Tennessee Volunteers men's golf

Summary

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, with their main headquarters at the Blackburn-Furrow Golf Clubhouse at Day Golf Practice Facility, less than a mile from campus.[2] The current coach for the Volunteer men is Brennan Webb who is in his 5th season as Tennessee's head coach. Since the Vol's inaugural season in 1934 they have won three SEC championships,[3] competed in 17 NCAA Championships,[4] and participated in 27 NCAA Regionals.

Tennessee Volunteers men's golf
UniversityUniversity of Tennessee
ConferenceSEC
Athletic directorDanny White
Head coach
  • Men's: Brennan Webb (5th 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, 2021
NCAA regional appearances
1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
Conference champions
1980, 1990, 2007
Individual conference champions
Bert Greene 1964
Mickey Mabry 1972
Mike Sposa 1990
David Skinns 2005
Caleb Surratt 2023

History edit

The Volunteers men's golf team began play in 1934 under coach James Walls.[5] 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.[5]

Jim Kelson era edit

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 guided Tennessee to three 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.[3] In the 2010 season, Kelson helped the Volunteers capture the Carpet Capital Collegiate Golf Tournament for the first time in school history. During his tenure, the Vols won 25 tournament championships, as well as several team individual accolades, and made 7 NCAA Championship appearances.[6]

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.[7][8]

Brennan Webb era edit

Under current head coach Brennan Webb, the Vols have posted four consecutive seasons with a win percentage above .600. Additionally, under the new SEC Championship match-play structure (which began in 2018), Webb has led the Vols to top 8 SEC finishes and the SEC Quarterfinals each year. The Vols have also made 4 NCAA Regionals in Webb's five years (the 2020 regionals were cancelled), and qualified for the 2021 NCAA Championships, ending a 7 year program drought.[9]

Head coaches edit

Source[10]

# Coach Years Seasons Record SEC
Titles
NCAA
Regionals
NCAA
Championship
Appearances
Won Lost Tie %
1 James Walls 1934–1953 16 37 53 1 .412
2 Lloyd Foree 1954–1967 14 64 55 4 .537 2
3 Sid Hatfield 1968–1976 9.5 587 332 3 .638 1
4 Mike Malarkey 1977–1998 22.5 2273 1811 56 .556 2 6 6
5 Jim Kelson 1998-2018 20 2024 1422 56 .586 1 17 7
6 Brennan Webb 2018-2022 4 361 165 16 .681 4 1
Total 86 5346 3838 138 .581 3 27 17

Note: Records for coaches James Walls and Lloyd Foree are incomplete for certain seasons.

Yearly record edit

Sources[11][12][13]

