Mocs a washout in Aldila

The final results soaked deeper into University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's golf coach Mark Guhne than any of the raindrops that pelted him Tuesday.

And the cold couldn't numb his feelings.

The Mocs finished a surprising seventh in the Aldila Scenic City Invitational at Council Fire Golf Club.

On their home course, as the top-ranked team, against a field of fellow mid-majors, and in conditions that would define Churchill Downs as soggy, the Mocs played their most disappointing round of the fall season -- a 19-over-par 307 -- that dropped them from a tie for first to an unsettling spot in the middle of the pack.

"There's no excuse for the way we played," Guhne said. "We didn't tough it out. We haven't been able to handle tough conditions at all.

"It seems like when the weather is bad, we play bad. We don't hold up very well when the weather gets bad, and I have no idea why."

The rain didn't slow Middle Tennessee State, which began the day nine strokes behind No. 17 UTC and Wichita State.

The Blue Raiders won with a 13-under total of 851 stimulated by a 10-under Tuesday in which four players shot under par. MTSU beat Wichita State by three strokes and third-place Southern Mississippi by 11.

"We played as good as we have all semester and in tough conditions," MTSU coach Whit Turnbow said. "I have a tough bunch, and they showed it today.

"The secret is to know it ahead of time, know that it's going to rain, know that it's not going to be easy, you're going to get mud-balls, so when you show up here, you're ready for it."

MTSU sophomore Hunter Green from Rhea County High school tied for medalist honors at 6-under 210 along with teammate Kent Bulle and Dustin Garza of Wichita State. Southern Miss senior Paul Apyan from Hixson tied for sixth at 212 after a 72 in the final round.

"With the rain, there were a lot of bad shots out there to be made," said Garza, the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference player of the year. "When you come out in this rain, it's a grindfest, and I tried to hopefully two-putt because it's so hard to get it close."

UTC senior Fredrik Qvicker tied for 13th at 2 under for the tournament, better than any of his teammates.

He shot a 3-over 75 Tuesday and was the only Moc to finish under par for the 54 holes. Sophomore Stephan Jaeger shot 4 over, senior J.T. Clendenin shot 5 over and senior Derek Rende shot 7 over on Tuesday.

"Definitely, this is a disappointment for the team," Qvicker said. "We've always struggled when the conditions are like this. We expect too much and the weather gets to us.

"I saw a lot of frustrated guys out there today."

Maybe nobody, other than Guhne, appeared more upset with the Mocs' performance Tuesday than Jaeger, who tied for 17th at 4 over after having a shot at medalist honors heading into the final round.

"We shouldn't get down ourselves and say we blew the tournament, but we did," said Jaeger, who was the nation's No. 22 ranked collegian by GolfWeek before the tournament. "We should take this experience and put it in our preparation for our next tournament.

"We blew it. Definitely. No question."