Watson Takes 14th In Palmer Invitational

Bubba Watson closed strong at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

ORLANDO, Fla. --- With The Masters looming early next month, 2012 champion Bubba Watson closed well on Monday in the rain-interrupted Arnold Palmer Invitational.

 

Watson shot a 5-under 67 to wind up in 14th place at 5-under 284. One stroke back were Erik Compton and Chris Kirk, while Harris English finished at 4-over. Missing the cut were Brian Harman and Russell Henley.

 

Watson will be in action on Tuesday in the Tavistock Cup in Windermere, Fla

 

The PGA TOUR schedule will resume this week at the Shell Houston Open at Redstone Golf Club.

Reach Places 2nd In Linger Longer Invitational

Nicholas Reach (foreground) and T.J. Mitchell (background)

GREENSBORO, Ga. --- Led by tournament runner-up Nicholas Reach, the 12th-ranked Georgia men's golf team placed fifth Sunday in the weather-shortened Linger Longer Invitational at the Great Waters Course at Reynolds Plantation.

The tournament originally was slated for 54 holes, with 36 holes on Saturday and 18 on Sunday. But inclement weather affected Saturday's action, which ultimately was suspended due to darkness. On Sunday, the teams completed the second round and the tournament ended there.

The Bulldogs completed the second round on Sunday at 3-over-par 291 for a total of 6-over 582. Alabama captured team honors at 16-under 560.

Reach wound up at 6-under 138 -- just 1 shot behind medalist Cory Whitsett of Alabama. A year ago at the Linger Longer, Whitsett topped Reach in a playoff for medalist honors.

Keith Mitchell came in 10th at 1-under 143, followed by T.J. Mitchell at 5-over 149, Brian Carter at 8-over 152 and Lee McCoy at 10-over 154.

Playing as individuals, junior Mookie DeMoss finished at 1-over 145, junior Michael Cromie wound up at 6-over 150 and sophomore Sepp Straka came in at 12-over 156.

The Bulldogs will return to action April 6-7 in the Insperity Augusta State Invitational.

Todd Goes Top 10 In Chitimacha La. Open

Brendon Todd came in sixth in the Web.com Tour's Chitimacha Louisiana Open.

BROUSSARD, La. --- Brendon Todd was the top finisher among the former Bulldogs in the field at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open on the Web.com Tour this weekend.

Todd came in sixth with a score of 12-under-par, five shots behind winner Edward Loar, at Le Triomphe Country Club on Sunday.

Other results among the Georgia contingent: Hudson Swafford (-7), Paul Claxton (-5), Kevin Kisner (-3) and Scott Parel (even). Richard Scott missed the cut.

The Web.com Tour's next stop is the Brasil Classic at Sao Paulo Golf Club.

(Please continue to help us get the word out about the Web.com Tour's Stadion Classic at UGA April 29-May 5. Two current Bulldogs will get spots in the field and there should be several former Bulldogs playing that week as well.)

Bulldogs Set For Linger Longer Invitational

Mookie DeMoss will be an individual this weekend at the Linger Longer Invitational.

The 12th-ranked Georgia men's golf team will continue the spring portion of its schedule this weekend in the Linger Longer Invitational.

The Bulldogs will play 36 holes on Saturday and 18 holes on Sunday at the Great Waters Course at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro.

The Bulldogs will use a lineup of senior T.J. Mitchell, juniors Brian Carter and Keith Mitchell, sophomore Nicholas Reach and freshman Lee McCoy. Georgia also will have juniors Mookie DeMoss and Michael Cromie and sophomore Sepp Straka in the field as individuals.

"I am hoping that we can play more consistently this weekend," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "We've been riding the roller coaster with too many ups and downs. Our focus this weekend needs to be on playing with patience and showing good course management."

Joining the Bulldogs will be Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech, South Florida, Minnesota, Michigan State, Penn State, Mercer, Kennesaw State, Charlote, Alabama, Jacksonville, Oklahoma and Liberty.

