Sixth place better for Holmes than Vol golfers

Tennessee golfer David Holmes rewrote his resume with a sixth-place finish at the SEC Championships.

The finish was a career best for the former West High standout, who shot a 1-over-par 73 Sunday at the Frederica Golf Club on St. Simons Island, Ga., and finished at 1-under 215 for the tournament.

Holmes' previous best was a tie for 10th place at the Turtle Bay Intercollegiate on Nov. 7.

"It's definitely a confidence booster, especially after being an alternate last year and not even knowing if I was going to play,'' the UT sophomore said. "I'm really proud to have finished in the top 10 after all of my hard work. It gives me a lot of confidence going into regionals and hopefully finals after that."

Tennessee, meanwhile, finished sixth in the team standings, 28 strokes behind champion Alabama. The Vols, the defending tournament champions, shot a 10-over 298 in the final round and finished at 17-over 881.

"We didn't putt very well today, and I think we may have been trying a little too hard,'' UT coach Jim Kelson said. "With competition like this, you have to putt well, and we didn't. It's something we need to address as we get ready for the regional tournament.

Second-ranked Alabama dominated the tournament, leading from start to finish and winning by eight strokes over South Carolina. The Crimson Tide, who shot a 13-under 853, won their first SEC championship since 1979.

Along with the team championship, Alabama also had the individual champion in Michael Thompson, who shot a final-round 65 and won by four strokes with a 208 score.

After Holmes, Tennessee's next best finisher was Robin Wingardh. The freshman shot a final-round 75 and finished tied for 22nd at 219.