Mocs Golf Plans to “Give it a Lash” at NCAA Championships

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) Thirty teams are competing for the NCAA golf championships starting this weekend in Arizona, including the Chattanooga Mocs. It’s a rare appearance for UTC, but they’re confident they can compete along side the best teams in the country.

For just the third time in school history, the Mocs golf team has qualified for the NCAA Championships.
Said golfer Paul Conroy:”Garrett actually said one of our goals this year should be to make Grayhawk. I was kind of thinking to myself yeah, it’s a big goal, but we can do it or whatever.”
Said golfer Sam Espinosa:”If you look into the whole season, we kind of like expected to be because our game was pretty high.”
Mocs are coming off that stellar performance at the Auburn Regional.
They finished third, just three shots out of first.
Said head coach Blaine Woodruff:”You know for us to only get beat by one by Vandy again, who is the top team in the country, and who is the favorite to win this thing. And lose to Auburn by a couple on their home course they play every day. That gives us a lot of confidence, and it also fires us up to know that we’ve got more in the tank.”
NCAA Finals are at Grayhawk Golf Club in Arizona.
Coach Woodruff knows the place well.
He coached Pepperdine to the 2021 national title at Grayhawk.
Said Woodruff:”I mean this in the most humble way possible. I don’t think there are a lot of other coaches that have spent as much time out there in that environment as I have, so I’m exciting to share it along with these guys.
It’s desert golf in Arizona, and Woodruff calls it visually intimidating.
Reporter:”How is it visually intimidating?”
Said Woodruff:”Um if you’ve never played desert golf before, you can hit a couple in the desert, and you end up in the bush. You’re taking an unplayable. I mean it does mess with some people sometimes.”
Reporter:”What will it take to win?”
Said golfer John Houk:”I don’t know you know. We don’t really focus. I don’t try to focus on the end result. We just go out there and do our thing.”
Said Conroy:”We are not going to be happy to be there. We are going to compete. We have a good chance. Good a chance as any team there, so why not give it a lash.”