UTC Golfers Tie for Fifth at Palisades

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The Chattanooga golf team rallied on the back nine of Tuesday’s final round to finish tied for fifth with 20th ranked Louisville at the Palisades Collegiate Classic.

The Mocs were 12-over par on the round after nine holes, and rallied on the back nine to post a 3-over par 291.

Derek Rende’s final round 73 dropped him into a tie for 12th place at 3-under par. Rende has finished in the top 12 in each of the last four tournaments.

Senior Mitch Brock was 5-over par early in his round before carding six birdies. His score of level par 72 earned him a 17th place finish, his best finish since a 16th place effort at the Scenic City Invitational last October.

“Mitch really got us going” said Mocs’ head coach Mark Guhne. “He dug himself a little bit of a hole in the early going but then he really turned it on. Today’s round really could have blown up on us. We were on pace to shoot well above 300 and the guys really ground it out. This time of year it is really important not to let a round get away from you. I think we are playing well heading into the SoCon Championships.”

Jonathan Hodge finished at even par, good for a tie for 19th place. Hodge is ranked No. 99 in the country by Golfstat, making him the second Chattanooga player to break into the top 100. Brendan Wilson finished the 1999 season rated No. 96, the highest individual rating in the history of the program.

The Mocs finished 13 strokes behind the host, No. 23 Charlotte. UTC led No. 4 Lamar after two rounds, but the Cardinals showed why they have their last three tournaments and five on the season, posting a final-round score of 15-under par to jump from eighth place to second at 8-under par.

The Palisades Collegiate Classic, played at the 6,797 yard layout of the Palisades Country Club is the Mocs’ final tune-up before heading to the Southern Conference Championships in Florence, S.C. next week. The Mocs finished third in last season’s championships, the highest finish since winning the league crown in 1987.

Entering the SoCon Championships, the Mocs are the league’s highest ranked program. The Mocs are ranked No. 39 by Golfstat and No. 42 by Golfweek. UTC also received 10 votes in the lastest Golfworld/Nike Coaches Poll, landing the Mocs in 31st position. The Mocs have finished no worse than fifth this spring and has eight top five finishes and three wins this season.

TEAM SCORES:
1. Charlotte 280-283-286=849 (-15)
2. Lamar 289-294-273=856 (-8)
3. Ole Miss 286-285-287=858 (-6)
4. SE Louisiana 278-285-297=860 (-4)
T5. Chattanooga 284-287-291=862 (-2)
T5. Louisville 287-284-291=862 (-2)
7. Xavier 290-292-287=869 (+5)
8. North Florida 292-291-291=874 (+10)
9. Mississippi State 300-288-290=878 (+14)
10. Belmont Abbey 284-298-297=879 (+15)
11. Memphis 290-294-297=881 (+17)
12. Sam Houston State 297-289-298=884 (+20)
13. Davidson 284-306-296=886 (+22)
14. Francis Marion 304-295-299=898 (+34)
15. USC Aiken 309-296-294=899 (+35)
16. Nebraska 304-293-304=901 (+37)
17. Mercer 306-306-295=907 (+43)
18. South Alabama 300-318-319=937 (+73)

Chattanooga Individuals
T12. Derek Rende 70-70-73=213 (-3)
T17. Mitch Brock 71-72-72=215 (-1)
T19. Jonathan Hodge 70-73-73=216 (E)
T31. Bryce Ledford 74-72-73=219 (+3)
T39. Fredrik Qvicker 73-73-75=221 (+5)
*92. Daniel Wood 76-79-83=238 (+22)
*competing as an individual

Top-5 Individuals
1. Brad Benjamin (Memphis) 70-69-68=207 (-9)
T2. Callum Macaulay (Ole Miss) 71-68-70=209 (-7)
T2. Dawie VanDerWalt (Lamar)69-72-68=209 (-7)
4. Jason Kokrak (Xavier) 71-69-70=210 (-6)
T5. Matthew Carvell (SE Louisiana) 67-70-74=211 (-5)
T5. Cory Nagy (Charlotte) 70-70-71=211 (-5)
T5. Aaron O’Callaghan (SE Louisiana) 73-70-68=211 (-5)
T5. Brian Mason (Mississippi State) 72-68-70=211 (-5)
T5. Andrew DiBitetto (Charlotte) 69-72-70=211 (-5)