University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols' Senior Golfers More Like Odd Couple
May 28, 2003 | Men's Golf
May 28, 2003
They're the odd couple. Ian Parnaby and Andrew Pratt couldn't have taken more different paths to get to the University of Tennessee. But they've taken the exact same path the past four years and it's provided a rock of leadership for the Tennessee golf team.
When Parnaby moved from Durham, England to Tennessee four years ago, he'd never even stepped foot on U.S. soil before coming to play golf for the Vols. And he didn't know anybody but Tennessee golf coach Jim Kelson. But he wanted to play collegiate golf in America and hopefully continue his young dominance. In 1998 he was captain of the England School Boy's Team. A year earlier, he was English School Boy Champion thanks to a 19-under-par effort.
Pratt is on the other end of the spectrum. He's from Memphis; an in-state product down Interstate 40. Originally from Erie, Pa., Pratt's dad taught him to skate and slap a puck with a hockey stick by age 2. But after moving to Memphis, he picked up a golf club and found his passion. He never started playing junior golf until he was 14, but in 1997 he was named to the Tennessee All-State Team. He repeated the feat in 1998 and finished second in the Tennessee State High School Championships.
After traveling two different routes to Knoxville, the two finally crossed paths at Gibbs Hall dormitory in 1999. "Ian was my suitemate my freshman year in Gibbs," says Pratt. "For three years now, we've been living together."
"I think they're actually best friends," Kelson says of his two seniors. "Those were my first recruits for the University of Tennessee. They've done a great job over their careers as student-athletes."
For three years, the two have been the cornerstone for the Vols. But never has their leadership been so evident than this season. In their last go-around at Tennessee, the duo helped push the Vols over a bubble they hadn't burst since 1997 - a berth in the NCAA Men's Golf Championships.
"When Andrew and I came in, the program was what, a top-50 program in the country?" Parnaby says. "And it just seems that every year we've gotten a little bit better."
Parnaby ranked second on the team this year with a 73.08 stroke average and also shot 15 rounds of par or better. He had two top-10 finishes, including his one-under, 68-72-72 - 215 at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at The Ridges Golf and Country Club last fall to finish tied for first. It was his first individual title of his career.
Pratt was fifth on the team with a stroke average of 75.06. He had six rounds of par or better and also had two top-10 finishes. His best finish of the year was fourth at the SEC Championships this spring when he fired a 72-69-70 - 211 at The Seaside Course in Sea Island, Ga.
"As a senior, you want to go out and finish strong," says Pratt, a left-hander who can also hit a ball right-handed. "But the main key is to keep the program moving in the right direction when you leave."
Parnaby and Pratt - their paths may have been different, but their vision for Tennessee golf was always the same. And it's that vision that has risen the bar for the future.
Josh Pate
Players Mentioned