Live results can be found here.

Former Bulldogs Abound In Pro Events

Paul Claxton and the Web.com Tour players are in Louisiana this week.

The PGA TOUR stops this weekend in Bay Hill, Fla., for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Erik Compton, Brian Harman, Bubba Watson, Russell Henley, Chris Kirk and Harris English are in the field.

The Web.com Tour competes in the United States for the first time this year in the Chitimacha Louisiana Open. Paul Claxton, Hudson Swafford, Brendon Todd, Kevin Kisner, Richard Scott and Scott Parel are slated to compete.

English 7th, Harman 14th In Tampa Bay

Harris English came in seventh in the Tampa Bay Championship on Sunday.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. --- Harris English was the top-finishing former Bulldog in the PGA TOUR's Tampa Bay Championship on Sunday at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course.

English fired a 5-under 279 to finish seventh, five shots behind winner Kevin Streelman. Brian Harman came in 14th at 4-under 280, followed by Erik Compton in 30th at eveb-par 284. Justin Bolli missed the cut.

The PGA TOUR schedule will continue March 21-24 in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando, Fla. Also, the Tavistock Cup will take place March 25-26 at Isleworth Country Club in Windermere, Fla.

On the Web.com Tour,  the Chitimacha Louisiana Open is slated for March 21-24 at Le Triomphe Country Club in Broussard, La.

(Please continue to help us get the word out about the Web.com Tour's Stadion Classic at UGA April 29-May 5. Two current Bulldogs will get spots in the field and there should be several former Bulldogs playing that week as well.)    

Cromie, Mitchell, Reach Pace Bulldogs Vs. Yale

The Georgia (left) and Yale (right) players and coaches posed for a photo
on Saturday during the Bulldog Battle at Mountain Lake in Florida.

LAKE WALES, Fla. --- Led by tri-medalists Michael Cromie, Keith Mitchell and Nicholas Reach, Georgia won the Bulldog Battle at Mountain Lake on Saturday.

Renewing a rivalry  that dates back to 1929 (see the preview blog below), Georgia defeated Yale by 14 strokes on Saturday at Mountain Lake Country Club. Georgia had loops of 284-281=565, while Yale recorded 291-288=579.

Cromie, Mitchell and Reach all finished at 141 to share medalist honors. Cromie had rounds of 73-68, Mitchell 71-70 and Reach 69-72. 

The format allowed all the Bulldogs to play on Saturday. Lee McCoy posted a 142, followed by T.J. Mitchell at 145, Brian Carter at 146, Sam Straka at 150, Mookie DeMoss at 151 and Sepp Straka at 152.

Despite being separated by 900 miles, Georgia and Yale have a longstanding connection.

Georgia's first President, Abraham Baldwin, was a Yale graduate. Several of the first buildings on the Athens campus were designed from blueprints of structures in Connecticut. In 1929, Georgia christened Sanford Stadium with a 15-0 victory Yale.

And then there's little nugget from The New York Times on Oct. 11, 1929: "Leaving with the Yale football squad today for Athens, Ga., were also the fifty-piece Yale band and the four-man golf team, which will play the Georgia team on Saturday morning." And according to Georgia's Pandora yearbook, the host Bulldogs defeated the visiting Bulldogs 5-1.

Eighty-four years after that golf matchup, Georgia and Yale teed it up again on Saturday.

"This was a nice change of pace in our season," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "Since it's spring break, we had some flexibility in our schedule, so I'm glad we were able to work this out. I also love the history that's attached to it. I think it's important that our guys know something about the men who came before them, so we've used this match as an opportunity to talk about that."

The Bulldogs will return to their regular-season schedule Saturday and Sunday in the Linger Longer Invitational in Greensboro, Ga. Four of the Bulldogs' final five tournaments will take place in Georgia, including the NCAA Championship May 28-June 2 at the Capital City Club in Alpharetta.

