University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols to Compete in Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship
February 18, 2005 | Men's Golf
Feb. 18, 2005
The 24th-ranked Tennessee men's golf team travels to Jacksonville, Fla., to compete in the 2005 Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship. The tournament, which is considered one of the top events in the spring, is once again being played at Sawgrass Golf and Country Club from Feb. 20-22.
This year's tournament features seven teams ranked in the top 25. Teams ranked in the Golfweek Top 25 who are competing include No. 10 Duke, No. 12 UCLA, No. 14 Augusta State, No. 18 Georgia State, No. 21 Florida, No. 24 Tennessee and No. 25 South Carolina. Other teams competing include Alabama, Arkansas, Central Florida, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, North Florida, Northwestern and UAB.
Leading the Big Orange in the one position is senior David Skinns. Skinns leads the team in scoring average with a 72.60. He has seven rounds of par or better for the season, as well as three top-10 finishes. He has finished in the top 10 at the Bank of Tennessee/Ridges Intercollegiate (10th-t), Gary Koch/Cleveland Golf Intercollegiate (7th) and Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions (8th-t).
Junior Lloyd Campbell returns to the lineup in the two position. Campbell stands second on the team in scoring average with a 72.83. His improved play in the fall was evident by his five rounds of par of better and two top-10 finishes, coming at the Bank of Tennessee/Ridges Intercollegiate (10th-t) and Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions (3rd-t). His third-place finish at the TOC marked his highest finish as a Vol.
Freshman Philip Pettitt anchors the No. 3 spot. Pettitt has competed in all five tournaments for the Vols thus far and posts a scoring average of 73.20. He claimed individual medallist honors in the fall at the Bank of Tennessee/Ridges Intercollegiate.
Senior Ross McGowan and freshman Ben Spickard round out Tennessee's competitors in the four and five positions. McGowan has a scoring average of 74.08 and one top-10 finish to his credit at the Tournament of Champions in a tie for third. Spickard is competing in his second tournament as a Vol with an average of 76.00.
This marks the 12th time Tennessee has competed in the Mercedes-Benz. The Vols have finished second in the event three times in 1993, 1996 and 2002. Last season UT took a sixth place finish with a scorecard of 303-299-289--891. Skinns led the team with a tie for ninth and a 73-69-76--218.
The tournament is a 54-hole format with 18 holes being played each day. A link to live scoring is available at www.UTsports.com.
Players Mentioned
