Bulldogs Come In Fourth At Brickyard Championship

Macpherson tied for 12th at The Brickyard Collegiate

The 16th-ranked Georgia men’s golf team fired the lowest score of the third round to close out its showing in the Brickyard Collegiate Championship on Sunday.

At Riverside at the Brickyard, the Bulldogs shot a 7-under 281, which was Sunday’s lowest loop and was the second-lowest round of the three-day event. Georgia wound up in fourth at 8-over 872, with team honors going to Georgia Tech at 16-under 848.

“I was proud of the way the guys hung in there,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “With a young team, every day is so critical to the process. We know we’re going to make some mistakes along the way, but we’re learning and getting valuable experience every time we tee it up. This was definitely a positive day for us, and it’s one that we can build on.”

Junior Bryden Macpherson paced the Bulldogs on Sunday with a 3-under 69. Freshman Sepp Straka signed for a 2-under 70, while junior T.J. Mitchell and freshman Nicholas Reach each carded a 1-under 71. Sophomore Brian Carter had the Bulldogs’ non-counting score of 6-over 78.

Macpherson finished 12th individually --- his third top-20 in as many outings this season --- at 1-over 217. Medalist honors went to Florida State’s Brooke Koepka at 11-under 205. Carter placed 20th at 3-over 219, followed by Reach at 5-over 221, Straka at 7-over 223 and Mitchell at 8-over 224.

Playing as individuals, sophomore Michael Cromie shot a 2-over 74 on Sunday to finish at 6-over 222 and freshman Sam Straka carded a 2-under 70 for a final tally of 11-over 227.

Georgia will conclude its fall schedule Oct. 23-25 at the Old Dominion/Outerbanks Collegiate in Powells Point, N.C.

Bulldogs Ready to Defend Title at Brickyard Collegiate

The 16th-ranked Georgia men’s golf team will continue the fall portion of its schedule by playing in the Fifth Annual Brickyard Collegiate Championship this weekend.

The Bulldogs will compete Friday through Sunday at The Brickyard at Riverside trying to continue the success they have enjoyed in Macon. Georgia claimed the 2007, 2008 and 2010 team titles and boasted individual medalists in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

“The Brickyard has been kind to us through the years,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “We’ve got a lot of pleasant memories from this tournament. We’re bringing a new group in this year, but they know about our history at the Brickyard, and they would love nothing more than to keep it going for us.

“This is a great tournament, and it’s one that we’ll keep on our schedule as long as they have it. They do a terrific job with every part of it, and our guys really enjoy going down there.”

The Bulldogs will use a lineup of juniors Bryden Macpherson and T.J. Mitchell, sophomore Brian Carter, and freshmen Nicholas Reach and Sepp Straka. Macpherson leads the Bulldogs and is second in the SEC with a 69.5 scoring average, followed by Reach, who is ninth in the SEC, at 71.86. Georgia also will enter sophomore Michael Cromie and freshman Sam Straka as individuals, meaning their scores cannot count toward the team total.

Joining the Bulldogs and tournament host Mercer at the Brickyard will be Air Force, Augusta State, Chattanooga, Charleston, Colorado State, No. 18 Florida State, No. 5 Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Mississippi, North Florida, Oklahoma, Texas-Arlington and Virginia Tech. Oklahoma is coached by former Georgia player and assistant coach Ryan Hybl.

The Bulldogs will tee off at 8:30 a.m. on Friday with their counterparts from Georgia Tech and Augusta State. Tee times and live scoring can be found at golfstat.com. Additional information can be found at brickyardcollegiate.org.