Men's Golf Finishes Third at the Linger Longer Invitational
GREENSBORO, Ga.---After a fast start moved the Mocs to within two strokes of first place at the turn, No. 17 Chattanooga finished the Linger Longer Invitational in third place with a three-over par total of 867. It was a strong finish against a field that included four top 20 programs and three more in the top 40 as UTC shot a final round 291 (+3) to finish behind No. 36 Ole Miss (-8) and No. 1 Georgia (-3).
“When we look back on the tournament, I think I'll be pleased,” said Head Coach Mark Guhne. “Right now I am disappointed because we were poised to make a run and fell short. We proved we can play with the best, hopefully by May we'll know how to finish with them as well.”
Chattanooga started the day in third place at even-par after completing the suspended second round. Ole Miss was in first at seven-under, while UGa followed in second at one-under.
After nine holes, the Mocs were tied for second place with the Rebels, two strokes off the pace set by UGA, shooting six-under on the front nine. Ben Rickett led the way with a 32 (-4) on the front side starting eagle-eagle on the first two holes.
“At the turn, I thought we were in position,” added Guhne. “Two shots back, but we let a few rounds get away. All-in-all, it was a good week, but it could have been a great week.”
It was not meant to be as Chattanooga combined to shoot nine-over on the back nine. The Bulldogs faded as well losing five strokes, while Ole Miss shot two-under to claim the title.
Sophomore J.T. Clendenin led the Mocs at one-under par, 215, finishing tied for sixth. Derek Rende, also a sophomore, provided the team's round of the day with a three-under par 69 to propel himself into the top 20 (tie 19th) finishing at 220 (+4).
Sophomore Fredrik Qvicker bounced back from back-to-back 76's to card an even-par 72, while junior Jonathan Hodge notched a 75 (+3) to give him a 54-hole total of 217 (+1) tying for 11th. Rickett found some trouble on the back nine to finish the tournament at 221 (+5), tied for 23rd after a final round 75.
The Mocs return to action March 24-25 at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate hosted by South Alabama.
NOTES
>J.T. Clendenin completed his second round this morning with a bogey on 18. That set Chattanooga in third place (E), seven shots behind Ole Miss (-7) and one behind UGa (-1).
>Hodge (61) and Rende (72) are ranked nationally for the Mocs. Rankings are from Golfweek/Sagarin Ratings Index. In the Golfstat Cup, Hodge is 35th, while Rende ranks 37th.
>Top 40 teams in the field: (1) Georgia, (16) Clemson, (17) CHATTANOOGA, (19) Texas Tech, (33) Mississippi State, (35) Michigan and (36) Ole Miss. The Mocs held a combined 84-stroke advantage over those schools. Rankings are from Golfweek/Sagarin Ratings Index. For the week (including the Palmetto Intercollegiate), Chattanooga held a 154-stroke lead on eight top 40 schools, 100 shots on top 30 schools.
SCORES
|
1. (36) Ole Miss |
277-292-287=856 (-8) |
|
2. (1) Georgia |
284-291-286=861 (-3) |
|
3. (17) CHATTANOOGA |
278-298-292=868 (+4) |
|
4. Georgia State |
284-293-303=880 (+16) |
|
5. Memphis |
296-290-295=881 (+17) |
|
6. (19) Texas Tech |
296-297-292=885 (+21) |
|
tie. (16) Clemson |
292-301-295=888 (+24) |
|
8. Eastern Michigan |
289-296-305=890 (+26) |
|
tie. Kennesaw State |
285-301-304=890 (+26) |
|
10. (35) Michigan |
302-296-296=894 (+30) |
|
11. Mercer |
292-304-303=899 (+35) |
|
tie. South Alabama |
299-300-300=899 (+35) |
|
13. (33) Mississippi State |
293-310-305=908 (+44) |
|
tie. Purdue |
312-298-298=908 (+44) |
CHATTANOOGA GOLFERS
