STATS WRAPUP |
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA GOLF
CHATTANOOGA---Chattanooga Mocs Men's Golf Coach
Blaine Woodruff is gearing up for his first season. The heavy lifting for the newly-minted leader was getting his staff and roster settled. He did the former early after arriving with the addition of former Wisconsin Badger
Nick Robinson as assistant coach.
Then the roster needed sorting out. His first day on the job saw two returnees –
Braedon Wear and
Gabe Hunter – in along with the last staff's recruiting additions of
Robert Walsh,
Nicklaus Etherton,
John Houk and
Samuel Espinosa.
Woodruff has since added four more with three familiar faces and a transfer. All-Southern Conference performer and NCAA qualifier
Paul Conroy took his name out of the transfer portal along with teammates
Alex Cobb and
Carson Johnson. Add in
Garrett Engle's recent transfer from Oklahoma and that makes 10 for the roster with all but Etherton and Walsh having collegiate experience.
"Coach Robinson and I are very excited about the talent level of our roster," Woodruff shared. "But the thing that excites us the most is the potential depth with these 10 because we believe every player can be a contributor. The competition during practice and qualifying will bring out the best in each player.
"We have a lot of different backgrounds and personalities, but they all share the common goal of wanting to be great, which is all you can ask for as a coach."
Everyone on the roster, except Cobb, has 2-4 years of eligibility remaining. The transfers of Houk (Tennessee Wesleyan) and Espinosa (King) bring highly-ranked experience from NAIA and NCAA DII ranks. Engle was the top junior in Pennsylvania and No. 9 nationally ranked recruit in the class of 2021. Just last weekend, he finished runner-up in a playoff at the prestigious Porter Cup.
Houk (359) and Espinosa (366) enter as the highest-ranked players on the roster according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings by the R&A. In 2022 alone, Espinosa has three wins, five top fives and six top 10s in eight events for King as well as in Europe. Houk is coming off a 4-win season for the Bulldogs.
The Mocs schedule comes out later this month. It begins in Florida and winds its way across the country nearly from sea to shining sea with a focus on making a third trip to the NCAA Championships Finals in Scottsdale, Ariz., at the end of May.
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