English Advances to Round of 32 at U.S. Amateur Public Links

Harris English defeated Bryan Bergna in the first round of match play of the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links by a score of 4&2.  English will now play former University of Tennessee standout, Scott Kammann.  Kammann, who played professionally for many years before regaining his amateur status, made the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur Public Links in 1994 and also made it to the quarterfinals of the 1995 U.S. Amateur before losing to eventual champion, Tiger Woods.
The winner of the U.S. Amateur Public Links receives an invitation to the Masters as well as a spot in the U.S. Amateur.

Harris is schedules to play Kammann at 11:10 am eastern time.  The tournament is being held in Oregon at Bandan Dunes Golf Resort.  You can follow the match live on the USGA website at:
http://www.usga.org/ChampEventSite.aspx?id=17179869204

English Advances to Match Play at U.S. Amateur Public Links

Harris English easily advances to match play at U.S. Am Pub Links

Former Bulldog, Harris English, finished the stroke play portion of the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links tied for third place.  By finishing in the top 64, Harris advanced on to the match play portion of the tournament. In the first round, Harris will face Brian Bergna of Riverside, California.
This years U.S. Public Links is being played at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon on the Old Macdonald and Bandon Trails golf courses.  Last year at the Public Links, Harris English advanced to the quarter finals of match play at Bryan Park in Greensboro, NC.
The U.S. Amateur Public Links is conducted by the USGA and is open to all amateurs who are not members of a private course or club.  The winner of the championship receives an invitation to the Masters the following spring.
You can follow Harris live as he competes in match play by visiting the U.S. Am Pub Links website here:
http://www.usga.org/ChampEventSite.aspx?id=17179869204

Compton Wins Mexico Open

Former Bulldog Erik Compton 

Erik Compton, three years after undergoing a second heart transplant, scored his biggest on-course triumph by winning the Nationwide Tour's Mexico Open. A final-round 65 overcame a two-stroke deficit entering the final round.

"To win this is everything to me," said Compton, who endured a 25-hole Sunday during the storm-plagued tournament. "I never thought I'd play golf again - at least not at this level - and I prove to myself I'm more than just a guy with two heart transplants."

Compton, who received his first transplanted heart at age 12, won for the first time since the 2005 Hassan II Trophy in Morocco. Two years later, a heart attack forced him off the Nationwide Tour and onto the waiting list for a second transplant. Surgery took place in May 2008, and he began a comeback five months later.


The former Bulldog, posted a 7-under 65 on the final day to reach 17-under-par 271 and collect his first Nationwide Tour title. More importantly, he collected a check for $126,000 which pushed him to No. 2 in the season money standings. Compton now has $215,709 in 2011 earnings and all but assured he will earn his PGA TOUR card by finishing in THE 25.


Compton is scheduled to make an appearance on the Golf Channel show, The Morning Drive, on Tuesday morning.  The Morning Drive airs on the Golf Channel from 7:00-9:00 am.


Erik will return to the course this week as he plays the AT&T National on the PGA Tour.   


Swafford finishes Runner-Up at Cowans Ford Open

In just his second tournament as a professional, Hudson Swafford has recorded a runner-up finish.  The recent graduate, who has yet to fire a professional round in the 70's, posted his eighth straight rounds in the 60's.  Swafford carded a four round total of 18 under par to finish a shot behind Brendan Geilow at the Egolf Professional Tour's Cowans Ford Open.  By finishing runner-up, Swafford collected $14,591 and now stands 38th on the money list after just two events.

Bunker to Bunker-Georgia Golf Update

English, Henley, Swafford Earn All-America Honors

Hudson Swafford, Harris English, and Russell Henley

Georgia golfers Harris English, Russell Henley and Hudson Swafford — who capped their collegiate careers earlier this month — have earned All-America honors.

