Mocs Golfers Attain Highest Ranking in History

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s golf team has cracked the Top 25 in the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings for the first time in school history, debuting at the tenth position in the initial 2007-08 ratings.

Alabama occupies the top spot in the ratings, followed in the top five by South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Stanford and Charlotte. Auburn, Duke, Florida State and Georgia are rated sixth through ninth ahead of UTC.

“This is three years in the making” said Chattanooga head coach Mark Guhne. “Our teams during that period have continued to improve, and we have recruited to reflect that. This is a team sport and the tenth player on the roster has as much to do with this as the top player. The competition to make the travel team in intense and we are leaving good players at home on a weekly basis. This is really a reflection on how good all the players on our roster are and on how hard they work week in and week out.”

Three Mocs are also in the top 75 in the Golfweek/Sagarin individual ratings as well. Sophomore Derek Rende leads the team at number 26, along with teammates Ben Rickett (42) and Jonathan Hodge (67). Hodge finished last season at number 105 in the individual ratings, while Rende was at 156th. Rende has top 10 finishes at both events this season.

The Mocs opened the season by hosting the Scenic City Invitational. Fifth-rated Charlotte won the team title, besting the Mocs by six strokes. UTC played at the prestigious Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic later in the week and finished ninth in the 18-team field.

The Mocs highest previous Golfweek/Sagarin rating was 34th the week after winning last year’s Southern Conference title.

The rating is also the highest ever achieved by any University of Tennessee at Chattanooga team since the Mocs moved up from Division II in 1977.

Former Moc Smith on Tennessee's USGA State Team Entry

FRANKLIN, Tenn.—The Tennessee Golf Association has chosen the players who will represent Tennessee at the Men’s and Women’s USGA State Team Championships on September 18-20. Both State Team Championships will be conducted at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, TX.

Representing Tennessee in the USGA Men’s State Team Championship:

Danny Green (Jackson, TN) – Green, one of the nation’s top mid-amateur players has had another stellar competitive year which was highlighted by finishing low amateur at the 2007 U.S. Senior Open at Whistling Straits. Green’s impressive state record includes Tennessee Amateur Championships in 1993, 2000, and 2003. Green also captured the 1999 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, has won multiple TGA Mid-Amateur Championships and was a member of the 2001 U.S. Walker Cup Team. Green was a member of the victorious 2003 Men’s State Team from Tennessee.

Tim Jackson (Germantown, TN) – Jackson, who is also highly regarded as one of the nation’s top amateurs, has won the Tennessee Amateur Championship four times (1994, 1998, 2001, 2005), the Tennessee State Open once in 2001, the TGA Match Play Championship in 2005, and the TGA Mid-Amateur Championship five times (1990, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005). Jackson also captured the 1994 and 2001 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships and was a member of the 1995 and 1999 U.S. Walker Cup Teams. Jackson was also a member of the victorious 2003 Men’s State Team from Tennessee.

Thomas Smith (Chattanooga, TN) – Smith, a graduate from the University of Tennessee - Chattanooga, captured the 2006 State Amateur Championship at Black Creek Club. Thomas also had a top ten finish in the 2007 State Amateur at Belle Meade Country Club. This will be Smith’s first time representing Tennessee in this championship.

Representing Tennessee in the USGA Women’s State Team Championship:

Shelley Anderson (Clarksville, TN) – Anderson captured the Tennessee Women's Amateur in 1998, 1999, & 2006. She also posted a round of 59 at the Clarksville Ladies City Championship this year. Anderson has competed in numerous USGA Championships including the U.S. Women's Mid Amateur in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Dawn Woodard (Franklin, TN) – Woodard, who moved to Tennessee a couple of years ago, has dominated the statewide amateur scene. Earlier this year she captured the 2007 Tennessee Women’s Amateur Championship at Green Meadow Country Club and followed that up by finishing as the Low Amateur in the 2007 Frontier Women’s Tennessee Open. She won the 2006 Tennessee Women's Amateur Player of the Year Award and was the Stroke Play Medalist for the 2006 U.S. Women's Mid Amateur Championship. Woodard, who played college golf at Furman has also teamed up to win the 2006 & 2007 Tennessee Women's Four Ball.

