University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
SEC Championship
Vols Fall Behind Early at SEC Tourney
April 19, 2013 | Men's Golf
April 19, 2013
SEC TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- On Friday, the Tennessee men's golf team did not come out of the gate as planned. After one round of play at the SEC Championship, the Vols currently sit in 13th place.
Tennessee battled a tricky course throughout the day to ultimately finish with a 299 (+19).
The Vols were once again led by freshman sensation Oliver Goss. The Australian import has finished atop the UT team standings each of the Vols' last four contests. Through the first round at the SEC Championship, Goss currently sits tied for 23rd after carding a 72 (+2). Goss was playing excellent golf until he hit a triple bogey on the 10th hole.
"The course played quite difficult today, and as a result, the team struggled," Goss said. "I had a triple bogey in the middle of my round after playing solid up until that point. We hit the ball well but it was hard to score, especially if you missed the green. There is trouble on both sides of the fairway on most holes. We need to step it up tomorrow if we want a strong finish to continue our solid form this season".
Rounding out the rest of the Vols' starting five at the Sea Island Golf Club was Jay Vandeventer, Chad Mezbacher, Thomas Dunne, and Rick Lamb.
Vandeventer and Merzbacher each shot a 75 (+5), which put them in a tie for 43rd place after one round. The freshman Merzbacher impressed many with his play by knocking in two birdies on the 1st and 10th hole. His only slip came on the 18th hole in which he shot a double bogey. Additionally, Dunne carded a 77 (+7) and Lamb carded a 78 (+8).
On Saturday, Tennessee will tee off at 8:10 a.m. ET from the 10th hole. The Vols will be paired with Florida.
The Vols last won the SEC Championship in 2007.
Volunteer fans can keep up with the team by following @Vol_Golf on Twitter or following the live scoring on Golfstat.com or on the SEC Scoring Page.
| TEAM SCORES (Through One Round) | ||
| 1. | #19 Auburn | 275 (-5) |
| 2. | #30 South Carolina | 279 (-1) |
| 3. | #13 Georgia | 281 (+1) |
| 4. | #2 Alabama | 283 (+3) |
| 5. | #21 Texas A&M | 285 (+5) |
| 6. | #25 Mississippi State | 286 (+6) |
| 7. | #15 LSU | 288 (+8) |
| 8. | #50 Kentucky | 291 (+11) |
| 9. | #32 Missouri | 292 (+12) |
| 10. | #36 Vanderbilt | 295 (+15) |
| T-11. | #14 Arkansas | 297 (+17) |
| T-11. | Ole Miss | 297 (+17) |
| 13. | #23 TENNESSEE | 299 (+19) |
| 14. | #9 Florida | 301 (+21) |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (Through One Round) | ||
| 1. | Caleb Sturgeon, South Carolina | 65 (-5) |
| T-2. | Niclas Carlsson, Auburn | 66 (-4) |
| T-2. | Michael Herbert, Auburn | 66 (-4) |
| T-2. | Nicholas Reach, Georgia | 66 (-4) |
| UT SCORES (Through One Round) | ||
| T-23. | Oliver Goss | 72 (+2) |
| T-43. | Jay Vandeventer | 75 (+5) |
| T-43. | Chad Merzbacher | 75 (+5) |
| T-55. | Thomas Dunne | 77 (+7) |
| T-62. | Rick Lamb | 78 (+8) |
