Bulldogs Come In 11th At NCAAs

The Georgia men's golf team fired its best round of the NCAA Championships on Monday, yet fell short of one of the top eight spots needed to advance to match play.

The Bulldogs carded a 3-under-par 277 in the third round, which began on Sunday evening and was completed Monday morning. That gave Georgia a 3-round total of 10-over 850 and an 11th-place finish.

After completing the third round, Georgia watched as the teams standing first through 15th navigated the Prairie Dunes Country Club. At one point about halfway through the round, the Bulldogs had gotten to within two strokes of the coveted eighth spot. But when the round was over, Georgia missed out by five shots.

"Things definitely got interesting there for awhile," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "We needed a great round today, but we only got a good one. This just reinforces how valuable every shot is in this tournament. At least we came out and played better today, so that leaves a little better taste in our mouths. But at the same time, you come out here to win. You don't come out here for moral victories. We've just got to get better."

Due to inclement weather on Friday, Georgia was forced to play 36 holes on Saturday. The Bulldogs put up rounds of 6-over 286 and 7-over 287. 

"We did not have a good start in this tournament and it got us," Haack said. "We didn't play great the first round and it just kind of carried over to the second round."

Sophomore Lee McCoy paced the Bulldogs in the third round as he fired a 3-under 67. Senior Keith Mitchell followed at 2-under 68, while seniors Michael Cromie and Joey Garber closed at 1-over 71. Freshman Greyson Sigg had the Bulldogs' non-counting score of 9-over 79.

Garber was the low Bulldog for the tournament, coming in at 3-over 213. McCoy wound up at 4-over 214, followed by Cromie and Mitchell at 6-over 216, and Sigg at 12-over 222.

Garber wound up with a scoring average of 70.69 this season, eclipsing the school record of 70.90 set by Chris Kirk in 2006. Garber finished the year with a win, six top-10s and nine top-20s.

Bulldogs Focused On Another NCAA Title

The Georgia men's golf team will begin its quest for the program's third national title this week in the NCAA Championships at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas. The national tournament is slated for Friday through Wednesday with an adjusted format in place. Team stroke play will take place Friday through Sunday, with the top eight squads after 54 holes qualifying for match play. On Monday, the top 40 individuals plus ties will complete the 72-hole tournament to determine national medalist honors. The match play quarterfinals and semifinals are slated for Tuesday and the championship match is scheduled for Wednesday. "I think we can expect an exciting tournament," Coach Chris Haack said. "All the teams have talent and the ones at the top are especially deep. The player who claims medalist honors and the team that survives stroke play and match play definitely will have earned it. We've got a shot to be successful, but we know we have to be at our best in every round." The Bulldogs, who are seeded sixth and are ranked No. 3 by Golfweek and No. 6 by Golfstat and Golf World, will tee off on Friday in 10-minute increments between 1:40 and 2:20 p.m. and on Saturday between 8:20 and 9:00 a.m. Georgia will be paired with fourth-seeded Georgia Tech and fifth-seeded California in the first two rounds. Sunday's pairings will be determined by the 36-hole results. The Bulldogs will use a lineup of seniors Michael Cromie, Joey Garber and Keith Mitchell, sophomore Lee McCoy, and freshman Greyson Sigg. Garber leads the Bulldogs with a 70.66 scoring average, followed by McCoy at 71.34, Cromie at 71.97, Sigg at 72.96 and Mitchell at 73.00. Garber, McCoy and Cromie all have individual victories this season. The Golf Channel will air live coverage from Monday's medalist finale as well as the semifinal match play pairings on Tuesday and the championship final Wednesday. In addition, the Golf Channel will be onsite beginning on Sunday to provide coverage on Golf Central, Morning Drive and GolfChannel.com. Live scoring and tee times for the NCAAs also can be found at Golfstat.com and NCAA.com.

Todd Earns First PGA TOUR Victory

Brendon Todd was all smiles on Sunday after winning the Byron Nelson Championship. 

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Brendon Todd was shocked when he saw his ball settled at the base of a tree by the 13th green in the final round of the Byron Nelson Championship.

As good as he is with his short game, it wasn't natural for the slender 6-foot-3 Todd to set up left-handed and hit the ball with the back side of a 4-iron.

