University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Set to Compete in SEC Golf Championships
April 14, 2004 | Men's Golf
April 14, 2004
Tennessee opens postseason play at the 2004 Southeastern Conference Golf Championships April 16-18. For the fourth year in a row, the tournament will be held at the Seaside Course in Sea Island, Ga. The Vols enter the tournament with an overall record of 84-65-2 (.563) and an SEC record of 14-17-1 (.453).
Head coach Jim Kelson is excited about this year's tournament and feels the experience of his team will be an advantage.
"We look forward to the challenge of competing in this year's championship," Kelson said. "We have three players who competed on this course last year. This should be an advantage for us, as these three upperclassmen know what they have to do to be successful on this course."
To combat the always-competitive SEC teams, Kelson will rely on three juniors and two freshman.
Leading the Vols at the No. 1 position is junior David Skinns. Skinns, a two-time All-SEC selection, leads the team with a scoring average of 72.70. He also has 12 rounds of par or better and three top-10 finishes. The top 10 finishes occurred at the Suntrust Gator Invitational (second), Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions (ninth-t) and Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship (ninth-t).
Fellow junior John Scott Rattan will compete in the second position. Rattan is second on the team in terms of scoring average with a 73.30. Like Skinns, he has 12 rounds of par or better. Earlier this season he recorded his highest finish as a Vol at the Landfall Tradition in a tie for third. He also finished in the top 10 at the Bank of Tennessee/Ridges Intercollegiate in a tie for ninth.
Junior Ross McGowan anchors the No. 3 position. McGowan enters the tournament with a scoring average of 73.30 and 11 rounds of par or better. His highest finish for the year came at Tennessee's own Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions where he finished eighth.
Freshman Ross Cox is in the No. 4 position with a scoring average of 74.13. Cox enjoyed his best finish of the year at the prestigious Carpet Capital Collegiate in a tie for 17th.
Tino Weiss rounds out the Vol competitors in the No. 5 position. Weiss, a freshman, has a scoring average of 75.83, with his highest finish being a tie for 54th at the Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions and Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational.
"Our two freshman are beginning to play like they are capable and we feel very good about the progress they have made lately," Kelson said. "Finally, if we can remain patient and play smart, I believe we will have a successful championship."
Last season, the Vols finished in fourth at the SEC Championships with a 289-288-293--870. Tennessee was competitive throughout the tournament against the stiff SEC competition, ending the first day in second and the second day tied for the lead. Andrew Pratt led UT, finishing fourth.
The Vols have won two SEC Championships, coming in 1980 and 1990. The orange and white fired a 290-293-301--884 to win the 1980 title at West Lake Country Club in Augusta, Ga. Their second title at Annadale Golf Club in Jackson, Miss., saw UT edge Florida in a playoff with a scorecard of 294-291-281--866.
Three Vols have won individual championships, starting with Bert Greene in 1964 with a 141. Mickey Mabry was the second to win in 1972 with a 217, while Mike Sposa was the last Vol to win in 1990 with a 210. Sposa's championship saw Tennessee sweep both the team and individual titles.
The tournament is a 54-hole format, with 18 holes played over three days. A link to live scoring will be available at www.UTsports.com. The satellite link for the tournament is Galaxy 3C / Transponder 2 / C-Band Forty-Five minute feed from 20:30-21:15.
Players Mentioned
