The Bulldogs will play Friday through Sunday at Southern Highlands Golf Club, which has been set up as a par-72 covering 7,510 yards.
“It’s a really good golf course,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “It’s a great set-up and it’s a great challenge to you. It can really beat you up mentally. You hear pros talk about the difficulties of Augusta National because you’re mentally challenged on every shot. Southern Highlands does the same thing. It really challenges you mentally.”
Joining the Bulldogs and host UNLV will be No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Georgia Tech, No. 7 Texas, No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 14 Texas Tech, No. 20 California, No. 21 Duke, Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Southern Cal and TCU.
The Bulldogs will use a lineup of seniors Harris English, Russell Henley and Hudson Swafford, sophomore Bryden Macpherson and freshman Michael Cromie. English and Henley, both of whom are on the watch list for the 2011 Ben Hogan Award, lead the Bulldogs with a scoring average of 72.44. The seniors have seen action in all of Georgia’s tournaments this year.
“We’ve been working hard,” Swafford said. “Las Vegas will be a big test for us. We’re knocking off the rust and getting into the groove. Southern Highlands is one of the toughest courses we play. You’ve got to be real particular and you can’t overthink things. You’ve got to be patient.”
In its last event, Georgia placed fourth in the Puerto Rico Classic. The Bulldogs closed with a 10-under 278, and they are hoping that final-round loop will be a catalyst.
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| Hudson Swafford |
“That last round sparked something in us,” Swafford said. “It showed us we can play with anybody. It’s just a matter of going out and doing it.”
Live scoring and tee times can be found at golfstat.com.
After Las Vegas, the Bulldogs’ next three tournaments will take place inside Georgia: the Callaway Match Play Championship in Ball Ground March 20-22, the Linger Longer Invitational in Greensboro March 27-29 and the SEC Championship in Sea Island April 15-17.
