Bulldogs To Face Southern Cal In The Maestro

Six members of the Georgia men's golf team will kick off their spring break in California.

The 23rd-ranked Bulldogs are slated to play on Monday at 4 p.m. in The Maestro -- a match-play event pitting them against six players from No. 4 Southern Cal -- at the Valley Club of Montecito. Both Georgia and Southern Cal had an extra "play day" in their schedules, allowing for the competition.

Slated to tee it up for the Bulldogs are junior T.J. Mitchell, sophomores Brian Carter, Joey Garber and Keith Mitchell, and freshmen Nicholas Reach and Sepp Straka.

Match-play tournaments are rare in college golf; however, a top-8 match-play portion was added to the NCAA Championships in 2009. The Bulldogs are 3-2 in their matches at the NCAAs.

“Because of the NCAA Championships, getting some match-play experience during the year is important,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “It requires a different mindset than stroke play, so it’s good to play under those conditions. We’ve got a lot of respect for Southern Cal, and we’re looking forward to this competition with those guys.”

The Bulldogs will return from California to play in the Furman Intercollegiate March 16-18.