The 25th annual Porky's Open Presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee teed off on a cloudy yet pleasant Tuesday at Council Fire Golf Club. A full field competed, but the real winners at the Chattanooga Mocs student-athletes that benefit from the million-plus dollars raised over the years towards scholarships via the Mocs Club.
"That's why we're here," stated Vice Chancellor for Athletics Mark Wharton. "This event provides direct benefit to our programs while connecting us to a fantastic golfing community.
Golf is so engrained in this area, and it shows in the continued success of our men's and women's programs with an exclamation point in Houston this past weekend with our PGA TOUR alum Stephan Jaeger '12 getting his first win.
"This event helped make his scholarship possible. It helped construct the 2024 Southern Conference Champion women's basketball squad. Giving to the Mocs Club makes winning possible as well as the new NIL market which we're excited to be an active part of with the Flock and our OpenDorse NIL Marketplace making it easy for companies, sponsors, donors and fans to connect with our student-athletes in the business world."
The Flock was actively involved. It provided NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) support to golfers John Houk and Carson Johnson as they made public appearances on behalf of their programs at the event. The duo was posted on hole four providing tee shots for donations to the collective. To access the Mocs NIL Marketplace go here, while for more information on NIL Collective "The Flock", go here.
But Tuesday was about competition for a worthy cause. Your award winners from the 25th Porky's Open:
First Flight: Jim McKenzie, Lake Johnson, Andrew Weathers, Billy Weathers
Runners-Up: Brian Millican, Porter Nelms, Lee Gerdes, Brenden Wilson
Second Flight: Terry Mullins, Jake McRae, Brandon Dietrich, Brad Harden
Runners-Up: Mike Frost, Kurt Keene, Brian Worley, Geon Baugh
Closest to the Hole (7): Geoff Rogers
Closest to the Hole (17): Jim McKenzie
Longest Drive (11): Lake Johnson
Frank "Porky" Kinser (1940-2020)
Frank was heavily involved in the Chattanooga community. He was the president and owner of East Brainerd Lumber and Supply Co. — a three-generational business until his retirement in 2012. Frank was also a past member of the Stadium Board, the entity responsible for building Finley Stadium. He served as chairman of the construction committee for Finley Stadium and then served two terms as president and chairman of the Stadium Board. He received the Gordon Davenport Award in 2005 from the UTC Athletics Department. Frank also served UTC and the University of Tennessee system as a member of the UT Development Council, chairman of the UTC Chancellor's Roundtable, president of the UT Hamilton County Alumni Association and as a member of the UT Board of Governors. Porky's Open has become a premier golf tournament in the Chattanooga community and UTC Athletics is proud to carry on Frank's legacy by bringing together supporters for a wonderful day of golf and fellowship. In 2020, UTC Athletics announced the creation of the Frank Kinser Porky's Open Endowed Scholarship to provide scholarship support in perpetuity. A portion of the proceeds from Porky's Open will be directed to this endowment.