PING and the Golf Coaches Association of America picked English for their Second Team, with Henley and Swafford earning Honorable Mention status. Golfweek tabbed English for its Third Team and Henley was named Honorable Mention.

English led the Bulldogs with a 72.39 scoring average, while Henley was next at 72.73 and Swafford was third at 73.20. The seniors helped Georgia finish second at the NCAA Championships June 5 in Stillwater, Okla.

English and Henley ended their Georgia careers as four-time All-Americans, and Swafford was picked as an All-American three times. Collectively, they rolled up the following career numbers: 11 All-America honors, 10 All-SEC certificates, 12 medalist titles, 17 team tournament victories, two SEC Freshman of the Year awards, two SEC team titles and one National Player of the Year honor.

“Those guys were tremendous ambassadors for the golf team and for the University of Georgia on and off the course,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “They also were great leaders. They led by example with hard work and dedication. Everything they did was for the  betterment of the team. We’re going to miss them. They have left an indelible mark on our program.”

Macpherson Wins British Amateur

Bryden Macpherson becomes the second Bulldog to win the British Amateur

Georgia golfer Bryden Macpherson won the 116th British Amateur Championship on Saturday, earning spots in this year's British Open and next year's Masters in the process.

Macpherson defeated Scotland's Michael Stewart 3&2 in the final match, joining Doug Bachli (1954) as the only Australians to win the British Amateur.

The 2011 Open Championship will take place July 14-17 at Royal St. George's. The 2012 Masters will be held April 5-8 at Augusta National.

“I can’t believe it just yet," Macpherson said. "It feels pretty good to bridge the gap of 57 years. I hope there are a few proud Aussies having a barbecue. My judgment of speed was awesome today, so that was real important, but the real key to this week was patience. As hard as it was to believe, I had complete confidence that it was going to happen for me this week. I did a really good job of staying out of my own way, and celebrating everything I did well. Staying in the moment was a major key. I love the whole atmosphere of the Amateur Championship. One of the main things is the crowds: it’s amazing how much people love their golf around here. It’s a credit to them."

Macpherson, a rising junior for the Bulldogs shot 75-70 in stroke play, then posted six straight wins in match play to win the British Amateur title. Macpherson went 3-0 in match play as the Bulldogs finished second at the NCAA Championships earlier this month.

Macpherson joins Vinny Giles (1975) as the only Bulldogs to win the British Amateur.




US Open Recap

Russell Henley during the 111th U.S. Open

Russell Henley finished his second U.S. Open with a final round 75 to finish at 4 over for the day and for the tournament.  His four over total was four shots better than his score from last year, but this time he finished in a tie for 42nd place.  Henley made plenty of noise along the way, thanks in large part to a 4 under front nine on Saturday that had him in third place individually when he made the turn on his third round.  
Henley now will finish the remainder of his amateur summer as he prepares to represent the U.S. during the Walker Cup in September.  His next tournament will be the Dogwood Invitational in Atlanta starting on June 27th.


Former Bulldogs Bubba Watson and Christo Greyling also made the cut in the 111th U.S. Open.  Christo Greyling, playing in his first major championship, finished in a tie for 68th.  Greyling had to finish his second round Saturday morning and needed a couple of birdies to make the cut.  Christo birdied 3 of his last four holes to play the weekend.  Bubba Watson, the 13th ranked golfer in the world,  finished in a tie for 63rd place.  Watson will now work on defending his title at the Travels Championship this week.


Swafford Makes Professional Debut

Hudson Swafford

Hudson Swaffford made his professional golf debut this past week on the Egolf Professional Tour.  Swafford competed in the Bolle Classic in Lexington, NC and finished in a tie for 14th place while carding a four round total of 15 under par.
Swafford is playing again this week on the Egolf Professional Tour in the Cowans Ford Open.  After two rounds at the Cowans Ford Open, Hudson currently sits in third place individually.  results can be found at:
http://tarheel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/tarheel11/event/tarheel115/contest/1/leaderboard.htm


The Southeastern Amateur

Incoming Freshman Sepp Straka

Current Bulldog Keith Mitchell and incoming Freshman Sepp Straka posted good finishes during the Southeastern Amateur played June 15-18th at Columbus Country Club in Columbus, GA.  Rising Sophomore Mitchell finished 3rd individually at 2 under for the tournament.  Straka, who will begin his first season of college golf this fall,  finished 2nd individually at 3 under par.  