"Definitely, without a doubt," Todd said when asked if it was his most unique shot in a competitive round.

And it came in his first PGA Tour victory, a two-stroke win Sunday over Mike Weir.

Todd saved par at the 185-yard 13th hole after knocking the ball to 7 feet, part of a bogey-free 4-under 66. He finished at 14-under 266.

It was the 77th career PGA Tour event for Todd, who twice in the past five years had to go back to back to the Web.com Tour to regain full playing privileges. He earned $1,242,000, a PGA Tour exemption through the 2015-16 season and a spot next year in the Masters.

"I'm excited about the relief like I finally have a chance to play the PGA Tour for multiple years," Todd said. "No. 1, going to Augusta for the Masters is a dream come true."

Todd, who took the lead for good with birdies at Nos. 9 and 10, is the fifth former University of Georgia player to win on the PGA Tour this season. He joined Masters champion Bubba Watson, Harris English, Russell Henley and Chris Kirk. Todd also is the eighth first-time winner this season.

Weir, the 2003 Masters champion who won the last of his eight PGA Tour titles in 2007, finished with a 67. Charles Howell III and Marc Leishman tied for third at 10 under.

After Todd hit his tee shot at the 195-yard second into a greenside bunker, his shot from the sand landed on the green and rolled in for a birdie. When he knocked in a 14-foot birdie putt at the 181-yard fifth, he tied Weir — who made a bogey on No. 6 — for the lead at 12 under.

Weir had his best tournament since finishing second behind Dustin Johnson at Pebble Beach in 2009. The 44-year-old Canadian left-hander hadn't had a top-25 finish since 2010, the same year he suffered a partial ligament tear in his right elbow before a stretch when he missed 17 cuts in a row — including all 14 tournaments he started in 2012.

"Best golf I played in a long time. I was happy with the way I played," Weir said. " I was definitely determined to try to win today, but I can feel good about the way I handled things out there."

Howell shot a 67 with a three-putt bogey on the final hole, while Leishman had three bogeys in a five-hole stretch on the back nine for a 68.

Weir had birdies on four of the first five holes. He was 13 under and ahead of Todd by two strokes when his tee shot at No. 5 settled 1½ feet from the cup. That came after Weir blindly hit out of a fairway bunker to 3 feet at No. 4.

But Weir missed the fairway and green for a bogey at the 431-yard sixth hole. At the same time Todd, who played the last 31 holes at TPC Four Seasons without a bogey, was tapping in at the fifth.

Todd rolled in a 17-foot par-saver at No. 17, keeping a two-stroke lead going to the final hole. He needed only 99 putts in the four rounds.

"It was a dream week for me on the golf course," Todd said. "Felt like I absolutely scored my pants off. It was just a short game display. I have a great short game, and even I'll say it was special this week."

Bulldogs Win San Antonio Regional, Qualify For NCAA Championships

The Bulldogs won the San Antonio Regional on Saturday at Briggs Ranch.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas --- The Georgia men's golf team qualified for the NCAA Championships on Saturday by winning the San Antonio Regional at Briggs Ranch Golf Club.

The NCAAs will be held May 23-28 at Prairie Dunes Golf Club in Hutchinson, Kansas.

"I am so proud of our guys," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "They came into this tournament knowing what was at stake, and they were focused every round. Our goal all year has been to play for the national championship, and now we have that chance. We're looking forward to getting to Prairie Dunes."

The top-seeded and third-ranked Bulldogs were the only team under par on Saturday as they recorded a final-round 1-under 287. Georgia had a 3-day total of 11-under 853 to post a 13-shot decision over Georgia State.

Sophomore Lee McCoy led the Bulldogs on Saturday with his second straight loop of 4-under 68. Senior Michael Cromie signed for an even-par 72, while freshman Greyson Sigg had a 1-over 73 and senior Joey Garber notched a 2-over 74. Senior Keith Mitchell had the Bulldogs' non-counting score of 6-over 78.

McCoy came in second individually at 9-under 207, just one shot shy of TCU's Julien Brun. Sigg wound up ninth at 1-under 215, and Cromie and Garber were 17th at 1-over 217. Mitchell finished at 9-over 225.

The win is Georgia's fourth of the season. The Bulldogs previously won the  Dick's Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup in September, the Linger Longer Invitational in March and the Met Intercollegiate in April. 