Bulldog Battle at Mountain Lake Results

Michael Cromie           73-68=141

Keith Mitchell              71-70=141

Nicholas Reach            69-72=141

Lee McCoy                     71-71=142

T.J. Mitchell                 73-72=145

Brian Carter                 74-72=146

Sam Straka                   77-73=150

Mookie DeMoss         74-77=151

Sepp Straka                 78=74=152

Georgia                         284-281=565

Yale                                291-288=579

Georgia, Yale Renewing Golf Rivalry

These Bulldogs defeated Yale in golf in 1929. The current Bulldogs will attempt to do the same this weekend in Florida.

Despite being separated by 900 miles, Georgia and Yale have a longstanding connection.

Georgia's first President, Abraham Baldwin, was a Yale graduate. Several of the first buildings on the Athens campus were designed from blueprints of structures in Connecticut. In 1929, Georgia christened Sanford Stadium with a 15-0 victory Yale.

And then there's little nugget from The New York Times on Oct. 11, 1929: "Leaving with the Yale football squad today for Athens, Ga., were also the fifty-piece Yale band and the four-man golf team, which will play the Georgia team on Saturday morning." And according to Georgia's Pandora yearbook, the host Bulldogs defeated the visiting Bulldogs 5-1.

Eighty-four years after that golf matchup, Georgia and Yale will renew their rivalry on Saturday at Mountain Lake Country Club in Lake Wales, Fla. The teams will play 36 holes of golf.

This stroke-play match will allow all nine Bulldogs to compete at the same time as opposed to the typical five-man lineup. The Georgia roster consists of senior T.J. Mitchell; juniors Brian Carter, Michael Cromie and Keith Mitchell; sophomores Mookie DeMoss, Nicholas Reach, Sam Straka and Sepp Straka; and freshman Lee McCoy. Junior Joey Garber is sidelined following shoulder surgery.

"This is a nice change of pace in our season," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "Since it's spring break, we had some flexibility in our schedule, so I'm glad we were able to work this out. I also love the history that's attached to it. I think it's important that our guys know something about the men who came before them, so we've used this match as an opportunity to talk about that."

The Bulldogs will return to their regular-season schedule next Saturday and Sunday in the Linger Longer Invitational in Greensboro, Ga. Four of the Bulldogs' final five tournaments will take place in Georgia, including the NCAA Championship May 28-June 2 at the Capital City Club in Alpharetta.

Former Bulldogs Playing In Tampa Bay Championship

Harris English and his fellow former Bulldogs are in Florida for the Tampa Bay Championship.

The PGA TOUR stop this weekend is the Tampa Bay Championship at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Fla.

Former Bulldogs Harris English, Brian Harman, Erik Compton and Justin Bolli are in the field. In fact, Compton and Bolli are paired together for Thursday's first round.

Live results can be found here.

(Please continue to help us get the word out about the Web.com Tour's Stadion Classic at UGA April 29-May 5. Two current Bulldogs will get spots in the field and there should be several former Bulldogs playing that week as well.)   

Bulldogs Place 13th At Southern Highlands; Kisner Wins Web.com Event In Chile

T.J. Mitchell recorded a top-10 finish in the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters.

• The 10th-ranked Bulldogs placed 13th in the Southern Highlands Collegiate Classic on Sunday, finishing at 40-over 904. Team honors went to California at 856, the only squad with an under-par total for the weekend. Senior T.J. Mitchell placed seventh individually at 1-over 217. Sam Straka finished at 11-over 227, while Michael Cromie came in at 12-over 228, Nicholas Reach at 17-over 233 and Briant Carter at 21-over 237. Alabama's Cory Whitsett earned medalist honors with a figure of 6-under 210. The Bulldogs will return to action March 23-24 at the Linger Longer Invitational in Greensboro, Ga. Three of the Bulldogs' final four tournaments, including the NCAA Championships, will be held inside the state of Georgia.