The Northeast Amateur

Northeast Amateur, June 22-25

Both Bryden Macpherson and Harris English are playing this week in the Northeast Amateur.  The Northeast Amateur is one of the best field in amateur golf each summer and is being played for the 50th year this year.  You can follow the scoring live at:
http://www.northeastamateur.com/Default.aspx

Greystone Invitational

Greystone Invitational, June 23-26

Bulldogs Keith Mitchell and Brian Carter are currently competing in the tenth annual Greystone Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama.  All the scoring and results can be found on the tournament website at www.greystoneinvitational.com.  The Greystone Invitational is a four round stroke play tournament played on the Greystone Golf and Country Club's Founders Course.

U.S. Open Day 3

Russell Henley during round 3 of the 2011 U.S. Open

Russell Henley made it an exciting day for Bulldog fans at Congressional Saturday.  When Henley made the turn during his third round of the U.S. Open, he found himself tied for third place thanks to four birdies on his first nine.  The back nine saw Henley make four bogeys and fall back to the field in a tie for 21st place.  the former Bulldog is looking to repeat as low amateur in the Open and he trails fellow amateur, Patrick Cantlay, by a single stroke for those honors.

Bubba Watson fired a third round 74 and sits in 57th place while Christo Greyling carded a third round 75 and sits in 64th place.  Final round coverage begins at 1:30 on NBC.

Macpherson Wins British Amateur

2011 British Amateur Champion, Bryden Macpherson

Georgia golfer Bryden Macpherson won the 116th British Amateur Championship on Saturday, earning spots in this year's British Open and next year's Masters in the process.

Macpherson defeated Scotland's Michael Stewart 3&2 in the final match, joining Doug Bachli (1954) as the only Australians to win the British Amateur.

The 2011 Open Championship will take place July 14-17 at Royal St. George's. The 2012 Masters will be held April 5-8 at Augusta National.

“I can’t believe it just yet," Macpherson said. "It feels pretty good to bridge the gap of 57 years. I hope there are a few proud Aussies having a barbecue. My judgment of speed was awesome today, so that was real important, but the real key to this week was patience. As hard as it was to believe, I had complete confidence that it was going to happen for me this week. I did a really good job of staying out of my own way, and celebrating everything I did well. Staying in the moment was a major key. I love the whole atmosphere of the Amateur Championship. One of the main things is the crowds: it’s amazing how much people love their golf around here. It’s a credit to them."

Macpherson, a rising junior for the Bulldogs shot 75-70 in stroke play, then posted six straight wins in match play to win the British Amateur title. Macpherson went 3-0 in match play as the Bulldogs finished second at the NCAA Championships earlier this month.

Macpherson joins Vinny Giles (1975) as the only Bulldogs to win the British Amateur.

Day 2 of U.S. Open-Bulldogs Make Cut

Russell Henley continues his great play of late and has found his way on the first page of the leader-board at the halfway point of the 2011 U.S. Open.  Henley put together his best round of his U.S. Open career, a 2 under 69, that vaulted him to a tie for 15th.  The Macon native is trying to become the first repeat low amateur in 20 years at the U.S. Open.  Currently Henley is tied with fellow amateur Patrick Cantlay, who fired a second round 67, to also move into 15th place.

Henley currently sits tied for 15th at the U.S. Open

Fellow Bulldogs,  Christo Greyling and Bubba Watson are tied with a group in 56th place.  Greyling fired a second round 74 and Watson carded a second round 75.

