Harman Ties for 26th in Mexico

Brian Harman posted a four round total of 5 under par at The Mayakoba Golf Classic and finished in a tie for 26th.  The PGA Tour event was played in Mexico and held opposite the Accenture Match Play.  Harman earned $27,935 as he finished in the top 30 for his second consecutive event.  Fellow Bulldog Erik Compton also was in the field in Mexico and finished in a tie for 55th.

The next event on the PGA Tour schedule is The Honda Classic that begins on Thursday as the PGA Tour begins it's Florida swing.  Brian Harman, Chris Kirk, and Brendon Todd are in the field this week, while Erik Compton and Kevin Kisner are alternates.

Bulldogs Come In Ninth In Puerto Rico Classic

The Georgia men’s golf team finished in ninth place in the Puerto Rico Classic on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs fired a final-round 4-over-par 292 to wind up at 5-over 869 in their first tournament of the spring portion of their schedule. Team honors went to Alabama, which finished at 834 and coasted to an 18-shot victory.

Nicholas Reach paced the Bulldogs on Tuesday as he signed for a 2-under 70. Keith Mitchell added an even-par 72, followed by Joey Garber at 2-over 74 and Sam Straka at 4-over 76. T.J. Mitchell had Georgia’s non-counting score of 5-over 77.

Keith Mitchell finished 14th in the individual race at 1-under 215, nine strokes behind medalist Justin Thomas of Alabama. Garber, making his Georgia debut since transferring from Michigan, came in 19th at even-par 216. Reach wound up at 2-over 218, with T.J. Mitchell and Straka at 9-over 225.

“We didn’t close as well as I would have liked,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “But the good news is I saw a lot of positives during this tournament. We’ll get back home, correct some things and keep working hard. I really think this team will get better and better as we move forward.”

The Bulldogs will return to action March 4-6 at the USF Invitational in Dade City, Fla.

Bulldogs Move To Fifth In Puerto Rico Classic

 The Georgia men’s golf team moved up one position on Monday in the second round of the Puerto Rico Classic.

After entering the day tied for sixth, the Bulldogs fired an even-par 288 to move to 1-over 577 and into fifth. Alabama has the team lead at 21-under 555.

Joey Garber, competing for the first time as a Bulldog since transferring from Michigan, paced the Bulldogs in the second round with a 2-under 70. Sam Straka added an even-par 72, while Keith Mitchell and T.J. Mitchell each signed for a 1-over 73. Nick Reach had the Bulldogs’ non-counting score of 4-over 76.

Garber moved into eighth in the individual race at 2-under 144, six shots behind Georgia Tech’s James White. Keith Mitchell is 14th at 1-under 143, followed by T.J. Mitchell and Reach at 4-over 148 and Straka at 5-over 149.

“Our guys really battled hard today, and that always make a coach proud,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “As competitors, you want to give it everything you’ve got whenever you’re on the course. Our young team will grow more and more experienced as we go forward. We want to make progress with every round, and I think we did that today.”

The Puerto Rico Classic, the Bulldogs’ first event of the spring, will conclude today.  Live scoring can be followed at http://www.golfstat.com/.

Bulldogs Sixth After One Round In Puerto Rico

The Georgia men's golf team opened the spring portion of its schedule on Sunday by shooting a 1-over-par 289 in the first round of the Puerto Rico Classic.

The Bulldogs are tied for sixth place with tournament host Purdue, 13 strokes behind Alabama.
Keith Mitchell paced the Bulldogs on Sunday as he shot a 2-under 70. Mitchell is sixth in the individual race, trailing Alabama's Justin Thomas, who opened with a 5-under 67.
Joey Garber, making his Bulldogs debut after transferring from Michigan, and Nicholas Reach followed with even-par 72s. T.J. Mitchell signed for a 3-over 75. Sam Straka had the Bulldogs' non-counting score of 5-over 77.

"This tournament has always given us a chance to knock the rust off coming off the fall and winter," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "Our guys have been working hard, and all that was missing was the tournament aspect of things. Now that we've got a competitive round under our belts, we can keep focusing on getting better and playing more consistently."

