Chattanooga Wins SoCon Men?s Golf Championship

Team Standings

Individual Standings

Team-by-Team Standings

SLIDESHOW

 

FLORENCE, S.C. ? Chattanooga outlasted College of Charleston and hard-charging Western Carolina to win the team championship while the Catamounts’ Matt Cook carded a final round 69 to win the individual medalist honors for the second time in his career at the 2008 Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship presented by Seven Falls Golf and River Club at the Country Club of South Carolina.

 

Chattanooga, which held an eight-stroke advantage over College of Charleston entering the final round, claimed its second straight SoCon crown on the strength of a solid team effort. Four UTC golfers finished in the top 10, including second-place finisher Ben Rickett (215) and J.T. Clendenin (218), Fredrik Qvicker (218) and Derek Rende (218), who finished tied for seventh overall.

 

The Mocs finished at 294 in the final round and 865 overall but had to hold off a determined Western Carolina squad which rose from fourth place at the start of the round. The Catamounts’ 286 was eight strokes better than any other squad on Tuesday, but it was not enough to overcome Chattanooga’s 17-stroke advantage entering the day. The College of Charleston edged WCU by a stroke to finish in second place at 873.

 

Cook stormed back to take the individual championship, shooting eight-under par (67, 69) over the final two rounds after sitting in 21^st position following an opening-round 75. The senior’s victory makes him only the eighth player in 72 seasons to win the SoCon title more than once, following his victory at the Links at Stono Ferry in 2006.

 

Rickett, the 36-hole leader, carded a two-over par 74 on the day, tying UNC Greensboro’s Nathan Stamey for second place at 215. Stamey followed an opening day 69, one of just seven rounds in the 60s throughout the entire tournament, with back-to-back 73s to earn the second place finish.

 

Elon’s Jimmy Lytle and College of Charleston’s Harrison Moore shared fourth place in the event at 216. Western Carolina’s Ricky Stout (217) placed sixth while Austin Reeves of Furman and Drew Perry of Wofford joined the Chattanooga trio in a five-way tie for seventh at 218.

 

The league’s coaches also voted on a 10-member all-conference team, highlighted by league Player of the Year Jonathan Hodge from Chattanooga. UTC mentor Mark Guhne earned his third-straight Coach of the Year citation while Georgia Southern’s Logan Blondell was named Freshman of the Year.

 

The tournament win is Chattanooga’s five team title of the season and it give the Mocs the league’s automatic berth into the 111^th annual NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships, which will be held May 15-17. The Mocs are hosts of this year’s NCAA East Regional at the Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tenn.

 

 

Top-10 Individuals

1. Matt Cook (Western Carolina), 75-67-69--211 (-5)

T2. Nathan Stamey (UNC Greensboro), 69-73-73--215 (-1)

T2. Ben Rickett (Chattanooga), 72-69-74--215 (-1)

T4. Jimmy Lytle (Elon), 75-68-73--216 (E)

T4. Harrison Moore (College of Charleston), 72-74-70--216 (E)

6. Ricky Stout (Western Carolina), 70-75-72--217 (+1)

T7. Drew Perry (Wofford), 73-70-75--218 (+2)

T7. Derek Rende (Chattanooga), 75-71-72--218 (+2)

T7. J.T. Clendenin (Chattanooga), 73-71-74--218 (+2)

T7. Austin Reeves (Furman), 73-71-74--218 (+2)

T7. Fredrik Qvicker (Chattanooga), 70-73-75--218 (+2)

 

Team Standings

1. Chattanooga, 290-281-294--865 (+1)

2. College of Charleston, 291-288-294--873 (+9)

3. Western Carolina, 295-293-286--874 (+10)

T4. Furman, 291-295-303--889 (+25)

T4. UNC Greensboro, 296-293-300--889 (+25)

6. Elon, 299-290-303--892 (+28)

7. Georgia Southern, 304-295-294--893 (+29)

8. Wofford, 306-289-309--904 (+40)

9. Davidson, 309-308-312--929 (+65)

10. Appalachian State, 313-325-312--950 (+86)

 

 

All-Conference Team

Harrison Moore, College of Charleston

Jonathan Hodge, Chattanooga

Fredrik Qvicker, Chattanooga

Derek Rende, Chattanooga

Ben Rickett, Chattanooga

Jimmy Lytle, Elon

Ben Goforth, Furman

Nathan Stamey, UNC Greensboro

Matt Cook, Western Carolina

Andres Cuenca, Western Carolina

 

Player of the Year ? Jonathan Hodge, Chattanooga

Freshman of the Year ? Logan Blondell, Georgia Southern

Coach of the Year ? Mark Guhne, Chattanooga