The Chattanooga Mocs men’s golf team is 11th through 18 holes of the Maui Jim Intercollegiate. The squad matched its season-best 18-hole total with a 286 at Mirabel Golf Club.
That puts the Mocs a single shot behind Cal and Georgia State which are tied for ninth at 1 over and two clear of Notre Dame in 12th with a 288. Brooks Thomas led the day with a 71 (-1), followed closely by Wes Gosselin’s 72. Andrew Weathers and Lake Johnson kept the single-shot progression turning in 73 and 74, respectively.
Will Porter had the drop score opening his collegiate career with a 75.
Stuart Thomas had the team’s low card with a 3-under 69 playing as an individual. He’s tied for 15th.
The lads finished strong. Falling to 7 over with a handful of holes remaining, they took advantage of the par 5 17th. The counters were 4 under on the 17th and 5 under over the three finishing holes to shoot up the leaderboard.
B. Thomas got it started answering a bogey on 16 with an eagle-birdie finish. Gosselin and Weathers each birdied 16 and 17.
Kent State leads the team scoring at 264. That’s good for a five-shot advantage over Baylor (269) in second, with Kansas and LSU another stroke back at 270. The Golden Flashes’ Josh Whalen is the individual leader at 7 under which is one ahead of a trio at -6 including Chattanooga native Scott Stevens playing for South Carolina.
The Mocs open second round play at 10 a.m., Eastern time, starting on the 10th hole. Paired with Grand Canyon and an assortment of individuals, the lineup is Porter, B. Thomas, Johnson, Weathers and Gosselin.