Holly Cantwell (Morristown, TN) – Cantwell, a recent graduate from the University of Tennessee, was the runner-up at the 2002 and the 2006 Tennessee Women's Amateur Championship. She competed all four seasons with the Lady Vols golf team and was the 2002 TSSAA High School Champion.

Rickett Propels Mocs to Second Place at Scenic City

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—Junior Ben Rickett endured an afternoon rain shower to fire a career-best 66, to earn runner-up honors and lead Chattanooga to a second-place team finish at the Scenic City Invitational, hosted at Council Fire Golf Club.
 
Rickett’s round, the lowest in the field by two strokes, helped the Mocs to a 2-under par team score for the round.  The Mocs were one of two teams in the field to post a team score under par, but could not gain ground on #10 Charlotte who entered Tuesday’s final round with a four shot advantage.
 
Rickett began the final round in a tie for 19th, but surged to the front of the field with birdies on the first three holes en route to a 5-under par 31 at the turn.  The skies opened as play began on the back nine with Rickett making another birdie on the 11th in a driving rain, but gave the shot back on the next hole.  Rickett then finished with six consecutive pars to record his record score.  Rickett finished in a four-way tie for second at 7-under par, two strokes behind Charlotte’s Cory Nagy for medalist honors.
 
Sophomores Fredrik Qvicker and Derek Rende tied for eighth place at 4-under par.  Tripp Harris, who led after two rounds, finished 1-under par after a closing 79 to tie for 13th.
 
“Ben was very focused when he came back to campus this fall and it is showing” remarked Chattanooga head coach Mark Guhne.  “The conditions on the back-nine this afternoon were really bad for an hour or so and Ben did a great job of not letting his great round get away from him.  That is a real indicator of his growth as a player.”
 
Guhne was also quick to spread the praise around.  “A year ago I don’t think we would have been able to go this low under par with a team as good as Charlotte.  We got solid play from five players in order to contend with a team like that.  23-under par is a lot of red numbers and all five players contributed.”
 
The Mocs will play in the Carpet Capital Collegiate this weekend at The Farm Golf Club in Rocky Face, Ga. competing in an 18-team field which features 11 teams ranked in the top 25 in the GolfWorld/Nike Golf Coaches’ Poll. 
 
2007 SCENIC CITY INVITATIONAL
TEAM RESULTS
 
1. Charlotte  272-271-280—823 -29
2. Chattanooga  272-275-282—829 -23
3. Oklahoma  277-286-284—847 -5
4. LSU  277-286-291—854 +2
5. MTSU  281-282-294—857 +5
T6. Mississippi State  287-288-290—865 +13
T6. Ole Miss  281-300-284—865 +13
T6. SE Louisiana  285-282-298—865 +13
9. Akron  283-288-298—869 +17
10. South Florida  290-291-290—871 +19
11. Southern Miss  295-291-288—874 +22
T12. Furman  291-289-295—875 +23
T12. VCU  290-293-292—875 +23
14. Louisiana Tech  296-290-292—878 +26
15. Western Carolina  298-287-294—879 +27
16. Francis Marion  294-297-298—889 +37
17. Mercer  300-299-293—892 +40
 
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS
 
1. Corey Nagy (Charlotte)  68-68-68—204  -9
T2. Ben Rickett (Chattanooga) 72-68-66—206  -7
T2. Eric Durbin (Oklahoma)  64-72-70—206  -7
T2. Stefan Wiedergruen (Charlotte)  68-65-73—206  -7
T2.  Chas Narramore (MTSU)  67-70-69—206  -7
 
CHATTANOOGA
 
T2. Ben Rickett  72-68-66—206  -7
T8. Fredrik Qvicker  69-70-70—209  -4
T8. Derek Rende  69-68-72—209  -4
T13. Tripp Harris  64-69-79—212  -1
*T17.  J.T. Clendenin  73-68-72—214  +1
*T23. Tyler Neff  74-72-69—215  +2
*T26.  Eric Forsman  71-69-76—216  +3
T32. Jonathan Hodge  70-73-74—217 +4
*T76. Hudson Keener  75-75-76—226  +13
*T87. Nick Blakely  70-78-84—232  +19
*competing as an individual