The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga golfers put together three solid individual rounds Monday on the second day of the Southern Conference men’s tournament.
They needed four.
The Mocs are in fifth place heading into the final day of play at Pinehurst No. 9 in Pinehurst, N.C. They shot a 294, which was six shots over par, and slipped one spot in the team standings. Wofford shot a 285 on Monday to sneak a shot ahead of first-day leader East Tennessee State.
UNC Greensboro’s 286 moved the Spartans up from fifth to third, while Furman is a shot ahead of UTC.
UTC freshman Lake Johnson, a Chattanooga Christian graduate, shot a 70 and moved into a tie for fifth individually at 142. For the second straight day, Johnson had an eagle on No. 10 and used that to shoot a 34 on the back nine.
“I had a rough start, but after I birdied No. 4 and No. 8 to get back even, I knew I could shoot a good score on the back nine,” Johnson said by phone. “I eagled No. 10 on both days, and that has given me a lot of momentum going into the rest of the holes.”
Kory Webb continued his consistent play, following up a 71 on Sunday with a 72 on Monday, while Wes Gosselin also shot a 72 on Monday. Gosselin also eagled No. 10.
Andrew Weathers and Brooks Thomas struggled Monday with an 80 and an 81.
“We’re behind the 8-ball for tomorrow,” UTC oach Mark Guhne said by phone. “We need a fourth scorer to do something really special. We’re very capable of getting it done, but we’re going to need three or four to shoot under par, or someone to go deep. Sometimes when you worry about trying to make something like that happen, it can backfire, but since our backs are up against the wall, we’re going to have to be aggressive, make some birdies, not make too many mistakes and see if other teams can back up any.
“Tomorrow is going to be like throwing Hail Marys. Sometimes they work, but we’re going to have to go out and do something special.”
McLennan in NCAA regional
UTC senior Emily McLennan, a 2016 SoCon co-player of the year and four-time all-conference golfer, is one of 24 at-large choices for NCAA women’s regionals.
McLennan will head to the Shoal Creek Regional in Alabama, set for May 5-7.
“I’m really excited to be continuing on this season,” she said in a school release. “It is bittersweet that the team didn’t make it, but it’s great that it is so close because they’ll be able to be there. It’s what we work for all year.”
There will be 18 teams and six at-large players at each regional site. The top six teams and two other individuals from each move on to the NCAA Championship May 20-25 at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club.
It’s the second time a UTC individual has made the field, as Emma de Groot did in 2008.
McLennan led the SoCon with a 73.03 stroke average in 2016.
Lee men selected
The Lee University men’s golf team is one of 80 picked for Division II regional competition next Monday through Wednesday. There are four sites combining golfers from two regions, and the Flames are set for the South/Southeast Regional at Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., which will include at least six of Division II’s top 10 teams per Golfstat rankings.
Five teams and the top two finishers playing as individuals from each regional will advance to the May 17-21 national tournament at Green Valley Ranch in Denver.
“I’m particularly excited for our upperclassmen that have stuck with us during the NCAA transition (from NAIA) and have earned this opportunity in our first year of eligibility,” Lee coach John Maupin said in a school release.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.