University of Tennessee at Chattanooga golf coach Mark Guhne tallied scorecards with a flashlight after darkness descended upon Council Fire Golf Club.
His Mocs' total amounted to a 12-under-par 564 for the first two rounds of the Aldila Scenic City Invitational. The last one was completed at dusk.
UTC and Wichita State are tied for first place. Southern Mississippi, with Hixson's Paul Apyan in a top-10 position, is two strokes back heading into the final 18 holes. The last round begins at 9:30 this morning with a shotgun start.
"I think we played pretty well, but I noticed that we didn't make a lot of putts," Guhne said. "We were wanting to get finished because you never want to come back early and finish, then sit around.
"Kids started getting tense; then bad shots hit everybody and everything backed up on each other. Sometimes it's hard to finish."
Olafur Loftsson of Charlotte is the individual leader with a 9-under 135. Wes Carter of Southern Miss and Dustin Garza of Wichita State are two strokes back.
UTC senior Derek Rende is in fourth place after leading the Mocs with a 6-under 138. He shot 4 under in the morning round and 2 under in the afternoon, where his only blemish was a bogey on No. 16.
"I made quite a few birdies," said Rende, who birdied 10 of his 36 holes. "We all kind of did. It's good for us to be in contention because we played good in our last tournament, but we weren't in contention because Augusta State ran away with it."
UTC senior Fredrik Qvicker supported the Mocs with an entertaining 5-under 139. He made 13 birdies, including nine in his afternoon round. But he also made eight bogeys, four before lunch and four after.
His first-round approach on No. 16 landed in a hazard halfway down a hill to the South Chickamauga Creek. Under the watchful eye of Council Fire pro Tad Holley, Qvicker dropped, took relief from an obstruction and dropped again, only to watch it roll. Then he flopped a shot to within two feet of the hole and tapped in for a bogey.
"It was an adventurous day," Qvicker said. "It could have been bad. I played more solid in the second round and I hit a lot of good shots in there close and made nine birdies. Overall, it could have been better, but it could have been worse."
Qvicker is tied for fifth with former Rhea County golfer Hunter Green of Middle Tennessee. UTC sophomore Stephan Jaeger shot 4 under and is in a four-way tie for ninth along with Apyan.
"We had an idea that we'd be close to the top if we played it smart, and we did," Jaeger said. "I'm glad we're contending, and I'm excited for tomorrow."
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 ...
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