The Men's Golf Team will begin play in the 2011 NCAA Championship today in Stillwater Oklahoma.
The Bulldogs will join 29 of the nation’s top teams at Oklahoma State’s Karsten Creek Golf Club (par 72, 7,416 yards). Georgia is guaranteed of playing Tuesday through Thursday in the stroke play portion of the tournament. After Thursday’s round, the tournament medalist will be recognized and the top eight teams will advance to the match play bracket, with four matches on Friday, two on Saturday and one on Sunday to determine the national champion.
“Our mindset is that we have a chance to win this golf tournament,” said Coach Chris Haack, who led the Bulldogs to NCAA titles in 1999 and 2005. “That’s the only way to go into the nationals.”
Haack will use a lineup of seniors Harris English, Russell Henley and Hudson Swafford, and sophomores Bryden Macpherson and T.J. Mitchell. Swafford and English have appeared in two NCAAs each, while Henley has played twice with his teammates and last year as an individual when the Bulldogs’ 12-year run of consecutive berths was snapped. Macpherson and Mitchell will be making their NCAAs debuts.
Georgia’s players will tee off in 10-minute increments between 2:30 and 3:10 p.m. on Tuesday and between 9:10 and 9:50 a.m. on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are the tournament’s No. 12 seed and will be paired with 10th-seeded LSU and 11th-seeded Texas in the first two rounds. Oklahoma State, UCLA and Alabama are the tournament’s Nos. 1-3 seeds.
Prior to their arrival in Stillwater, the Bulldogs held a players-and-coaches-only retreat to get prepared.
Asked what his message was, Haack recounted it almost in Rockne-esque terms: “When we’re playing at the nationals, it’s not just for you, it’s for all of us. If you’re on the golf course and things go bad, don’t panic. You’ve got teammates you can depend on. Remember that we’re doing this as a team. It’s not an individual thing. If we bond together and pull for one another, great things can happen. This is our chance, our time, our moment.”
Georgia got a look at Karsten Creek last September in the PING/Golfweek Preview. The Bulldogs came in third, just five shots behind home-standing Oklahoma State. Swafford finished second, while Henley came in 10th and English placed 16th.
“Every course is different, and a team feels most comfortable when a course sets up well for it. That’s how we feel about Karsten Creek,” Haack said. “Having played well there in the fall makes a huge difference. When guys love a golf course, that’s a good thing. It beats the alternative of having negative vibes about a place.”
Live scoring can be found at golfstat.com and on the NCAA Championship homepage.
