SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Last year at Grayhawk Golf Club, Blaine Woodruff was wrapping up his final moments as an assistant at Pepperdine, a program he helped coach to an NCAA title and another national-semifinals appearance on this golf course. By then, Woodruff already knew what was next for him; he had accepted the head position at Chattanooga, and he and his wife, Katie, then the women’s assistant at USC, would soon be moving across the country to start the next big chapter of their lives.
From the get-go, Woodruff had his work cut out for him. The Mocs, no longer a top-100 program, didn’t have a schedule set, and the roster lacked enough players to field a full lineup.