All three Bulldogs will make the cut and play the weekend at Congressional.  Follow the action live at usopen.com.

Macpherson In British Amateur Finals

Georgia Golfer, Bryden Macpherson, has played his way through two rounds of stroke play qualifying and dispatched 5 competitors along the way in the match play portion of the British Amateur Championship to make it to the final match today.  

Bryden Macphers is 1 match play win away from The British Am title.

Macpherson qualified 15th in the stroke play portion of the championship and has been unstoppable in match play.  With a win, Macpherson would accomplish the dream of winning the British Amateur title and earning a spot in this year's British Open Champsionship. “The Open is my dream tournament. As the title suggests it’s The Open, and if I could choose to win just one event in my life, I’d choose that one. But I won’t be thinking about that tomorrow.”


Along with an invitation to this year's Open Championship, the winner of the British Amateur also receives an invitation to the 2012 Masters.


The final match can be followed live at:
http://www.randa.org/en/Championship-Golf/Amateur-Championships/Amateur-Championship.aspx

U.S. Open, Day 1

Day 1 at the 2011 U.S. Open saw all three Bulldogs post solid rounds in the second major championship of the year.  Bubba Watson was the low Bulldog after firing an even par 71 and sits tied for 20th, Christo Greyling finished with a 1 over par 72 and sits tied for 31st, and Russell Henley carded a 2 over par 73 and is tied for 44th.

The round of the day went to Rory McIlroy who jumped out to the first round lead with a 6 under par 65.

All three Bulldogs will play in the afternoon wave today and all currently sit inside the cut line.  Henley is looking to repeat as low amateur and he currently trails fellow amateur, Peter Uihlein, by a single shot.

Golf.com featured Russell Henley in an article about his first round.  Click here to read the article.

Christo Greyling is playing in his first major championship this week.  To read more about his journey as a professional golfer, click on the links to CBSsports.com and The Detroit Free Press as they featured Greyling in articles this week.

Dawgs Tee It Up at U.S. Open

Three former Georgia Bulldogs will be playing in the 2011 U.S. Open starting on Thursday at Congressional Country Club.  Bubba Watson, Christo Greyling, and recent graduate, Russell Henley, will all be paired in the morning wave for round 1.

Russell Henley will start at 7:33, Bubba Watson at 8:28 and Christo Greyling will begin at 9:01.

This will be the first U.S. Open for Greyling and the second for Henley.  Henley is playing in his second consecutive U.S. Open after tying for 16th last year at Pebble Beach and finishing as low amateur for the championship.

Watson will be playing in his 5th U.S. Open with his best career finish coming in 2007 at Oakmont with a tie for 5th.

All of the action can be followed live at USGA.org

Henley Headed Back to U.S. Open

Russell Henley will play in the U.S. Open next week at Congressional Country Club

Russell Henley birdied two of his final holes during a grueling 36-hole day to earn a tie atop the leaderboard at the U.S. Open sectional qualifier Monday at Hawk’s Ridge Golf Club.  After players in the final two groups passed him, the 22-year-old found out he had a little work left to do and landed in a sudden-death playoff with PGA Tour professional Jason Dufner for the third and final qualifying spot in the U.S. Open.

Henley survived the challenge, however, with a birdie on the fourth playoff hole after Dufner hit his second shot on the par-5 hole into the water, and Henley earned a return trip to the U.S. Open, which begins June 16 at Congressional Country Club outside of Washington, D.C.

“I’m really excited to get back to another U.S. Open,” Henley said with just a few minutes of daylight left. “It was an emotional day, but it feels good to get back.”

Henley played 40 holes in nearly 12 hours when Dufner hit his approach into the par-5 fourth hole into the water right of the green. Henley played his second shot safe, but the ball ended up in deep rough left of the green. He hit what he called “one of the best chips of my life” to about 3 feet of the hole. Dufner missed his par putt, but Henley knocked in his birdie anyway. He shared a long embrace with Adam Henley, his caddie, after he clinched the spot in the U.S. Open.

