Bulldogs Opening Season In The Carmel Cup

The No. 25-ranked Georgia men’s golf team will open its 2017-18 season this week in The Carmel Cup in Pebble Beach, Calif.

The Bulldogs are slated to play 54 holes Friday through Sunday at Pebble Beach Golf Links. The course has been set up as a par-72 covering 6,828 yards. Georgia's players will tee off in 10-minute increments beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday.

The Bulldogs will use a lineup of senior Zach Healy, junior David Mackey, sophomores Will Chandler, Trevor Phillips and Spencer Ralston, and freshman Davis Thompson. Ralston has the lowest average among the returning players as he ranked second on the team a year ago at 71.56. The tournament format consists of six players with five counting (as opposed to the typical five players with four counting).

Joining the Bulldogs in The Carmel Cup will be Ohio State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, Arkansas and Oklahoma.  Georgia will be paired on Friday with Ohio State, TCU and Oklahoma State.

Georgia won The Carmel Cup in 2014 and finished second last season. Healy, Chandler and Ralston were in the lineup at Pebble Beach a year ago.

“It’s always exciting to get a new year under way,” said Coach Chris Haack, who is beginning his 22nd season. “The fall events give us a chance to knock off some rust and start learning our team’s identity. We’ve got some young guys in the lineup, so I’m looking forward to watching them compete and develop. It also doesn’t hurt that we’re opening at one of the most iconic and famous facilities in golf. Pebble Beach will definitely provide a real test.”

Haack's squad will have five fall tournaments. After The Carmel Cup, the Bulldogs will play in the Golfweek Challenge Sept. 17-19 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; the Nike Invitational Oct. 1-3 in Portland, Ore.; the Crooked Stick Intercollegiate Oct. 16-17 in Carmel, Ind.; and the Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic Nov. 3-5 in Maui, Hawaii.​

• Bubba Watson, Brian Harman, Hudson Swafford, Kevin Kisner, Russell Henley and Chris Kirk will continue the FedExCup Playoffs this week in the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston.

• Scott Parel will be in action in the Shaw Charity Classic at Canyon Meadows on the Champions Tour.

• Keith Mitchell and Sepp Straka are playing in the Web.com Tour's Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship at Ohio State's Scarlet Course.

• On the Mackenzie Tour, Lee McCoy and Greyson Sigg are playing in the Cape Breton Open in Nova Scotia.

Seven Bulldogs Begin FedExCup Playoffs

• The FedExCup Playoffs begin Thursday with THE NORTHERN TRUST. The Bulldogs in the playoffs include Kevin Kisner, Russell Henley, Bubba Watson, Harris English, Hudson Swafford, Brian Harman and Chris Kirk.

• Scott Parel will be in action in the Champions Tour's Boeing Classic in Washington.

• The Web.com Tour stop this week is the WinCo Foods Portland Open, featuring Erik Compton, Sepp Straka and Keith Mitchell.

• Georgia football letterman Billy Payne retired Wednesday as chairman of Augusta National and the Masters Tournament. Payne, 69, took on the role in 2006 and presided over 11 Masters. Said Payne, "The privilege I experienced serving as Chairman of Augusta National and the Masters was far greater than I could have ever imagined. Just as nothing can prepare you for the unique responsibilities and important decisions that come with this position, it is equally impossible to anticipate the many joys and, most importantly, the wonderful friendships that are the ultimate reward of service."

• Important upcoming dates: The Lettermen Tournament will be held Sept. 22, followed by the
Bulldog Open on Oct. 13. Mail-outs are on the way, but for more information, contact Denise at dsaliba@sports.uga.edu.

• The Bulldogs will open the 2017-18 season Sept. 1-3 in The Carmel Cup in California.

News and Notes About The Bulldogs

• Harris English and Kevin Kisner are playing in the Wyndham Championship this week in North Carolina.

• Scott Parel will be in action in the Champions Tour's DICK'S Sporting Goods Open in New York.

• Keith Mitchell, Sepp Straka, Erik Compton and Joey Garber are in the field for the Web.com Tour's News Sentinel Open in Tennessee.

• The Mackenzie Tour stop is the National Capital Open To Support Our Troops and features Lee McCoy and Greyson Sigg.

• Important upcoming dates: The Lettermen Tournament will be held Sept. 22, followed by the
Bulldog Open on Oct. 13. Mail-outs are on the way, but for more information, contact Denise at dsaliba@sports.uga.edu.

• The Bulldogs will open the 2017-18 season Sept. 1-3 in The Carmel Cup in California.

• At age 49, Paul Claxton won the Georgia Open title earlier this month. Claxton, who will compete later this year at Champions Tour Q-School, posted a 4-shot win at Savannah’s Ford Plantation, finishing at 13-under 275.

