Louisville pulled away from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga golf team on the final few holes Tuesday to claim the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate tournament hosted by the University of South Alabama.
The 13th-ranked Mocs finished at 877 for 54 holes, four strokes behind the No. 21 Cardinals and two strokes ahead of third-place Memphis.
“We were tied with about four holes to go on the shotgun start,” UTC coach Mark Guhne said while driving back to Chattanooga. “We caught them but didn’t close the deal.”
UTC entered the final round eight strokes off the lead. Mocs junior Ben Rickett closed well with a 69 Tuesday at the par-72 Heron Lakes Country Club.
Rickett and teammate Jonathan Hodge tied for fifth overall at 3-over-par 219. Fredrik Qvicker tied for eighth at 220, Derek Rende tied for 11th at 222 and J.T. Clendenin shot 227. Playing as an individual, UTC’s Tyler Neff shot 226. Louisville’s Adam Rainaud earned medalist honors with a 215.
“While it was a confidence boost to finish high, it was also a little motivation because we didn’t do some things as well as we’re supposed to,” Guhne said. “We didn’t play the par-5s well the first day. We were even on those, and you should be playing them at 10 or 12 under.”
The Mocs face one of their quickest turnarounds of the year. They will rest today before heading to Greenville, S.C., on Thursday for the three-day Furman Intercollegiate.
“Their game isn’t going to go away in a day,” Guhne said. “They should take it easy and get some clothes washed before we pack up again.”
With a third-round 72 and 228 total, Hixson’s Paul Apyan was the second best scorer for sixth-place Southern Mississippi.
David Uchiyama is a sports writer at the Chattanooga Times Free Press who began his tenure here in May 2001. His primary beats are UTC athletics — specifically men’s basketball and athletic department administration — and golf, which includes coverage from the PGA Tour to youth events. He also covers other high school sports, outdoor adventures, and contributes to other sections of the newspaper when necessary. David grew up in Salinas, Calif., and began working ...