The Puerto Rico Classic will resume on Monday and will conclude on Tuesday.  Live scoring is available at http://www.golfstat.com/

Golfers Head to Puerto Rico

The Men's Golf team will begin their spring portion of their schedule as they head to the Puerto Rico Shootout in Rio Mar, Puerto Rico.  The five golfer line up will include senior T.J. Mitchell, sophomores Keith Mitchell and Joey Garber, and freshmen Nick Reach and Sam Straka. 
The 54 hole event begins on Sunday and will conclude on Tuesday.  Live scoring can be followed at http://www.golfstat.com/

A video preview of The Puerto Rico Shootout on G-TV can be viewed by clicking here:
http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/m-golf/spec-rel/021312aaa.html

Dawgs in Action on PGA and Nationwide Tour

There will be 10 former Bulldogs teeing it up today between the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.  The Northern Trust Open gets under way today at Riviera C.C. with five Bulldogs in the field.  The Nationwide Tour season also begins today with the Pacific Rubiales Columbia Championship that also has five Bulldogs in the field.

Hudson Swafford and Russell Henley will both begin their rookie seasons on the Nationwide Tour in Columbia.  They will be joined by former Bulldogs Paul Claxton, Justin Bolli, and Scott Parel.  Live scoring can be followed at http://www.pgatour.com/

Erik Compton, Brendon Todd, Ryuji Imada, Chris Kirk, and Bubba Watson are in the field this week at the Northern Trust Open.  The Golf Channel will have the first and second rounds of television coverage from 3:00-6:00 each day.  Live scoring can also be followed at http://www.pgatour.com/

AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Results

Brendon Todd finished tied for 9th the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

Brendon Todd and Brian Harman both recorded their best career finishes on the PGA Tour at The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am yesterday.  Todd finished in a tie for 9th at 9 under par and Harman tied for 20th at 7 under.  Harris English finish tied for 40th at 3 under and Ryuji Imada tied for 69th. 

Brendon Todd climbed to 34th of the tour money list thanks to the $153,600 check this week.  Brendon now has $304,207 for the year.  Brian Harman collected $71,936 at Pebble while English cashed $21,849 and Imada earned $12,224.

Brian Harman and his amateur partner for the week, Greg Ontiveros, were victorious in the Pro-Am portion of the tournament.  Harman and Ontiveros finished as co-medalist with the team of Padraig Harrington and J.P. McManus at 35 under par for the four rounds of competition.

This week the PGA Tour stops in Los Angeles at Riverera C.C. for the Northern Trust Open.  Bulldogs in the field will include Brendon Todd, Erik Compton, Chris Kirk, Ryuji Imada, and Bubba Watson.

Harman Posts 64 in Round One at AT&T Pebble Beach

Thanks to a pair of eagles, Brian Harman finds himself a single shot back of the lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am after a first round 8 under par 64 at Pebble Beach G.L.  While the rookie lefty went out in bogey-free 3-under, the real fireworks show didn't start until his second nine on Pebble's front. After a bogey at the first, he rolled in a 12-footer for eagle at the second hole. Another followed from 11 feet at the fourth. At the sixth, he converted his second eagle of the round with a putt measuring 15'1". A nifty par save at the eighth set up a brilliant birdie at the ninth, the toughest hole on the course,  from 27'5". It's the lowest score in Harman's 21 career rounds on the PGA TOUR and left him with a share of the clubhouse lead at the conclusion of his round. Harman currently sits in a tie for 4th place behind a three way tie for the lead at 9 under.

Brendon Todd is also currently in the top 10 of the leaderboard after a first round 5 under 67, also on Pebble Beach G.L.  Todd also lead the field in putting after one round, taking only 22 putts on the day.

Ryuji Imada is currently in a tie for 27th after a 3 under 67 at Monterey Peninsula G.C.  Matt McQuillan is in 114th place after a 73 at Spyglass Hill and Harris English sits in 142nd place at 3 over par after his first round also at Spyglass Hill.  Kevin Kisner is in 149th place after his round of 75 at Monterey Peninsula G.C.

AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am begins today on the Monterey Peninsula in California.  Six Bulldogs will be in the field as Ryuji Imada, Harris English, Kevin Kisner, Brendon Todd, Brian Harman, and Matt McQuillan will compete in the 72 hole event.  The tournament will be played over three courses; Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill, and Monterey Peninsula Country Club.
The first two rounds will be televised on The Golf Channel from 3:00-6:00 and live scoring can be followed on www.pgatour.com.