Georgia advanced to the NCAAs for the 19th time in 25 years since the regionals was adopted. Under Haack, the Bulldogs have made it to the NCAAs 16 of 18 seasons. He led Georgia to the 1999 and 2005 national titles and to runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2011.

The field for the NCAAs will consist of No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Georgia Tech, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Stanford, No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 6 California, No. 8 Illinois, No. 9 Washington, No. 10 Houston, No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 13 Texas, No. 14 Virginia Tech, No. 15 Vanderbilt, No. 16 UAB, No. 17 LSU, No. 18 UCLA, No. 19 Oklahoma, No. 20 South Carolina, No. 21 Auburn, No. 23 Arkansas, No. 24 Florida State, No. 25 Southern California, No. 31 SMU, No. 33 Kentucky, No. 39 Kennesaw State, No. 43 Iowa State, No. 44 Oregon, No. 45 Missouri, No. 46 Georgia State and No. 51 Purdue.

Friday through Sunday will feature team stroke play, with the top eight teams after 54 holes qualifying for match play. On Monday, the top 44 individuals plus ties will complete the 72-hole tournament to determine national medalist honors. Two rounds of match play are slated for Tuesday and the championship match will take place on Wednesday.

Bulldogs Open Regional In First Place

SAN ANTONIO, Texas --- The Georgia men's golf team stands first after the opening day of competition in the NCAA San Antonio Regional.

On Thursday, the top-seeded and third-ranked Bulldogs fired a 7-under-par 281 on Briggs Ranch Golf Course's par-72, 7,247-yard layout. Georgia holds a 4-shot lead over College of Charleston, which opened with a 3-under 285. Central Florida and SMU are tied for third at even-par 288.

The Bulldogs need a top-5 finish in the San Antonio Regional to advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held May 23-28 at Prairie Dunes Golf Club in Hutchinson, Kansas.

Freshman Greyson Sigg paced the Bulldogs on Thursday as he fired a 4-under 68. Senior Michael Cromie followed at 2-under 70, while sophomore Lee McCoy signed for a 1-under 71 and senior Joey Garber posted an even-par 72. Senior Keith Mitchell had the Bulldogs' non-counting score of 3-over 75.

Sigg stands third individually, one shot behind SMU's Bryson Dechambeau and TCU's Julien Brun. Cromie is sixth, while McCoy is 11th and Garber is 15th.

"It's hard to find much to complain about on this round," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "We got off to a good start on the front nine (5-under among the counting four golfers) and were steady for the most part coming in. The main thing was we had a solid first day in a tournament that pretty much demands that. We've just got to keep it going for a couple more days."

The San Antonio Regional will continue on Friday and will conclude on Saturday. The Bulldogs will tee off Friday in 10-minute increments between 10:10 and 10:50 a.m. with their counterparts from Charleston and Central Florida. Live results can be found at Golfstat.com. 

Bulldogs Focused On San Antonio Regional

LeeMcCoy and his Georgia teammates are the top seeds for the San Antonio Regional.

The Georgia Bulldogs have won three tournaments this season, taken second in another, and placed third in three others. All told, the Bulldogs have finished no worse than sixth in any event this year. One poll has the Bulldogs ranked No. 3 and two more have them No. 6.

But when it comes to getting a berth in the NCAA Championships, none of that matters. The only way to advance to the NCAAs is to post a top-5 finish in the San Antonio Regional, which begins on Thursday at the Briggs Ranch Golf Club.

"I say this every year, but's it true: This can be the most nerve-racking tournament we have," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "Everyone has a goal of playing for a national championship and you play hard all season to get better and put yourself in that position. But unless you play well this week, all of that sort of goes by the wayside. And while we all know that, we're going in loose and relaxed and focused on getting some early momentum and trying to win this thing."

History is on Georgia's side.

The Bulldogs will be competing in a regional for the 25th time in 26 years since the format was introduced for the 1989 season. In the previous 24 years, Georgia has advanced to the NCAAs 18 times. The Bulldogs have been invited to a regional in all 18 of Haack's seasons and have moved onto the NCAAs in 15 of the previous 17 campaigns. Haack led the Bulldogs to the 1999 and 2005 national titles and to runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2011.