“We just went through a lot of emotions (Monday),” Adam Henley said. “It feels pretty sweet right now.”

Many of the officials felt Russell Henley and Dufner wouldn’t need a playoff to qualify.

The two were tied atop the leaderboard when they finished 36 holes. Henley birdied two of his final three holes to finish at 11 under. Most thought Ryan Nelson, who was at 10 under through 27 holes, was the only player on the course with a shot to qualify.

Nelson indeed qualified at 12 under.

Henley received congratulatory hugs, handshakes and high-fives after he finished his round and after Nelson finished.

Playing in the final group, amateur Brett Patterson shot a course-record 62 to finish the day at 12 under and nab a spot. Patterson’s score bumped Dufner and Henley into a playoff.

“Everyone, the head pro, tournament officials are telling me I’m fine,” Henley said. “You start to rest, and then you find out it’s not over. You have to refocus fast. It’s tough to do.”

Both Henley and Dufner made a par on the first three holes of sudden death. Henley had a long birdie putt on No. 2 to win, and Dufner had about a 12-foot birdie attempt on No. 3 that would have earned him the spot.

“Russell thinks he’s one of the best amateurs and players in the world, so I don’t think he struggled to get back ready,” Adam Henley said. “I was a little nervous.”

Russell Henley finished the day with rounds of 68 and 65.

Henley shot a 4-under-par 68 through his first 18. His putter got hot on the second 18. He was 3 under through nine holes and birdied three in a row early in his second nine. He left an eagle putt on No. 4 a few inches short and then made a bogey on No. 6 when he hit it in the water trying to drive the green.

“I probably would have thought back to those if I wouldn’t have made it,” he said. “The bogey shook me up a little.”

Henley bounced back with a 15-foot birdie on No. 7, and he then made a birdie from about 3 feet on his 36th hole of the day.

“Those turned out to be huge putts,” he said.

The top three finishers out of 41 players qualified for the U.S. Open.

Henley won his qualifier a year ago and went on to finish tied for 16th at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. The finish earned him low amateur honors.

Dawgs Finish Season With Runner-Up Finish at NCAA's

Russell Henley during his last match as a Georgia Bulldog

Stillwater, OK --- The Georgia men's golf team's quest for a national title came up short on Sunday as Augusta State defeated the Bulldogs 3-2 in the finals of the NCAA Championships at Karsten Creek Golf Course.

The Bulldogs got victories from senior Russell Henley and sophomore Bryden Macpherson, each of whom went 3-0 in match play at the NCAAs, but were unable to garner a third decision.

"The guys fought hard and they never gave up," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "It was a pretty tight match all the way around. I'm proud of these guys. They represented us well. The represented the `G' and everybody should be really proud of them."

Macpherson got Georgia's first point as he defeated Olle Bengtsson 6&4. After sophomore T.J. Mitchell fell to Carter Newman 7&5, Henley put Georgia back ahead with a 3&2 decision over Henrik Norlander. Senior Hudson Swafford dropped a 2&1 match to Mitchell Krywulycz, then senior Harris English fell to Patrick Reed 2&1, giving the Jaguars back-to-back NCAA titles.

"We hung in as best we could," Henley said. "Augusta State is playing really good golf right now, and we knew we'd have to play really good golf against them. We gave it a run. I'm proud of what everybody did to get us here."

Said Macpherson, "To come into the week without having really contended all year and to give it a run to the final is an effort to be proud of no matter what."

Sunday's round marked the final one for Georgia's seniors, all of whom participated in graduation ceremonies last month in Athens.

"The last four years with these guys, you can't replace it," Swafford said. "It's been a dream come true. A win today would have topped it off for sure, but being in position to win it was still awesome."

