Chattanooga wins Palmetto Intercollegiate title

AIKEN --- At this rate, Chattanooga may never leave Palmetto Golf Club.

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Virginia's Ben Kohles tees off on the 15th hole Tuesday. Kohles shot 72 and finished at 5-under 205 for his second victory of the year.

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Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff

Chattanooga's Derek Rende (right) checks the wind with assistant coach Ben Rickett on the 16th tee box during the final round of the Palmetto Intercollegiate. The Mocs won by seven.

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In their second appearance at the Aiken golf course, the Mocs made themselves feel at home again and carded a closing 13-over-par 293 to win the Palmetto Intercollegiate by seven shots over Clemson on Tuesday.

The Mocs, who finished at 15-over-par 855, won for the second time in three years. They captured this event in 2008 before electing to play in the Callaway Collegiate Match Play event last year.

"We had some good memories coming in here," said Derek Rende, one of three Chattanooga seniors who also played on the victorious 2008 squad. "This golf course is real tough around the greens. And we work pretty hard on our games around the greens."

Chattanooga coach Mark Guhne said Rende, J.T. Clendenin and Fredrik Qvicker -- who comprised the majority of the 2008 team that won the Palmetto Intercollegiate -- helped explain the nuisances of Palmetto to freshman Steven Fox and Stephan Jaeger. Fox finished in a tie for fifth, Rende placed eighth and Jaegar tied for ninth.

"They had experience here," Guhne said. "They knew it was going to be tough.

"The thing about this golf course is you really have to think your way around. The guys did a good job of that this week."

Clemson shot 291 and finished at 862 for its second runner-up finish of the year. East Carolina (289) finished third at 868.

After a record-setting performance Monday, Virginia sophomore Ben Kohles closed with 2-over-par 72 to win his second event of the year. Kohles finished at 5-under-par 205, defeating defending champion Robert Karlsson, of Liberty (69), by three shots. East Carolina's Harold Varner (70) finished third at 209. They were the only players in the 90-man field to finish below par.

On Monday, Kohles set the tournament mark for lowest round with 63 in the second round. He said he knew that would be difficult to replicate.

"I didn't expect to play that well again," he said. "I just tried to hit a lot of fairways and greens."

USC Aiken coach Michael Carlisle said his team is just trying to knock the rust off after a long winter. The Pacers recorded their third consecutive 294 to finish in ninth place (of 18 teams) at 882.

"We're just trying to get better for the future," Carlisle said.