The entire field struggled to remain within sight of par Monday in poor conditions at the Mobile Bay (Ala.) Intercollegiate tournament, but the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s golf team at least stayed close to tournament leader Louisville.
The 13th-ranked Mocs are in second place, eight shots behind No. 2 Louisville, after two rounds at the par-72 Heron Lakes Country Club.
“It was tough out there,” UTC sophomore Derek Rende said. “The greens were fast and it was playing different than last year when we won.”
UTC won last year’s event by 12 strokes with Rende earning medalist honors at 12-under-par 204.
No. 37 Mississippi State is one stroke behind the Mocs, and Memphis is two back. Matt Fast of MSU owns the individual lead at 142.
“Eight shots can be made up quickly because it’s so tough out here,” Rende said. “We feel pretty good about our chances. We didn’t play that great today.”
Rende is tied for fifth at 3-over 147. Teammates Fredrik Qvicker and Jonathan Hodge are tied for 10th at 148. Ben Rickett shot 150 and J.T. Clendenin had a 155 for UTC.
Southern Mississippi’s Paul Apyan, who played at Hixson, is tied for 41st at 156. UTC’s Southern Conference foe Davidson is in last place at 636.
“It’s all about grinding through out here,” Rende said. “You never know what’s going on with the other teams because it’s so tough. It’s not impossible, but it’s hard.”
The tournament concludes today with 18 holes.
— David Uchiyama
