Reach and T.J. Mitchell Advance to Match Play at U.S. Amateur

Two Bulldogs have advanced to match play at The U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club.  Sophomore Nick Reach tied for 13th and Senior T.J. Mitchell tied for 51st after the two rounds of stroke play qualifying. 

T.J. Mitchell had to survive a morning playoff to gab a spot in the match play field of 64.  There were 17 players tied for 51st and Mitchell made it through the playoff thanks to a birdie on the first hole to grab the first of the 14 available spots.

Nick Reach, who shot a 36 hole total of 2 under par, will be seeded 13th for match play and face Patrick Duncan or Rancho Santa Fe, CA in the round of 64.

T.J. Mitchell, who had a 36 hole total of 2 over par, will be seeded 51st and face Taylor Gooch of Midwest City, OK in the first round.

Reach is on the top half of the match play bracket and Mitchell is on the bottom half, so they would not face each other until the final match should they advance that far.

Three current Bulldogs and one former Bulldog did not advance on to the field of 64.  Junior Joey Garber tied for 120th at 6 over par, junior Keith Mitchell tied for 162nd at 8 over par,  former Bulldog, Jack Larkin, tied for 222 at 11 over, and Sophomore Sepp Straka tied for 239th at 12 over par.

Live scoring of the matches involving Reach and Mitchell can be followed live at www.usga.org

Five Bulldogs To Tee It Up In U.S. Amateur

Five members of the Georgia men’s golf team will be in action this week in the 2012 U.S. Amateur in Aurora, Colo.

Senior T.J. Mitchell, juniors Joey Garber and Keith Mitchell, and sophomores Nicholas Reach and Sepp Straka will be a part of the 312-player field.

The participants will go through 18 holes of stroke play Monday and Tuesday, after which the field will be cut to the low 64 scores. Six rounds of match play will follow, with the champion being crowned in a 36-hole match on Sunday.

The U.S. Amateur will be played at the par-71, 7,409-yard Cherry Hills Country Club and the par-70, 7,378-yard CommonGround Golf Course.

On Monday, Reach will tee off at 9:40 a.m., T.J. Mitchell at 9:50 a.m., Garber at 10:20 a.m., Keith Mitchell at 2:35 p.m. and Straka at 2:55 p.m. Eastern.

“This is the biggest amateur event in the world, so we’re excited,” T.J. Mitchell said. “Playing this tournament before the school tournaments will be a great warm-up. We are looking forward to seeing how our games compare to all the other great players that will be there.”

“This is a great opportunity for our guys,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “We’re very proud of the five of them for making it to the U.S. Am. I know they will go out there and represent us well. To get someone to the winner’s circle would be icing on the cake.”
Live scoring can be followed at www.usga.org

Five Bulldogs Qualify for U.S. Amateur

Current members of the Men's Golf Team have had success in the qualifying rounds for the U.S. Amateur.  So far five Bulldogs have played their way into the USGA championship to be played August 13-19 at Cherry Hills Country Club in Colorado.

Four of the five Bulldogs were medalists at their respective sites.

Nick Reach was medalist at Blue Ridge Country Club in Harrisburg, PA with a 36 hole score of 135.

Sepp Straka was runner-up at Piedmont Driving Club with a 36 hole score of 133.

Keith Mitchell was medalist at Willow Creek Golf Club in Knoxville, TN with a 36 hole score of 136.

T.J. Mitchell was medalist at Saugahatchee Country Club in Opelika, AL with a 36 hole score of 133.

Joey Garber was medalist at Kirtland Country Club in Willoughby, OH with a 36 hole score of 139.