SEC Championship Notes
A Georgia men's golf team that looks nothing like it did a year ago will join its league brethren this weekend for the Southeastern Conference Championship at Sea Island Golf Club on St. Simons Island.
The 25th-ranked Bulldogs and the other 11 teams will compete Friday through Sunday on the par-70, 6,898-yard layout on the Seaside Course.
Georgia has been a dominant force at the SECs, winning a league-best 28 conference titles. Under Coach Chris Haack, the Bulldogs have secured seven SEC titles, including five of the 11 tournaments held at Sea Island.
But this year, Haack will be rolling out perhaps his most inexperienced squad ever. Junior T.J. Mitchell is the only Bulldog who has made the trek around Sea Island -- and he did so with the victorious Bulldogs in 2010. Sophomores Brian Carter, Joey Garber and Keith Mitchell and freshman Nicholas Reach all will be making their postseason debuts for Georgia. A year ago, the SECs lineup included All-Americans Harris English, Russell Henley, Bryden Macpherson and Hudson Swafford -- all of whom are now playing professionally.
"We know the guys we have now are extremely talented. The only thing that's really missing is experience," Haack said. "But unlike football or basketball where you go head-to-head against someone else, our sport is you against the golf course. If our guys can take care of the mental part of the game, then we'll be fine. All the guys have done really good things at different points this year. The key is getting them to do it on a consistent basis. If we get that, if they all play to their potential at the same time, it will be fun."
The SEC is as strong as ever with No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Auburn, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 21 LSU and No. 23 Florida joining the Bulldogs in the national rankings. And in discussing the SEC, Haack was quick to reference one of Georgia golf's favorite sons, Bubba Watson.
"Our league is very strong, but that's the way it should be," Haack said. "There's a lot of pride in winning your conference tournament, and it shouldn't be easy to do. If you win this league, you've definitely earned it. Before the Masters, everybody was picking the experienced guys like Phil (Mickelson) and Tiger (Woods). Nobody was picking Bubba. I think people are looking at favorites for the SECs and I don't think anybody's picking us, so we hope we can be this week's Bubba down there."
The Bulldogs will tee off Friday in 10-minute increments between 8 and 8:40 a.m. with their counterparts from Alabama and Arkansas on the 10th hole. The Saturday and Sunday tee times will be based on the standings. Live results and tee times can be found here.
