Bulldogs Ready to Defend Title at Brickyard Collegiate

The 16th-ranked Georgia men’s golf team will continue the fall portion of its schedule by playing in the Fifth Annual Brickyard Collegiate Championship this weekend.

The Bulldogs will compete Friday through Sunday at The Brickyard at Riverside trying to continue the success they have enjoyed in Macon. Georgia claimed the 2007, 2008 and 2010 team titles and boasted individual medalists in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

“The Brickyard has been kind to us through the years,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “We’ve got a lot of pleasant memories from this tournament. We’re bringing a new group in this year, but they know about our history at the Brickyard, and they would love nothing more than to keep it going for us.

“This is a great tournament, and it’s one that we’ll keep on our schedule as long as they have it. They do a terrific job with every part of it, and our guys really enjoy going down there.”

The Bulldogs will use a lineup of juniors Bryden Macpherson and T.J. Mitchell, sophomore Brian Carter, and freshmen Nicholas Reach and Sepp Straka. Macpherson leads the Bulldogs and is second in the SEC with a 69.5 scoring average, followed by Reach, who is ninth in the SEC, at 71.86. Georgia also will enter sophomore Michael Cromie and freshman Sam Straka as individuals, meaning their scores cannot count toward the team total.

Joining the Bulldogs and tournament host Mercer at the Brickyard will be Air Force, Augusta State, Chattanooga, Charleston, Colorado State, No. 18 Florida State, No. 5 Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Mississippi, North Florida, Oklahoma, Texas-Arlington and Virginia Tech. Oklahoma is coached by former Georgia player and assistant coach Ryan Hybl.

The Bulldogs will tee off at 8:30 a.m. on Friday with their counterparts from Georgia Tech and Augusta State. Tee times and live scoring can be found at golfstat.com. Additional information can be found at brickyardcollegiate.org.