The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's golf team has tried to talk its way into playing the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island.
The Mocs were denied.
They'll likely try again soon during the Kiawah Island Spring Classic, which begins today on the Osprey Point and Oak Point courses on the resort island outside of Charleston, S.C.
"We'll be excited to get into warmer weather," UTC coach Colette Murray said before leaving Chattanooga. "We're as ready as we can be under the circumstances."
The Spring Classic opens the 2015 part of her Mocs' season, which consists of five tournaments. Those include the inaugural Chattanooga Classic at Council Fire and the Southern Conference tournament.
"We've backed off our spring schedule because we went heavy in the fall," Murray said. "It will be nice to have a tournament here in town, and hopefully we can get people out to see the girls."
The Mocs have played in the NCAA tournament in each of their seven years of existence. Former golfers Emma deGroot and Jordan Britt earned SoCon player of the year honors.
"We've got a small history, but a rich one, especially from a SoCon standpoint," said Murray, whose team is ranked No. 79 in the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings.
"We've played in the NCAAs every year, and right now we're looking at our worst ranking for this time of the year," she said. "It's not good enough, and they acknowledged that."
Agathe Sauzon, Emily McLennan, Isabella Loza, Chris Perez and DeeDee Russell made the trip after several days of qualifying at area courses, including Black Creek Club. It's the fourth different lineup Murray has used this school year.
McLennan was named the Tennessee Golf Association female amateur of the year in 2014.
"They've all worked hard," Murray said. "We're past the farming stage and hopefully we're ready to embark on the winning stage of the season.
"It's very clear what the expectations are and what the standard is here."
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepresss.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.