Tennessee Volunteers men's golf

The Tennessee Volunteers men's golf team represents the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Vols compete at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Vols currently rotate between 16 different golf courses located in the state of Tennessee. The current coach for the Volunteer men is Jim Kelson who is entering his 13th season as Tennessee's head coach. Since the Vol's inaugural season in 1934 they have won three SEC championships[2] and competed in 16 NCAA Championships.[3]

Tennessee Volunteers men's golf
UniversityUniversity of Tennessee
ConferenceSEC
Head coach
  • Men's: Brennan Webb (1st season)
LocationKnoxville, Tennessee
CourseMack and Jonnie Day Golf Facility
NicknameTennessee Volunteers
ColorsOrange and White[1]
         
NCAA championship appearances
1955, 1965, 1972, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013
NCAA regional appearances
1955, 1965, 1972, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019
Conference champions
1980, 1990, 2007
Individual conference champions
Bert Greene 1964
Mickey Mabry 1972
Mike Sposa 1990
David Skinns 2005

History

The Volunteers men's golf team began play in 1934 under coach James Walls.[4] It would take forty-five years before the Vols would win their first conference title mainly under the terrific play of Jim Gallagher Jr. and Stuart Smith, who both finished in the top five of the tournament. That same year, the Vols reached their highest finish in the NCAA Championships, finishing in 6th place. In 1988, Tennessee had its deepest run in the NCAA singles competition when Tom Carr finished runner-up among the other individuals.[4]

Jim Kelson era

When Jim Kelson was hired in 1998, the Vols were just coming off a losing season that ended the three-year streak of NCAA Tournament appearances. In his first year, he led his team to 101 wins and a 5th-place finish in the SEC Tournament.

Kelson has guided Tennessee to 3 straight NCAA Championship berths from 2009–2011. It was Tennessee's fifth NCAA Championship berth under Kelson since the 2003 season. He also guided the Vols to regional play for a school-record 15 consecutive seasons from 2000–2014. The 2007 season became a very memorable season for coach Kelson as he helped end a 17-year drought for the Vols in the SEC tournament by beating Alabama by two strokes to claim the SEC title.[2] In the 2010 season, Kelson helped the Volunteers capture the Carpet Capital Collegiate Golf Tournament for the first time in school history. Through his tenure, the Vols have won 15 tournament championships, as well as several team individual accolades.[5]

On June 12, 2018, Kelson announced he was retiring and stepped down from his position as head coach. Sean Pacetti served as the interim head coach until Brennan Webb, the former head golf coach at Middle Tennessee University, was hired on June 28, 2018 as the next head golf coach at Tennessee. [6] [7]

Individual honors

In the past 76 years of the Vols men's golf program four UT golfers have won SEC individual titles and 35 UT golfers have earned 53 All-SEC honors.[4]

All-Americans

Tour professionals

Several former University of Tennessee golf players have played on major golf tours.[4]

Notable amateur victories

Garrick Porteous, who played for the Volunteers from 2008–12, won The Amateur Championship in 2013.[8]

Mack and Jonnie Day Golf Facility
Mack and Jonnie Day Golf Facility course next to the Tennessee River.

Although the Vols men’s and women’s golf teams host their home matches at a variety of different courses in the state of Tennessee they have recently welcomed a new state of the art practice facility on campus where the team can practice all year round. The practice facility resides on a 28-acre lot across from the University's Medical Center and contains a 3-hole course. The new facility opened in 2010 but is still waiting for phase II to be completed in the near future. Phase II of the master plan will include adding the Furrow-Blackburn Clubhouse, offices for both the men and women's teams, heated hitting bays for year-round practice, video training space and locker rooms.[9] On March 27, 2018 construction on the Furrow-Blackburn Clubhouse began with a completion date in late 2018 or early 2019.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Color Palettes | Brand Guidelines". Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  2. SEC Men's Golf Championship Records
  3. "NCAA Men's and Women's Golf Championships Records and Results". NCAA. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  4. University of Tennessee Men's Golf Media Guide - History
  5. http://www.utsports.com/sports/m-golf/mtt/kelson_jim00.html
  6. https://utsports.com/news/2018/6/12/jim-kelson-retires-after-20-years-as-mens-golf-coach.aspx
  7. https://utsports.com/news/2018/6/28/ut-announces-brennan-webb-as-mens-golf-coach.aspx
  8. "Former UT golfer Garrick Porteous wins British Amateur, assured spot in three majors". June 22, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  9. "Mack and Jonnie Day Golf Facility". Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  10. "Furrow-Blackburn Clubhouse". Retrieved June 22, 2018.
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