The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s golf team accomplished its primary goal.
The Lady Mocs won the Southern Conference tournament. It wasn’t easy.
They were forced to make a comeback during the final nine holes of the 54-hole tournament last week to clip the College of Charleston by eight shots.
Accomplishing their next goal – advancing from the NCAA East Regional – will be even more demanding next week at Ironwood Country Club in Greenville, N.C.
Moa Duf, who had a scoring average of 79.4, has returned home to Sweden due to homesickness and will not play for UTC. That leaves the Lady Mocs with four golfers, and every individual’s score must count every round instead of the highest being dropped.
“Obviously, our expectations change,” coach Colette Murray said. “We’ve got a plan and we’ll do our best to execute that plan.”
Senior Katie Taylor, who was in and out of the lineup as a sophomore, completely out as a junior and back in this year, will have her every round count toward the team score. Her scoring average this season is 85.2, five shots higher than Duf’s, which translates into a 15-shot difference at the East Regional.
“Without Katie, we wouldn’t be able to play next week,” said captain Emma de Groot, who is ranked No. 52 in the country by GolfWeek.
Since the start of the fall semester, Maria Salinas transferred to Florida State, Kayla Stewart graduated midyear and Duf flew home.
But the Lady Mocs have not altered their goals. They want to advance to the NCAA championship event as a team. And if the team doesn’t, the top individuals not on a team advance for a chance to be the NCAA individual champion.
“I guess it’s a little different without Moa,” de Groot said. “If I can finish as high as I can as an individual, then I’ve done my part, because I can’t be on the course worrying about what they’re doing.”