Golfer Macpherson Withdraws From Georgia

2011 British Amateur Champion, Bryden Macpherson

 Bryden Macpherson, a junior on the Georgia men’s golf team, has withdrawn from the university to return home to Australia, Bulldogs coach Chris Haack announced on Wednesday.

Macpherson plans to train in Australia until late March, when he will return to the United States to play in the Georgia Cup and then The Masters as an amateur. Macpherson earned a berth in The Masters by winning the 2011 British Amateur Championship. Following the Masters, he plans to turn pro and try to earn sponsor’s exemptions for PGA and Nationwide Tour events.

“I am so appreciative of the time I’ve had at Georgia,” Macpherson said. “I have grown as a person and as a golfer, and I’ve made friendships I know will last a lifetime. But I feel the time is right for me to begin pursuing my dream of becoming a professional golfer. And to do that, it’s in my best interest to return to Australia to work. I will miss my Georgia coaches and my teammates, but I fully expect them to go on to have a great rest of the season.”

“Bryden has been a valuable member of our program, and we’re all going to miss him,” Haack said. “He’s been a great golfer to have on the team, and he’s been an even better person. We wish him nothing but the best. Bryden joined us at a time when we really needed him, and he made a lasting impact on our program. We know he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”

With the Bulldogs dealing with depth issues due to injuries, Macpherson arrived from Australia in January of 2010. He posted four top-15 finishes in five events and was chosen as the SEC Freshman of the Year. In 2011, Macpherson was undefeated in the match play portion of the NCAA Championships as the Bulldogs finished as the national runner-up. This season, Macpherson had four top-12 efforts, including a career-best second-place finish at the Adams Cup of Newport. He ends his college career with a scoring average of 73.31 — 22nd on Georgia’s all-time list.

The Bulldogs will return to action Feb. 19-21 in the Puerto Rico Shootout.

Phoenix Open Results

Bubba Watson finished tied for 5th in The Phoenix Open

Bubba Watson found himself in the final pairing on Sunday at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, but could not move up the leaderboard with a final round 70.  His four round total was good enough to put him in a tie for 5th place at 11 under par.  Harris English notched his best finish of his rookie season by finishing in a tie for 15th at 8 under par in just his fourth tournament.  Kevin Kisner, who made the field via the Monday qualifier, finished in a tie for 55th at 1 under par.  For their efforts, Watson earned $222,650, English earned $100,650, and Kisner earned $13,725.

The next event on the PGA Tour schedule is the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, which begins on Thursday.  Former Bulldogs in the field will be Brendon Todd, Kevin Kisner, Ryuji Imada, Harris English, Brian Harman, and Matt McQuillan.

Jones Cup Invitational

The Jones Cup Invitational begins today at Ocean Forest Golf Club on Sea Island

The prestigious Jones Cup Invitational gets under way today at Ocean Forest G.C. in Sea Island, GA.  In only its eighth edition, this tournament has become an important event in amateur golf, featuring top players from around the world.  In all 13 countries will be represented in the 54 hole event. 
Bulldogs in the field are junior Bryden Macpherson and sophomore Michael Cromie.

Live scoring can be followed at http://www.golfstat.com/

Bulldogs in The Phoenix Open



The infamous 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale

 The PGA Tour gets underway today in Scottsdale, Arizona for the party that is known as The Waste Management Phoenix Open.  UGA will have 6 former Bulldogs in the field, thanks to Kevin Kisner making the field through the Monday qualifier this week.  The qualifier actually lasted until Tuesday morning and involved Kisner and three others.  Kisner made birdie on the 6th playoff hole to get the last spot in the field.  The bachelor party for Kisner, who is getting married in March, was scheduled for this weekend in Las Vegas. The Vegas party plans has been put on hold and if Kisner makes the cut, the bachelor party will most likely be moved to the stands on the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. 

Bulldogs joining Kisner in Phoenix Open field will be Harris English, Bubba Watson, Ryuji Imada, Chris Kirk, and Brendon Todd.  The

The Phoenix Open is well known for it's huge and loud crowds.  The par three 16th hole has become famous in the world of golf with the entire hole being lined with stands of fans cheering and heckling the players.  The Golf Channel will have coverage of the first two rounds from 4:00 -7:00.  Live scoring can be followed at http://www.pgatour.com/.