The top five teams from each of the six regionals will make up the field for the NCAAs May 23-28 at Prairie Dunes Golf Club in Hutchinson, Kansas. The other regionals will be held this week at Auburn University Club in Auburn, Ala.; The Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia, Mo.; Lonnie Poole Golf Course in Raleigh, N.C.; Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.; and Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore.

Joining the top-seeded Bulldogs in San Antonio will be No. 7 Central Florida, No. 18 UCLA, No. 19 Vanderbilt, South Florida, SMU, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, TCU, Northwestern, College of Charleston, Virginia Commonwealth and Columbia. SMU (American Athletic), Georgia Southern (Southern), Georgia State (Sun Belt), College of Charleston (Colonial), Virginia Commonwealth (Atlantic 10) and Columbia (Ivy) were invited after claiming conference championships.

"All of the regionals are tough," Haack said. "No matter where you go, you know you're going to get a pretty good challenge. There are plenty of good teams in our regional. We know we've got to go in and take care of business."

The Bulldogs will use a lineup of seniors Michael Cromie, Joey Garber and Keith Mitchell, sophomore Lee McCoy and freshman Greyson Sigg. Georgia's players will tee off in 10-minute increments between 9 and 9:40 a.m. on Thursday with their counterparts from Central Florida and UCLA. Live results and tee times can be found here.

• Our friends from Golfweek have weighed in on the regional. Their thoughts can be found here.

• Coach Chris Haack is profiled in Sports Illustrated and Golf.com. Check out that piece here.

Four Bulldogs Earn Southeastern Conference Golf Honors

Russell Henley blasts out of the sand during THE PLAYERS Championship.

Senior golfers Michael Cromie and Joey Garber were named First-Team All-Southeastern Conference in voting by the league's coaches. Sophomore Lee McCoy earned Second-Team All-SEC honors, while freshman Greyson Sigg was chosen for the SEC All-Freshman Team and senior Keith Mitchell was named to the SEC Community Service Team.

Cromie, a native of Cary, N.C., has appeared in every tournament this season and has a scoring average of 71.93. He was low medalist at the Linger Longer Invitational, setting career bests for round (5-under) and tournament (9-under). Cromie has six top-10s this season after entering his senior season with just one.

Garber, a native of Petoskey, Mich., leads the Bulldogs and is third in the SEC with a 70.46 scoring average. He won the The Invitational at The Ocean Course, highlighted by a 6-under 66 that set his personal best for a round and matched the tournament record. Following that event, he earned National Player of the Week honors by Golfweek. Garber is enjoying one of the best seasons in Georgia history with six top-10s and eight top-20s in nine stroke-play events.

McCoy, a native of Clarkesville, Ga., ranks second on the team with a scoring average of 71.59. He has appeared in every event this year. McCoy won the Met Intercollegiate for his first collegiate victory, setting his career best and the tournament record for a round with an opening 7-under. He has three additional top-5 finishes and a total of seven top-20s.

Sigg, a native of Augusta, Ga., has appeared in eight stroke-play tournaments this year, including all five this spring. He holds a 73.13 scoring average and has recorded three top-10s, led by sixth-place efforts in the Puerto Rico Classic and the Met Intercollegiate. In Puerto Rico, he fired a final-round 4-under 68 to establish his career-best loop.

Mitchell, a native of Chattanooga, Tenn., was named to the SEC Community Service Team for the second time in his career. He has volunteered at various youth golf clinics and camps, helped collect apparel and sports equipment for the Boys and Girls Club of Athens in the Gear for Greatness program, worked in the SEC Together We CAN food drive, assisted with providing donations for the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, collected toys for the Toys for Tots program, wrote and mailed Christmas cards to deployed soldiers, participated in the Soles4Souls shoe drive and helped with the Relay for Life.

The Bulldogs will play Thursday through Saturday in the San Antonio Regional at Briggs Ranch Golf Club. The top five teams from each of the six national regionals will make up the field for the NCAA Championship May 23-28 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas.

• The PGA TOUR stop this week is the HP Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas. Slated to participate are Erik Compton, Harris English, Brian Harman, Ryuji Imada, Kevin Kisner, Hudson Swafford and Brendon Todd.