Season Coach Overall Conference Conference
Championship
NCAA
Regional
NCAA
Championship
Won Lost Tie % Won Lost Tie %
Southeastern Conference
1934 James Walls 0 4 .000
1935 James Walls 12 5 .706
1936 James Walls 3 3 .500
1937 James Walls 3 5 1 .333
1938 James Walls 1 8 .111
1939 James Walls 3 5 .375
1940 James Walls 3 6 .333
1941 James Walls 6 5 .545
1942 James Walls 2 5 .286
1943–1946 James Walls No team (WWII)
1947 James Walls 4 7 .364
1948–1953 James Walls Records unavailable
1954 Lloyd Foree Records unavailable
1955 Lloyd Foree Records unavailable 30th (639)
1956–1962 Lloyd Foree Records unavailable
1963 Lloyd Foree 3 8 .273 1 5 .167
1964 Lloyd Foree 11 4 1 .688 4 2 .667
1965 Lloyd Foree 27 28 1 .482 8 7 .533 5th (605) T–15th (607)
1966 Lloyd Foree 7 10 2 .368 5 7 1 .423 T–7th (913)
1967 Lloyd Foree 16 5 .762 10 4 .714 4th (914)
1968 Sid Hatfield 22 4 1 .815 11 2 .846 2nd (850)
1969 Sid Hatfield 28 7 .800 7 4 .636 4th (1117)
1969–70 Sid Hatfield 61 31 .663 6 3 .667 4th (1138)
1970–71 Sid Hatfield 69 36 .657 5 4 .556 5th (1158)
1971–72 Sid Hatfield 64 28 .696 8 2 .800 3rd (1128) 13th (1217)
1972–73 Sid Hatfield 83 28 .748 6 4 .600 5th (1151)
1973–74 Sid Hatfield 47 57 .452 7 26 .212 6th (1161)
1974–75 Sid Hatfield 76 58 1 .563 10 22 .313 6th (1149)
1975–76 Sid Hatfield 127 61 1 .672 12 27 .308 6th (1121)
1976–77 Hatfield/ Malarkey 60 115 1 .341 3 27 .100 8th (1121)
1977–78 Mike Malarkey 83 116 .417 5 25 .167 7th (1197)
1978–79 Mike Malarkey 104 135 .425 12 36 .250 7th (915)
1979–80 Mike Malarkey 184 61 1 .748 45 19 1 .700 1st (884) 6th (1188)
1980–81 Mike Malarkey 189 76 1 .711 26 16 .619 2nd (885) T–7th (1180)
1981–82 Mike Malarkey 156 52 2 .743 44 16 .733 5th (887) 22nd (893)
1982–83 Mike Malarkey 137 65 1 .675 34 24 1 .585 5th (896)
1983–84 Mike Malarkey 100 93 2 .513 17 25 1 .407 5th (893)
1984–85 Mike Malarkey 109 91 3 .537 15 14 1 .517 7th (899)
1985–86 Mike Malarkey 90 111 4 .439 10 15 1 .404 T–7th (907)
1986–87 Mike Malarkey 152 54 .738 18 14 .563 4th (878)
1987–88 Mike Malarkey 96 35 3 .716 15 12 .556 6th (891)
1988–89 Mike Malarkey 87 74 5 .524 21 20 1 .512 4th (897)
1989–90 Mike Malarkey 94 86 .522 22 25 .468 1st (866) 12th (876)
1990–91 Mike Malarkey 45 83 5 .338 7 22 .241 8th (890)
1991–92 Mike Malarkey 76 91 8 .434 26 31 4 .459 T–8th (911) 18th (925)
1992–93 Mike Malarkey 122 63 3 .649 38 22 2 .629 T–6th (890) 13th (883)
1993–94 Mike Malarkey 71 68 1 .507 27 26 1 .509 T–2nd (875)
1994–95 Mike Malarkey 111 66 7 .603 32 15 1 .677 5th (871) T–7th (886) T–16th (592)
1995–96 Mike Malarkey 101 88 5 .521 29 34 2 .462 10th (894) T–9th (910) 23rd (617)
1996–97 Mike Malarkey 95 97 3 .487 27 41 1 .399 9th (915) 7th (888) 28th (599)
1997–98 Mike Malarkey 31 113 1 .214 11 42 1 .213 T–4th (579)
1998–99 Jim Kelson 101 68 7 .574 26 25 2 .509 5th (929)
1999–00 Jim Kelson 94 99 1 .485 23 38 .377 10th (905) T–13th (900)
2000–01 Jim Kelson 84 96 5 .454 17 32 2 .353 6th (879) 21st (921)
2001–02 Jim Kelson 124 52 1 .701 36 23 .610 7th (881) T–13th (904)
2002–03 Jim Kelson 126 98 1 .560 31 23 .574 4th (870) 4th (863) 23rd (925)
2003–04 Jim Kelson 99 87 2 .527 20 28 1 .707 6th (868) 18th (891)
2004–05 Jim Kelson 121 59 4 .658 27 19 2 .583 5th (889) 2nd (837) 11th (1177)
2005–06 Jim Kelson 77 83 1 .478 19 28 .404 9th (875) 18th (901)
2006–07 Jim Kelson 142 58 3 .700 28 20 .583 1st (869) 5th (904) T–14th (851)
2007–08 Jim Kelson 121 47 3 .708 19 16 .543 6th (881) 11th (902)
2008–09 Jim Kelson 134 50 2 .720 23 16 .590 11th (888) 2nd (878) 12th (875)
2009–10 Jim Kelson 98 72 7 .554 19 15 .559 8th (861) T–3rd (886) T–25th (884)
2010–11 Jim Kelson 89 84 4 .503 21 21 1 .500 3rd (846) T–4th (865) 24th (910)
2011–12 Jim Kelson 79 60 1 .564 12 11 .522 8th (868) 6th (837)
2012–13 Jim Kelson 116 62 4 .637 7 30 1 .197 14th (895) 4th (892) T–19th (850)
2013–14 Jim Kelson 71 75 4 .473 6 23 1 .217 T–12th (859) 11th (894)
2014–15 Jim Kelson 74 81 1 .474 4 23 .148 12th (860)
2015–16 Jim Kelson 87 66 1 .565 8 24 .250 9th (875) 11th (926)
2016–17 Jim Kelson 76 68 1 .524 3 21 .125 13th (874)
2017–18 Jim Kelson 111 57 3 .649 9 15 1 .380 9th (854) T–10th (900)
2018–19 Brennan Webb 95 46 3 .660 17 12 3 .578 T–5th (846)
Match-Play QF
6th (873)
2019–20 Brennan Webb 71 29 3 .689 8 7 .533 N/A N/A N/A
2020–21 Brennan Webb 110 50 8 .655 67 31 5 .675 T–2nd (850)
Match-Play QF
T–2nd (849) T–17th (873)
2021–22 Brennan Webb 85 40 2 .669 15 19 .441 7th (843)
Match-Play QF
7th (880)
2022–23 Brennan Webb 123 35 3 .764 39 12 1 .760 1st (826)

