RICHMOND--The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's golf team was 5-under par in its final round to finish in a tie for third at the VCU Shootout held at Hermitage Country Club.
The Mocs trailed Penn State and Wisconsin by four strokes entering the final round but did not make up any ground on the Nitany Lions. Wisconsin managed a 2-under round of 286, but nipped the Mocs by a stroke for second place. Wake Forest turned in the best performance of the final round with a team score of 14-under par to tie the Mocs for thirds at 15-under for the tournament.
Jonathan Hodge fired a final-round 68 to finish in second place in the individual standings at 10-under par. Hodge finished five strokes behind medalist Kevin Foley of Penn State who rode an opening 65 to the individual title. Hodge's three-round total of 206 is the best of his collegiate career.
Sophomore Derek Rende finished two strokes behind Hodge in third place at 8-under. Rende has finished in the top 10 in all three of the team's tournaments this year.
Fredrik Qvicker finished 1-under par to tie for 16th.
“We played well this week” said head coach Mark Guhne. “We just ran into a couple of teams that played better. Jonathan and Derek continue to play better and better against strong competition. We have another strong field next week at Duke and have another chance to have a strong showing against some top competition.”
The Mocs, currently ranked seventh in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, will next be in action Oct. 7-8 at the Coca-Cola Duke Classic in Durham, N.C.
VCU SHOOTOUT
FINAL RESULTS
1. Penn State 283-279-283?845 -19
2. Wisconsin 284-278-286?848 -16
T3. Chattanooga 279-287-283?849 -15
T3. Wake Forest 289-286-274?849 -15
T5. Wichita State 295-282-284?861 -3
T5. Virginia Tech 290-283-288?861 -3
T7. North Carolina 288-280-297?865 +1
T7. VCU 286-288-291?865 +1
T7. Southeastern Louisiana 286-291-288?865 +1
10. Old Dominion 284-295-289?868 +4
11. Maryland 292-291-293?876 +12
12. UNC Wilmington 292-298-290?880 +16
13. Iowa State 297-290-294?881 +17
14. South Florida 296-296-292?884 +20
15. Liberty 310-291-296?897 +33
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS
1. Kevin Foley (Penn State) 65-68-68?201 -15
2. Jonathan Hodge (Chattanooga) 68-70-68?206 -10
3. Derek Rende (Chattanooga) 67-72-69?208 -8
T4. Chris Cannon (Wake Forest) 74-72-65?211 -5
T4. Kevin O'Connell (North Carolina) 67-68-76?211 -5
T4. Dan Woltman (Wisconsin) 71-69-71?211 -5
CHATTANOOGA INDIVIDUALS
2. Jonathan Hodge 68-70-68?206 -10
3. Derek Rende 67-72-69?208 -8
T16. Fredrik Qvicker 72-70-73?215 -1
T59. Ben Rickett 74-76-73?223 +7
T62. Tripp Harris 72-75-77?224 +8
