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The Chattanooga Mocs men’s golf team is tied for the lead with 18 holes to play at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate. The Mocs shot an opening 277 at Fox Den Country Club before coming back with 275 in the afternoon.
 
The 8-under 552 was one clear of Memphis and Georgia by one and Vanderbilt by four in fourth. North Carolina is fifth, five strokes back at 3 under.
 
Sophomore Evan Rogers has the individual lead at 6 under. That’s one better than senior Camden Braidech who is tied for second at 5 under.
 
Visit Knoxville Collegiate | August 31
Day 1 Leaderboard
T1) Chattanooga: 277-275=552 (-8)
T2) Memphis: 281-272=553 (-7)
T2) Georgia: 280-273=553 (-7)
4) Vanderbilt: 282-274=556 (-4)
5) North Carolina: 278-279=557 (-3)
6) South Carolina: 280-278=558 (-2)
T7) Liberty: 284-275=559 (-1)
T7) Toledo: 288-271=559 (-1)
T7) Mississippi State: 279-280=559 (-1)
T7) Tennessee: 277-282=559 (-1)
T7) Missouri: 284-275=559 (-1)
12) Charlotte: 277-286=563 (+3)
T13) Virginia Tech: 288-277=565 (+5)
T13) N.C. State: 284-281=565 (+5)
15) Louisville: 289-281=570 (+10)
16) Indiana: 286-285=571 (+11)
17) Kentucky: 286-286=572 (+12)
Mocs Individually:
1) Evan Rogers: 67-67=134 (-6)
T2) Camden Braidech: 68-67=135 (-5)
T38) Ward Harris: 69-72=141 (+1)
T44) Thad Whitfield: 73-69=142 (+2)
91) Ethan Whitaker: 77-74=151 (+11)
 
Course Information
Fox Den Country Club | Par: 70 | Yardage: 6,926
 
Quotable
“Really proud of the guys’ resiliency today and sticking to their game plan. The really encouraging sign is I felt there was a lot of sloppiness out there. We had five doubles on our counting scores. Which is also a good thing. It wasn’t like today is the best we have or that we have to be perfect. Nothing changes tomorrow. Own our bubble and see what it adds up to (on Tuesday).” – Coach Blaine Woodruff
 
Resources: Scoring | Schedule | Roster
 
Breakdown


Chattanooga played with Missouri, Indiana and Louisville beginning the day on the ninth hole of a staggered start.
The Mocs got off to a good start. They shot 3-under 277 over the opening 18 to tie for the early lead with Tennessee and Charlotte.
After a 4 under start over the first six holes (9-14), Chattanooga hit a rough run making the turn at 1 over. Over their final eight holes, the Mocs shot 5 under over the final four holes for the 277 start.
Rogers was one of three Mocs under par after 18 holes at 3 under. Braidech was next at 68, while Ward Harris turned in 69. Thad Whitfield’s 73 closed the counting scores.
The second 18 started much the same way. UTC was 4 under through seven holes (9-15) before playing holes 16-18 at 4 over to once again turn at even.
That led to a 5 under run to the finish. Braidech led the way with three birdies en route to a 31.
Braidech and Rogers shared low honors in the afternoon with 67s. Whitfield carded 69 as Harris added 72.
Chattanooga played the front side at 10 under and the back at 2 over.

 
Tee Times + Pairings
Final Round | Hole: 1
10:20 a.m.: Whitaker, Memphis, Georgia, Vanderbilt
10:31 a.m.: Harris, Memphis, Georgia, Vanderbilt
10:42 a.m.: Whitfield, Memphis, Georgia, Vanderbilt
10:53 a.m.: Braidech, Memphis, Georgia, Vanderbilt
11:04 a.m.: Rogers, Memphis, Georgia, Vanderbilt
 
Notes


It’s Woodruff’s fifth year at the helm. The program has earned one Southern Conference Championship, competed in NCAA Regionals in all four campaigns (3 as a team) and advanced to the NCAA Championships twice.
The Mocs have 11 team wins and eight medalists in the Woodruff era.
Rogers is going for win No. 2 and Braidech No. 3. A win for latter marks just the fourth Moc with three or more joining Stephan Jaeger ’12 (4), Bryce Ledford ’07 (3) and Jonathan Hodge ’09 (3). The former would be the 12th multi-time winner for the program and second under Woodruff.
Eight teams is this week’s field reached the 2026 NCAA Finals: Chattanooga, Georgia, Louisville, Memphis, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Tennessee & Vanderbilt. The Mocs, Tar Heels and Vols are advanced together from the Bryan Regionals with Chattanooga third behind Texas and Texas A&M.
Rogers, Braidech, Harris and Whitaker were in the starting lineup for Chattanooga’s 2026 SoCon Championships triumph and subsequent run to the NCAA Finals. Whitfield served as alternate.

 
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