Match-Play SF

8th (889)
Total 5412 3876 135 .581 1082 1227 38 .470 3 27 Regional
Appearances
17 Championship
Appearances

*Note: The 2019–20 season was suspended in mid-March 2020 and later canceled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global health crisis.

Individual honors edit

In the past 76 years of the Vols men's golf program four UT golfers have won SEC individual titles and 38 UT golfers have earned 58 All-SEC honors, in-addition to 20 Vols earning All-American honors.[11]

All-Americans edit

Tour professionals edit

Several former University of Tennessee golf players have played on major golf tours.[5]

Notable amateur victories edit

Garrick Porteous, who played for the Volunteers from 2008–2012, won The Amateur Championship in 2013.[14]

Mack and Jonnie Day Golf Facility edit

 
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 plus putting green. The new facility opened in 2010 and was finished in 2019 with the Blackburn-Furrow Golf Clubhouse. The 8,300 square foot clubhouse features offices for both the men and women's teams, heated hitting bays for year-round practice, video training space, locker rooms, team lounges, over 1,200 square feet of outdoor deck spaces, and a virtual-putting green.[15]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "General Information". UTSports.com. June 14, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  2. ^ "Facilities". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Southeastern Conference". Secsports.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  4. ^ "NCAA Men's and Women's Golf Championships Records and Results". NCAA. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "05 - Golf - History by The University of Tennessee Athletics Department". Issuu.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  6. ^ "University of Tennessee Athletics: Men's Golf". Utsports.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2011.
  7. ^ "Jim Kelson Retires After 20 Years as Men's Golf Coach". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  8. ^ "UT Announces Brennan Webb as Men's Golf Coach". Usports.com.
  9. ^ "Brennan Webb - Men's Golf Coach". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  10. ^ "Tennessee men's golf – 2021–22 Record Book" (PDF). Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Tennessee Men's Golf 2021–22 Record Book" (PDF). S3.amazonaws.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  12. ^ "SEC Men's Golf Championship Records" (PDF). A.espncdn.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  13. ^ "Division I Men's Golf Championships Records Book" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  14. ^ "Former UT golfer Garrick Porteous wins British Amateur, assured spot in three majors". Govolsxtra.com. June 22, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  15. ^ "Mack and Jonnie Day Golf Facility". Utsports.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.

External links edit

  • SECSports.com – Official website of the Southeastern Conference.