UT-Chattanooga golf coach makes Sr. PNC field

MONTEREY, Calif. -- Mark Guhne played a practice round Tuesday as his wife, Kelly, walked along the California coast in Monterey.

Then they met for a stroll down Cannery Row and enjoyed a fine seafood dinner.

That's part of the work this week for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's golf coach.

Guhne and Council Fire Golf Club professional Richard Rebne will begin competition today in the Senior PGA Professional National Championship at Bayonet and Black Horse.

"It's really cool getting to the course and seeing everything set, and everywhere you turn, you know it's a PGA championship," Guhne said Tuesday evening. "I'm standing on the range and guys have bag tags with PGA championships and U.S. Opens on them.

"This is the first time that I've been a coach with any time off during the season, so to be able to get away with Kelly is really nice."

Guhne has been actually practicing since he qualified for the 72-hole tournament that has a field of 264 players, and UTC golfers have been ribbing him more and more as the event approached.

"He's always rooting for us, so it will be fun to root for him," said UTC redshirt sophomore Andrew Weathers, a McCallie graduate who grew up at Council Fire. "I hope he does well. If he wins, I'll buy him something special. Or just take him out to lunch."

Guhne has a reasonable goal of making the cut in a field full of the best senior PGA of America members in the country.

"I didn't come out here not to mess up," Guhne said. "If I leave it all on the course and attack when I can and make decisions like I ask the guys to do, I'll feel better."

Rebne is participating in his seventh PGA championship, including his fourth in the senior division. Due to the special location, the fabled Monterey Peninsula, Rebne's wife made the trip as well. His goals are loftier than making the cut.

On the line this weekend are 35 spots in next year's Senior PGA Championship at The Golf Club at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Mich. There, the competition will include Champions Tour professionals.

"Just relax and play to the potential you have," Rebne said of his strategy this week. "I don't want to put too much undue pressure on myself. Yet gone are the days of 'I'm glad I made it.'"

Both golfers and their wives should be glad they're beginning the day in Monterey.

This article was written by David Uchiyama from Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn. and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.