The Tennessee men's golf team looks to start the spring strong in Chula Vista, Calif., at the San Diego Intercollegiate Classic after a disappointing 2011 finish.
Finishing third in the SEC and 24th at the NCAA Championship might have been a successful season for many, but for the Vols, the finishes were mediocre.
"We were proud of our team's efforts last postseason and their advancement to the finals, but we expect better than 24th place," coach Jim Kelson said. "Our program must become significantly better, and that is 100 percent my responsibility."
The Vols have become an elite golf team since Kelson made his way into Knoxville 13 seasons ago. With 12 consecutive NCAA regional appearances, an SEC Championship in 2007 and a consistent ranking among the top 25 teams, Tennessee will need to use Kelson's coaching and experience to return to a fourth consecutive NCAA Championship with the hope of high finish.
"We were better than 24th, we had a really good team," senior Garrick Porteous said. "Coming into the spring we have a really good team developing and people just need to peak at the right time. Having the mentality that we are the underdog at times and taking one tournament at a time treating everyone as if it was the SEC will help us be successful this season."
Porteous, from Morpeth, England, is one of the team's captains and knows he will have to play consistently if the Vols are going to be a true contender this year. In four tournaments during the fall, he averaged a score of just over 73 with a low round of 68 and five rounds that were par or better.
Another key golfer hoping to help Tennessee improve on last season's performance is sophomore Danny Keddie, from Lincoln, England. While he has only been in Knoxville for just over a year, Keddie will have to play strong and lead by example if the team plans to fulfill expectations.
"All of us have to step up a bit," he said. "We are much better than what we have been able to produce. Last year was a disappointment. We were on a roll and showing how good we can be, but at the NCAA, no one had a good tournament and it was a really tough golf course. We found struggles and it was disappointing that we didn't perform how we could."
Kelson understands what his team needs from Porteous and Keddie as well as everyone else.
"Danny Keddie and Garrick Porteous, they're two of the best players in the country," Kelson said. "We need them to play like they can play. The key to our team this year is being able to have two other guys play up to their ability, and if they do that I think that we are a pretty good team. If they don't and let things bother them too much, we're not going to be as good. I think that's the main thing for us this year."
Other key players that the Vols will need to step up include senior Darren Renwick, a Worthing, England native, junior Jay Vandeventer, from Bristol, Tenn., Knoxville native Brandon Rodgers and top newcomer Rick Lamb, from Sarasota, Fla.
"Rick is a really good player, top 200 of the world rankings," Porteous said. "Then, we have Jay, who has a lot of talent, and Brandon has worked on his swing a lot and now seems like he's reaping the benefits. We have to take our game on the road with a positive mentality."
Kelson and the team know what they need to do to return to the NCAA Championship and finish the season with a better ranking. If they peak at the right time and use last year's disappointment as motivation, this team believes it can make it far this season.
"I love Knoxville, and Tennessee has, by far, the best staff and support," Porteous said. "We're definitely trying to do big things this semester."