"Our seniors were very important to the team," Macpherson said. "They mean a lot to the team and the team means a lot to them. I know they're disappointed and sad, but they can be proud of this week for sure."

Click here to watch G-TV's coverage of reaction to the final match results.

Golfweek has a recap of the final match that can be viewed here.

Georgia Golfers To Play For National Championship

Harris English at No. 2 during Semifinals of Saturday's Match Play at the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship at Karsten Creek  photo by Tracy Wilcox

STILLWATER, Okla. --- Russell Henley and Chris Haack were walking down the 10th fairway at the NCAA Championships on Saturday, and the Georgia senior had a request of his coach.

"Russell looked at me and said, `You need to smile. This might be our last time together,'" Haack recalled. "I said, "No it's not. We're going to have another day together.'"

The Bulldogs were all smiles and Haack's words seemed prophetic following Saturday's semifinal match with Duke at Karsten Creek Golf Club. Georgia dispatched the Blue Devils 3-2 with wins from Henley, senior Harris English and sophomore Bryden Macpherson.

With the win, the Bulldogs advanced to Sunday's final against Augusta State. The Jaguars, the 2010 national champs, knocked off Oklahoma State 3-2 on Saturday.

"Getting here is great, but since we're here, we might as well go ahead and try to win it all," Haack said with a laugh. "That's the neat thing about match play and the reason I like this format so much. Now we can go to bed knowing we've got a chance. It's us against them. Nobody's coming out of the pack. That's the fun part of it.

"This is pretty special, having two teams from the state of Georgia in the finals. It's a big deal. Hopefully the folks back home are getting excited about this."

Sunday's final match will be played at 1 p.m. Live scoring and video will be available at NCAA.com.

"It feels really good," English said. "It's what we've been gearing up for all year. We've got three seniors (English, Henley and Hudson Swafford), and this is our final tournament. Having this opportunity really means a lot to us."

"This is the closest we've been to winning a national title," Henley said. "You're gunning for it every year, but this is the closest we've been. We're going to try to enjoy it. A lot of people may get tight, but tomorrow is my last day ever playing college golf, so I'm going to enjoy it."

Macpherson got the Bulldogs' first win as he knocked off Austin Cody 2&1. English followed with a 5&4 decision over Brinson Paolini. Henley closed the match with a 3&2 victory over Tim Gornick.

In the other matches, Duke's Julian Suri topped sophomore T.J. Mitchell 3&2, while Duke's Wes Roach defeated Swafford 2&1.

"There's a lot of excitement on our team," Macpherson said. "We're very happy to be in the position we are. We came in with no pressure. We're just playing golf and things are going the way we planned so far. We're going to keep doing what we're doing, have fun, play the best we can and give it everything we've got."

Haack said Sunday's key could be the leadership provided by the seniors, who are 4-1-1 in the NCAAs thus far.

"Tomorrow is going to be pretty sentimental with those guys," Haack said. "It's been great having them in the lineup. They've been a force for us the last four years. This is what your horses are meant to do - get out there and run for us."


Golfweek has full coverage of all the highlights from the NCAA Championship.  Click here to watch a preview of the final match between the Dawgs and Augusta State.

Dawgs in Final Four at NCAA's

The men's golf team will be one of four teams left with a chance to play for the national championship,  thanks to a quarterfinal win vs Illinois. 

The Dawgs were victorious in 3 matches while losing 1 match and halving 1 match.

Bryden Macpherson defeated Mason Jacobs      2&1
Russell Henley defeated Scott Langley                4&2
Harris English defeated Luke Guthrie                  3&2
Hudson Swafford halved with Chris DeForest     A/S
T.J. Mitchell was defeated by Thomas Pieters     1 down

The Dawgs will now square off against Duke in the semifinals on Saturday.  This will mark the second time the Bulldogs have made an appearance in the final four since the national championship was moved to match play, doing so in 2009.

All the action can be followed live on NCAA.com.