After shooting a combined +27 and finishing tenth at the Windon Memorial, the men’s golf team is looking to improve its game at the Primland Invitational in Dan, Virginia, on Monday.
Last weekend’s Windon Memorial had one opponent the team couldn’t handle: weather. The tournament consisted of rain and heavy winds throughout.
When asked about what his team needed to improve on, coach Jim Kelson’s answer was simple.
“Everything.
“We’ve come off two bad tournaments, but I still believe in this team and the players and what they’re doing,” Kelson added. “It’s only a matter of time before we start playing well, and I think now is that time.”
A bright spot in the team’s play was sophomore Jack Smith, who tied for 23rd at +4. Smith was tied for sixth on par 3s, shooting an average score of even par. Smith also shot an average of 4.5 on the par 5s in the tournament, which was tied for 11th.
“He did a real solid job, and he keeps doing better and better,” Kelson said. “He’s (Smith) got a very good technique and a good head on his shoulders. He’s capable of doing good things.”
Kelson also hopes to bring the plethora of birdies his team had in the Windon Memorial to the Primland Invitational. Tennessee had 37 birdies throughout their past tournament, placing the team fourth behind Michigan (47), California (43) and Ohio State (39). Junior Michael Nagy led the way for Tennessee in birdies with nine, which was tied for 12th in the tournament.
The Primland Invitational will take place on the incredibly difficult Highland Course – a course the Vols have never played on – where the average score is 74.6. The course has a unique layup, with five par 5s, five par 3s and eight par 4s. Highland also uses bend and fescue grasses, which will make the greens and fairways faster than normal.
“It’s a brand new course, and a brand new tournament,” Kelson explained. “It’s supposed to be prestigious and exceedingly special.”
Kelson will be taking Jack Smith, Chad Merzbacher, Lorenzo Scalise, Mike Nagy and Juan Carlos Serrano Guevara for the Primland Invitational. Teams participating have not been listed as of yet, but should be listed by Sunday on golfstatresults.com.