• In Santiago, former Bulldog Kevin Kisner won the Web.com Tour's Chile Classic at Prince of Wales Country Club. Kisner finished at 21-under 267 and held off Edward Loar by one shot. Kisner's tournament included a third-round, 11-under 61. He posted an eagle and nine birdies during the Saturday loop that set the course record. “I don’t know why I won because I played so bad the last two weeks and missed the cut,” Kisner said. “It wasn’t terrible but my game wasn’t there and I wasn’t confident. This course just fit my eye really well. I knew when I played my first nine holes in the practice round that I’d have a chance here.” Kisner won for the second time on the Web.com Tour. He previously claimed the 2010 Mylan Classic in Pennsylvania. Richard Scott came in 26th at 12-under and Hudson Swafford was 40th at 10-under. Bryden Macpherson and Scott Parel missed the cut and Paul Claxton did not start.

• In Miami, Fla., Bubba Watson placed 18th in the PGA TOUR's Cadillac Championship at Doral. Watson checked in at 7-under, 12 shots behind Tiger Woods. Russell Henley came in 28th at 3-under.

• In Rio Grande, Justin Bolli led the Georgia contingent in the PGA TOUR's Puerto Rico Open. Bolli placed fourth at 18-under, just two shots behind Georgia native Scott Brown. Brian Harman was 18th at 13-under, followed by Erik Compton in 24th at 12-under and Brendon Todd in 30th at 11-under. Ryuji Imada missed the cut.

Bulldogs Facing Deep Field In Las Vegas

Sam Straka and the Bulldogs will be playing this weekend in Las Vegas.

The 10th-ranked Georgia men's golf team will resume the spring portion of its schedule this weekend in the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters in Las Vegas.

The Bulldogs will play Friday through Sunday at Southern Highlands Golf Club, a par-72, 7,510-yard layout.

Joining Georgia and host UNLV will be Alabama, California, Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Southern Cal, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M and UCLA.

"The only way to find out if you're improving is when you go against the best teams in the country," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "That's the best barometer to know if you're getting to that point, how close you are, what your weaknesses are and what you need to work on. We're excited to play against a really strong field. These are the teams we expect to see at the NCAAs. This tournament will be a good test for our guys."

The Bulldogs will use a lineup of senior T.J. Mitchell, juniors Michael Cromie and Brian Carter, and sophomores Nicholas Reach and Sam Straka. Reach has appeared in all five events this year, posting two top-10 finishes, while Mitchell has played in four.

Georgia last played Feb. 17-19 in the spring-opening Puerto Rico Classic. The Bulldogs came in fourth, with Cromie and Reach placing 16th in the individual race.

Live scoring and tee times for the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters can be found here.

Former Bulldogs Playing In Florida, Puerto Rico & Chile This Week

Hudson Swafford

Several former Georgia golfers will be in action this week in PGA and Web.com Tour events.

Bubba Watson and Russell Henley are playing in the Cadillac Championship at the TPC Blue Monster at Doral in Miami, Fla. The Golf Channel will show the Cadillac Championship Thursday and Friday from 2-6 p.m. The weekend coverage will be on NBC from 2-6 p.m. Saturday and 3-7 p.m. Sunday.

The PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open will be played today Thursday through Sunday at Trump International Golf Club in Rio Grande. Brian Harman, Ryuji Imada, Erik Compton, Brendon Todd and Justin Bolli are in the field. The Golf Channel will air highlights Thursday and Friday from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Saturday from 6:30-9:30 p.m. and Sunday from 7:30-10:30 p.m.

The Web.com Tour stop is the Chile Classic at the Prince of Wales Country Club in Santiago. Kevin Kisner, Hudson Swafford, Bryden Macpherson, Richard Scott, Paul Claxton, Scott Parel and Josh Broadaway are scheduled to participate.

