The Chattanooga Mocs men’s golf team signed two during the April signing period. That makes a total of five new golfers for the 2016-17 roster. According to coach Mark Guhne, Oklahoman Mike Biata and Scotsman Will Porter have the chance to make an immediate impact.
“Really, really excited to add Mike and Will,” he shared. “Mike helped lead his team to the (2015 Class 6A) state title, while Will won the 2015 Scottish Boys. You are talking about two championship golfers…guys that have been through the fire so to speak.
“With Etienne (Brault), Phillip (Hickam) and Oliver (Simonsen), we are infusing a lot of talent into a good returning core.
The competition to get into the lineup each tournament will be fierce.”
Biata led Owasso High School to the 2015 Oklahoma Class 6A title and the 2016 Region winning medalist honors. He had two wins, six top 5s and eight top 10s in 2015.
The wins came at the Battle for Bixby and Pryor Creek Championship on the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour. He ranked second overall on the OJGT last year.
Porter was the 2015 Scottish Boys Champion and helped his homeland to the 2015 Home Internationals title over England, Wales and Ireland. He also claimed co-championship honors at the 2015 SGU Junior Tour at Longniddry.
His resume includes an impressive list of finishes in men’s events over the past 12 months. Porter tied for seventh at the 2016 Craigmillar Park Open, while earning two top 20s in 2015 at the Scottish Champion of Champions (11th) and East of Scotland Championship (18th). He made the cut at the Carrick Neill Scottish Open Stroke Play Championship that included pros.
The duo join fall signees Hickam and Simonsen. Brault sat out the season after signing as a Canadian junior a year ago.
The Mocs completed the team schedule last week with a fourth-place finish at the Southern Conference Championships six shots behind ETSU in first. The team featured three juniors and two sophomores and a freshman with junior Wes Gosselin (All-SoCon) and Lake Johnson (All-Freshman) earning postseason honors. Gosselin learns his postseason fate this Thursday, May 5, at 9:30 a.m., on the Golf Channel’s Morning Drive program as the NCAA announces its tournament field.