Vols Hang Tough Over Final Nine Holes

Saturday, March 20

Statesboro, Ga.

All Day

University of Tennessee

Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational

March 20, 2010 | Men's Golf

March 20, 2010

Tennessee improved its score Saturday by eight strokes and kept alive the chance for another top-10 showing after two rounds of the Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational in Statesboro, Ga.

The Vols shot 3-over-par 291 as a team to total 590 with 18 holes to play. UT was led by senior captain David Holmes, who rallied from early trouble to shoot a 1-under-par 71 at Forest Heights Country Club.

North Florida (564) increased its lead to seven shots over second-place Auburn (571), with Virginia (573), North Carolina State (575) and Mississippi (577) all remaining in the top five. Tennessee's season string of seven straight top-10 finishes hangs in the balance Sunday, meaning the Vols will have to pass three teams to keep that streak alive. UT trails 10th-place South Carolina by only four strokes heading into the final round.

Holmes and his Vol teammates began play Saturday on the more difficult back nine and immediately dropped seven shots to par after just six holes. But Tennessee played the front nine holes as a team in 4 under par to rejoin the pack.

The Knoxville native Holmes doubled the 12th hole and then bogeyed No. 13. But four birdies the rest of the way -- at Nos. 16, 1, 5 and 6 -- bettered his position on the individual leaderboard by 22 places to a tie for 30th. Holmes stands at 2-over-par 146.

Robin Wingardh and Garrick Porteous contributed even-par 72s to the UT effort. Wingardh fought off a double bogey at the 11th hole with a pair of birdies on each nine, but closed with a bogey at the par-5 ninth. Porteous birdied that finishing hole to match his birdie on No. 17 and offset single bogeys on each nine. The 72 by Porteous was his second best round this season and for his career.

Darren Renwick and Jay Vandeventer both went from 74s Friday to 76s Saturday. Renwick started his day with a triple-bogey 7 at the par-4 10th hole. But the sophomore managed to play his final 17 holes in just 1 over par. Vandeventer birdied the par-4 first hole to help offset five bogeys. Both Renwick and Vandeventer are tied with Porteous in 60th place at 6-over-par 150.

James Brannen is competing as an individual this weekend and shot 74 Saturday. The Clarksville senior also started poorly, doubling the 10th hole, but poured in three birdies over a six-hole stretch of the back nine and is tied for 57th place at 5-over-par 149.

North Florida holds the top two individual positions, with Kevin Phelan (136) leading J.C. Horne (138) by two strokes.

Tennessee begins final-round play Sunday at 8:18 a.m., teeing off again on the back nine. Temperatures in Statesboro should only reach the upper 60s, with slightly windier conditions and a 60 percent chance of afternoon showers.

Live scoring is available on UTsports.com via Golfstat.com.

TEAM SCORES
1.	North Florida	285-279--564 (-12)
2.	Auburn	288-283--571 (-5)
3.	Virginia	286-287--573 (-3)
4.	North Carolina State	289-286--575 (-1)
5.	Mississippi	287-290--577 (+1)
t-6.	Alabama	292-288--580 (+4)
t-6.	LSU	291-289--580 (+4)
8.	Georgia Southern	292-289--581 (+5)
9.	Vanderbilt	291-291--582 (+6)
10.	South Carolina	293-293--586 (+10)
t-11.	Kentucky	295-293--588 (+12)
t-11.	North Carolina	300-288--588 (+12)
13.	TENNESSEE	299-291--590 (+14)
14.	Florida	294-297--591 (+15)
15.	Louisville	296-300--596 (+20)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
1.	Kevin Phelan, North Florida	70-66--136 (-8)
2.	J.C. Horne, North Florida	69-69--138 (-6)
t-3.	* Logan Blondell, Georgia Southern	71-68--139 (-5)
t-3.	Jonathan Randolph, Mississippi	70-69--139 (-5)
5.	* Jordan Gibb, North Florida	70-70--140 (-4)
UT SCORES
t-30.	David Holmes	75-71--146 (+2)
t-49.	Robin Wingardh	76-72--148 (+4)
t-57.	* James Brannen	75-74--149 (+5)
t-60.	Garrick Porteous	78-72--150 (+6)
t-60.	Jay Vandeventer	74-76--150 (+6)
t-60.	Darren Renwick	74-76--150 (+6)
*Competing as individual.