• Matthew Beringer has been pretty popular around Athens recently. Read all about it in the Athens and Atlanta newspapers.

Seven Bulldogs To Play For PGA Championship

Seven Georgia Bulldogs will compete in the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C., this week.

Paul Claxton (1988-91), Brian Harman (2006-09), Russell Henley (2008-11), Chris Kirk (2004-07), Kevin Kisner (2003-06), Hudson Swafford (2007-09, 2011) and Bubba Watson (2000-01) will be representing Georgia in the field. Georgia and Texas each have seven alums in the field.

The 49-year-old Claxton will be making first appearance in the PGA Championship after qualifying via a top-5 finish in the PGA Professional Championship. Since capping his career on the PGA and Web.com Tours, Claxton has been working as the club professional at Hawk's Point Golf Club in his hometown of Vidalia. Said Claxton, "I'm looking forward to the PGA Championship. That was my goal coming out (to the PPC), so I'm very pleased that I was able to do that. I've never played in one, so I'm looking forward to it."

The PGA Championship can be viewed from 1-7 p.m. Thursday and Friday on TNT,  11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on TNT, and 2-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on CBS.

Tee Times for Thursday and Friday
8:15 a.m./1:25 p.m.: Bubba Watson
8:50 a.m./2:00 p.m.: Hudson Swafford
12:50 p.m./7:40 a.m.: Paul Claxton, Russell Henley
1:40 p.m./8:30 a.m.: Brian Harman
1:45 p.m./8:35 a.m.: Chris Kirk
1:55 p.m./8:45 a.m.: Kevin Kisner

• Here's a nice piece on Harman produced by our friends at PGATour.com.

• Sepp Straka and Erik Compton will be in action in the Web.com Tour's Price Cutter Championship.

• Lee McCoy and Greyson Sigg are playing in the Mackenzie Tour's ATB Financial Classic.

• Important upcoming dates: The Lettermen Tournament will be held Sept. 22, followed by the
Bulldog Open on Oct. 13. Mail-outs are on the way, but for more information, contact Denise at dsaliba@sports.uga.edu.

• The Bulldogs will open the 2017-18 season Sept. 1-3 in The Carmel Cup in California. A complete schedule will be announced soon.

• One last reminder that Coach Chris Haack will be speaking at the The Georgia Bulldog Club's Dawg Days event in Columbus on Thursday. The event will be held at the Convention and Trade Center with a reception at 5 p.m. followed by a program at 6 p.m. Scott Howard, the radio voice of the Bulldogs, will emcee the program and panelists will include Haack, men’s basketball coach Mark Fox, Mike Cavan, special assistant to the head football coach, and women’s basketball coach Joni Taylor. The event will be open to the public and will focus on allowing current Bulldog Club members the chance to interact with UGA staff members and educate UGA fans who are not involved on how to support UGA Athletics.

News & Notes About The Bulldogs

• Congratulations to Jaime Lopez Rivarola (pictured at right) on being chosen as a Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar for the second straight season. Lopez Rivarola graduated in May.

• Congrats to Spencer Ralston and John Hilliard Catanzaro on qualifying for the United States Amateur, which will be held Aug. 14-20 at Riviera Country Club in California. Ralston is a rising sophomore, while Catanzaro is an incoming freshman.

• Kevin Kisner, Brian Harman, Bubba Watson, Hudson Swafford and Russell Henley will be playing in the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, while Brendon Todd, Chris Kirk and Harris English will be in action in the Barracuda Championship.

• Erik Compton, Keith Mitchell and Sepp Straka are playing in the Web.com Tour's Ellie Mace Classic at TPC Stonebrae.

• The Mackenzie Tour stop this week is the Syncrude Oil Country Championship, which will feature Greyson Sigg and Lee McCoy.

• Important upcoming dates: The Lettermen Tournament will be held Sept. 22, followed by the
Bulldog Open on Oct. 13. Mail-outs are on the way, but for more information, contact Denise at dsaliba@sports.uga.edu.

• The Bulldogs will open the 2017-18 season Sept. 1-3 in The Carmel Cup in California. A complete schedule will be announced soon.

• Coach Chris Haack will be speaking at the The Georgia Bulldog Club's Dawg Days event in Columbus on Thursday, Aug. 10. The event will be held at the Convention and Trade Center with a reception at 5 p.m. followed by a program at 6 p.m. Scott Howard, the radio voice of the Bulldogs, will emcee the program and panelists will include Haack, men’s basketball coach Mark Fox, Mike Cavan, special assistant to the head football coach, and women’s basketball coach Joni Taylor. The events will be open to the public and focus on allowing current Bulldog Club members the chance to interact with UGA staff members and educate UGA fans who are not involved on how to support UGA Athletics.