• At THE PLAYERS Championship last weekend, Chris Kirk led the Bulldogs as he was 13th at 7-under. Russell Henley came in 17th at 6-under, followed by Compton in 34th at 3-under and Bubba Watson in 48th at 1-under. Harman and English missed the cut.

• The Golf Channel has been following Watson for an upcoming special on him. Here is a sneak peek.

• In the latest FedExCup Standings, Watson is second, English is seventh and Kirk is eighth.

• The Web.com Tour's event this week is the BMW Charity Pro-Am in Greer, S.C. Justin Bolli, Paul Claxton and Scott Parel are in the field.

• Chip Beck is an alternate for the Regions Tradition in Shoal Creek, Ala., this week. 

Bulldogs Are Top-Seeded Team In San Antonio Regional

The Georgia men's golf team was chosen on Monday as the No. 1 seed for the NCAA San Antonio Regional at the Briggs Ranch Golf Club in Texas.

All six of the national regionals will be held May 15-17. The top five teams from each regional will advance to the NCAA Championship May 23-28 at Prairie Dunes Golf Club in Hutchinson, Kansas.

Joining the sixth-ranked Bulldogs in San Antonio will be No. 7 Central Florida, No. 18 UCLA, No. 19 Vanderbilt, South Florida, SMU, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, TCU, Northwestern, College of Charleston, Virginia Commonwealth and Columbia. SMU (American Athletic), Georgia Southern (Southern), Georgia State (Sun Belt), College of Charleston (Colonial), Virginia Commonwealth (Atlantic 10) and Columbia (Ivy) were invited after claiming conference championships.

"We're excited about the opportunity to play in the San Antonio Regional," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "We all know what's at stake in this tournament, so our complete focus the next few days will be working on the little things and making sure that we are completely prepared. It's a deep field, so we'll have to really play well to be one of the five teams moving on."

The other top seeds are No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Oklahoma State, No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 California and No. 5 Georgia Tech. Eighty-one teams and 45 individuals not on those squads were invited to regionals on Monday. The other regionals will be held at Auburn University Club in Auburn, Ala.; The Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia, Mo.; Lonnie Poole Golf Course in Raleigh, N.C.; Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.; and Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore.

The Bulldogs were invited to an NCAA Regional for the 25th time in 26 years since the format was introduced for the 1989 season. In the previous 24 years, Georgia has advanced to the NCAAs 18 times. The Bulldogs have been invited to an NCAA Regional in all 18 of Haack's seasons and have moved onto the NCAAs in 15 of the previous 17 campaigns. Haack led the Bulldogs to the 1999 and 2005 national titles and to runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2011.

• In case you missed it, GTV did a nice piece recently that we would like to share. Georgia's Branson Davis played in the 2013 Patriot All-America in Arizona last December. Each golfer was presented a golf bag inscribed with the name of a fallen military member. The name on Davis' bag was that of Army Specialist Evan Marshall of Athens. Marshall was killed in Iraq in 2008 on his second tour of duty. His family now lives in Watkinsville and was presented the bag by Davis and his Georgia teammates in a ceremony recently at the Boyd Center. You can see the story here.

• At the Wells Fargo Championship, Kevin Kisner was the top Bulldog as he came in sixth at 9-under. Chris Kirk placed 30th at 3-under and Brian Harman was 65th at 4-over. Brendon Todd, Hudson Swafford and Russell Henley missed the cut.

• THE PLAYERS Championship -- the unofficial fifth major -- will be held this week at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Fla. Scheduled to participate are Erik Compton, Harris English, Harman, Henley, Kirk and Bubba Watson. Todd is listed as an alternate.

• Watson held a press conference at THE PLAYERS on Tuesday. You can read and view some of his comments here. 

• Ryuji Imada finished at 3-under to place 39th in the Web.com Tour's South Georgia Classic. Justin Bolli and Scott Parel missed the cut.

• Vinny Giles captained the United States to a 21.5-14.5 victory over Great Britain in the inaugural Concession Cup in Bradenton, Fla. The Concession Cup featured leading Mid-Amateurs (25-54), Senior Amateurs (55 and older) and Super Senior Amateurs (65 and older). Giles not only served as captain, but he went 1-1-1 in the foursome, fourball and singles competitions. His win came with George Zahringer in fourball as they posted a 5&4 decision.