out and minimize our mental mistakes."
The field for the tournament includes East Tennessee State, New Orleans, South Carolina, Southern Methodist, Southeastern Louisiana, Tennessee, Tulane and Wake Forest.
Tennessee plays 36 holes on Monday, with the final 18 on Tuesday.
