Stephan Jaeger

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's golf team has grown accustomed to its place in the national spotlight.

What once seemed impossible, turned into surprising over the last couple years and a spot in the top-25 rankings has become everyday part of business for the Mocs.

They've ascended to a No. 1 ranking last fall and did so in a different poll earlier this fall.

The Mocs will take a break from playing top-25 teams in tournaments such as the Carpet Capital Collegiate, the Ping/GolfWeek Preview and the Brickyard Invitational.

UTC and Middle Tennessee State are co-hosting the Aldila Scenic City Invitational today and Tuesday at Council Fire Golf Club.

"We play out here three or four times a week and it's easier in a way because we know every aspect of where to hit it and where not to hit it," said Stephan Jaeger, who is ranked No. 22 in the country by GolfWeek. "But we have to change our mentality because you always play different in a tournament than you do in practice.

"We have a good chance to play this course well."

The two teams have the highest national rankings of the field with UTC at No. 18 in Golf State and No. 17 in GolfWeek, and MSTU at No. 33 and No. 40.

Yet, UTC coach Mark Guhne said, there are a handful of teams that could return to Chattanooga next June for the NCAA championships to be held at The Honors Course in the first week of June.

So this tournament has enough competition to prevent either the Mocs or Blue Raiders buying themselves a trophy.

"I think there are five or six teams that have proven they're playing well this fall, and I think maybe seven can win on any given week," Guhne said. "There are a lot of good mid-majors here like Eastern Michigan or Wichita State who have been to more NCAAs than we have."

Council Fire is a haven for college players. There are no tricks, it's not impossibly long, the par-5s are reachable and the greens are always fair. Birdies can be made with ease.

"It's a course where you can get off and shoot good numbers," Guhne said. "It's all right in front of you, and there's a possibility for teams to come in here and do real well."

UTC's lineup will consist of Jaeger, freshman Steven Fox and seniors Fredrik Qvicker, Derek Rende, and J.T. Clendenin. Tripp Harris, Simon Forsslund and Alex Ratliff will play as individuals.

"I started off kind of slow and I'm playing good at home, but I haven't brought it to the course yet," Clendenin said. "I'm waiting to see some results. I'm ready to get out there and play.

"This could be the week, you never know when you're going to break out."