In two previous appearances in the NCAA postseason, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga golfer Emily McLennan was joined by her coach and teammates as the Mocs competed for national championships.
Although she'll still have the company of coach Colette Murray and a couple of teammates, McLennan will be competing alone this year.
The UTC senior from Queensland, Australia, will tee off at 8:15 this morning in an NCAA regional. McLennan's competition at Shoal Creek (Ala.) Country Club will include Middle Tennessee State senior Avery George (of Cleveland, Tenn., and Walker Valley High School) and University of Tennessee sophomore Blakesly Warren (of Chattanooga and Baylor School).
The three-day, 54-hole event runs through Saturday, with the top six teams plus the top three individuals on non-advancing teams moving on to the NCAA championships May 20-25 at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club.
When McLennan qualified in 2013 and 2014, it was as a member of a Southern Conference championship team. This season the Mocs finished second to Furman for the second year in a row, but McLennan, the co-SoCon player of the year, received an at-large berth to Shoal Creek.
"I'm really excited to be continuing on in the postseason and representing my school, especially as a senior," McLennan said. "I didn't want my season to end in conference. It's bittersweet to not be going with my team, but I'm excited just to be there as an individual and to be able to potentially go to the nationals."
Fellow seniors Sarah Dolmovich and Isabella Loza will attend the tournament with McLennan and Murray.
"I've never played in a college tournament as an individual," McLennan said. "I've always been there with my team. It's going to be nice to have them there, but it's a little tougher because I'm not getting information from my coach about what my teammates have done. If you see someone make a birdie, you feel confident in your ability to do something great, so it's going to be a little bit different."
Murray knows McLennan well. She knows her mannerisms and her game, so the UTC coach said Wednesday that her main job is to feel McLennan's figurative pulse during competition and be able to lend support when necessary.
"Em's been a wonderful player for four years," Murray said. "There's no need to change that. If she plays the way I know she's capable of playing, she can win this."
That's in line with McLennan's goal: to compete and have a chance to win. She's been working hard on all aspects of her game from tee to green, but having heard that Shoal Creek is narrow in places, she spent time with her wedges so she can "give herself the best chance for birdies."
"I want to represent Chattanooga as best as I can," she said. "To put such a small school on the map, to be able to represent. I've had a great four years here and it's been an absolute blast, so to go out with a bang would be awesome."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.