April 11, 2012

Tennessee's Rick Lamb is co-winner of the SEC's Golfer of the Week after his weekend tournament victory at Yale.

Lamb won his first collegiate tournament and helped Tennessee break a 2½-year victory drought Saturday at the Yale Spring Opener in New Haven, Conn.

Despite playing without the benefit of a practice round because of travel delays, the Vols lived up to their status as pre-tournament favorites to win the one-day, 36-hole event by 17 strokes. Cold and windy conditions (low 40s to start, winds at 20 mph) couldn't deter Lamb, who played The Course at Yale to a 71-68--139 scorecard for a one-stroke win over Dartmouth's Peter Williamson.

The 2-under-par 68 was Lamb's season low round.

Lamb's previous best result was a solo second at last year's Del Walker Intercollegiate when he was a sophomore at Santa Clara. His previous best finish for the Vols in a stroke-play tournament was a tie for 25th on two occasions. But Lamb also went 3-1 to lead the Vols at the recent Collegiate Match Play Championship and has been close to a breakthrough result.

Lamb's season scoring average of 74.83 is third on the team.

Tennessee's last win was in a scorecard playoff over Oregon State at the 2009 Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate. The Vols won twice that fall, also claiming the Carpet Capital Collegiate for the first time in program history.

Lamb shares this week's SEC honor with Arkansas' Sebastian Cappelan.

Tennessee's next action is at the SEC Championship, set for April 20-22 at the Sea Island Resort in St. Simons Island, Ga.