(Please continue to help us get the word out about the Web.com Tour's Stadion Classic at UGA April 29-May 5. Two current Bulldogs will get spots in the field and there should be several former Bulldogs playing that week as well.)  

Bubba And The Golf Boys Are At It Again

Professional golfers Bubba Watson, Ben Crane, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan – otherwise known as the "Golf Boys" – are back with a new video in an effort to raise awareness about the world's clean water crisis.

The video, titled "2.Oh" and released online Monday, features the golfers rapping over a booming bass about adventures on the golf course, things that rhyme with their names and causing mayhem.

The lyrics and music were written by award-winning recording artist Mat Kearney, while Ty Andre produced the three-minute video featuring the golfers.

As with their first video, "Oh Oh Oh" from 2011, "2.Oh" sees a shirtless and shoeless Watson wearing blue overalls, Fowler donning a black leather jacket and matching leather pants, Crane in a red cycling skinsuit and Mahan wearing as much fur and animal print as possible.
Despite the silly nature of the video, the faux boy band and PGA golfers are using proceeds from the song to benefit nonprofit organization charity:water.

The song is available on iTunes, with 100 percent of the proceeds from sales of "2.Oh" donated to the charity.

"Imagine if you had no clean water. Imagine walking 5 hours (almost as long as it takes Ben to play a round of golf) to the nearest river to collect water for your family – water that's not even clean. Imagine giving that water to your kids," reads a statement on the Golf Boys' website. While this might seem unimaginable to us, it's a reality for 800 million people in developing countries. Every day, 5,000 kids die from water-related illnesses before they reach their fifth birthday. It doesn't have to be that way. There are simple solutions like drilled wells, spring protections and BioSand filters that help provide clean water to communities around the world."

Compton Breaks Into Top 10 For First Time

Erik Compton came in fourth in the PGA TOUR's Honda Classic on Sunday.

Erik Compton notched his first top-10 finish in a PGA TOUR event on Sunday.

Compton came in fourth, six strokes behind winner Michael Thompson, in the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Compton's previous best effort was 13th in the 2012 John Deere Classic.

Compton earned $226,200 -- a figure that would have been higher had he not bogeyed the final hole. But the 33-year-old, two-time heart transplant recipient was in a good mood when ESPN.com's golf writers caught up with him.

"I know I spent some money on 18 (and) I'm sure I'll hear that from my dad," Compton said. "I'm proud of the way I played regardless of the score. I played well enough to win this week. I just have to move forward. ... It's hard for me to get too sentimental about it, because I've turned the corner on my story and I really want to be one of the top 50 players in the world and I have the game to do it."

Russell Henley came in 13th at 1-under, while Chris Kirk was 51st at 7-over. Harris English and Brian Harman missed the cut.

In the Web.com Tour's Colombia Championship, Hudson Swafford came in 44th at 1-under and Paul Claxton was 49th at 2-over. Kevin Kisner, Richard Scott, Scott Parel and Bryden Macpherson missed the cut.

Next up will be the PGA TOUR's World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship and Puerto Rico Classic and the Web.com Tour's Chile Classic, all later this week.

(Please continue to help us get the word out about the Web.com Tour's Stadion Classic at UGA April 29-May 5. Two current Bulldogs will get spots in the field and there should be several former Bulldogs playing that week as well.) 

Henley, Harman Featured In Online Segments

Former Bulldogs Russell Henley and Brian Harman are featured in two segments online today.

Sports Illustrated's "Golf Plus" has a piece on Henley (pictured above) that can be found here.

(Speaking of Henley, help us get the word out about the Web.com Tour's Stadion Classic at UGA April 29-May 5. Henley, of course, won the tourney as an amateur in 2011. Two current Bulldogs will get spots in the field and there should be several former Bulldogs playing that week as well.)

And the PGA TOUR catches up with avid outdoorsman Harman and his family here.

Enjoy!