Things were bleak. The final couple of groups were headed through 17 to the par 5 18th with the Chattanooga Mocs five strokes behind UT Martin at Black Creek Club. The Mocs made up the difference to share the team title with the Skyhawks at 7-under 857.
The par 3 17th almost undid the Mocs. The counters played it 4 over but bounced back with three birdies at 18. UTM navigated the 243-yard 17th well at even par. But three pars and a triple bogey surged the Mocs into contention.
Birdies from Matt Smith and Leon Bader made it a 4-stroke margin.
Braedon Wear’s birdie made up all four shots as his Skyhawk counterpart triple bogeyed finding the water down the left side of the fairway twice off the tee.
Paul Conroy got a bit unlucky as his second shot caught a slope over the over the green and jumped onto the cart path. He had to drop on the opposite side from the green and the awkward distance got him leaving it just short on the green’s ledge that burned him to begin with.
UTM had a birdie putt staring at Conroy just off the green. He calmly chipped the ball which got the assembled throng excited before it settled near the hole for the tap in par. The Skyhawks birdie effort was off and the two teams shared the win.
Conroy finished at 6-under 210, tied for third. Nick Sutton from Tennessee Tech ran away with the win with 5-under on the day pushing him to 12-under 204.
Conroy’s 69 today paced the Mocs 291 over the final 18. Matt Smith added even-par 72 as Braedon Wear turned in 74. Lean Bader had 76 ahead of Connor Nolan’s 78 which served as the drop score. Gabe Hunter led the individuals for Chattanooga in the field with 72. Alex Cobb was one behind at 73.
Wear and Smith joined Conroy under par for the event with 1-under 215 which tied for 11th. Hunter wasn’t far behind with 219 just ahead of Cobb and Gage Winkler’s 221. Nolan and Bader were next with 223 and 225, respectively, as Parker Highsmith completed the 54 holes at 235.
The last team win was last fall at the J.T. Poston Invitational.
Battle at Black Creek
Oct. 25-26 | Chattanooga, Tenn.
Lineup
T1st of 17: 288-278-291=857 (-7)
T3) Paul Conroy: 71-70-69=210 (-6)
T11) Braedon Wear: 71-70-74=215 (-1)
T11) Matt Smith: 74-69-72=215 (-1)
T22) Gabe Hunter (I): 77-70-72=219 (+3)
T36) Alex Cobb (I): 75-73-73=221 (+5)
T36) Gage Winkler (I): 74-71-76=221 (+5)
T47) Connor Nolan: 72-73-78=223 (+7)
T57) Leon Bader: 80-69-76=225 (+9)
T81) Parker Highsmith (I): 81-71-83=235 (+19)