Bulldogs Finish Fourth at SEC Championship

The 25th-ranked Georgia men's golf team finished in fourth place at the SEC Championship on Sunday.

Playing Sea Island Golf Club's Seaside Course, the Bulldogs fired a 13-over 293 in the final round to wind up at 10-over 850. Team honors went to Alabama, which posted a final tally of 12-under 828.

Sophomore Keith Mitchell paced the Bulldogs on Sunday with a 1-over 71. Junior T.J. Mitchell signed for a 3-over 73, followed by sophomores Brian Carter and Joey Garber at 3-over 73 and 5-over 75, respectively. Freshman Nicholas Reach had the Bulldogs' non-counting score of 7-over 77.

Keith Mitchell came in 10th in the individual race, posting an even-par 210. Medalist honors went to Alabama's Justin Thomas at 7-under 203. Carter placed 13th at 2-over 212, while T.J. Mitchell was 15th at 3-over 213. Reach and Garber wound up at 7-over 217 and 14-over 224, respectively.

"I thought we got off to a good start today, but we couldn't keep the momentum going," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "Maybe youth finally caught up with us a little. But we'll learn from it and get better. We were in the hunt and we had a chance to place with a little pressure, so now we know what it takes, that you've got to keep playing and you can't expect these guys to give it to you. There were some good things, and we'll build on them."

Georgia will return to action May 17-19 when it hosts an NCAA Regional at the UGA Golf Course. In order to advance to the NCAA Championships May 29-June 3 in Pacific Palisades, Calif., the Bulldogs must finish in the top five at the regional.

Bulldogs Remain Second At SEC Championship

The 25th-ranked Georgia men's golf team remained in second place at the SEC Championship on Saturday yet saw its gap with the first-place team widen.

On Sea Island Golf Club's Seaside Course, the Bulldogs fired a 4-over-par 284 in the second round to move to 3-under 557 for the tournament. Alabama, on the strength of a 6-under 274, extended its lead over Georgia from one stroke to 11. Auburn is tied with the Bulldogs at 3-under 557.

Sophomore Brian Carter and freshman Nicholas Reach paced the Bulldogs in the second round as each signed for an even-par 70. Sophomore Keith Mitchell followed at 1-over 71, while junior T.J. Mitchell posted a 3-over 73. Sophomore Joey Garber had the Bulldogs' non-counting score of 6-over 76.

Carter is seventh individually at 2-under 138, four shots behind Alabama's Bobby Wyatt and Tennessee's Rick Lamb (134). Keith Mitchell is eighth at 1-under 139, followed by Reach and T.J. Mitchell in 13th at even-par 140 and Garber in 46th at 9-over 149.

"We didn't play as well as we did (Friday)," Carter said. "The conditions were playing a little tougher today. On a difficult course like this, you've got to have patience. Four-over's not awful out here today, but it's a good learning experience for us."

"The golf course played a little tougher and the pins were a little tougher," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "But I think all the guys played OK based on the scores. You have to give Alabama a lot of credit because they're playing extremely well. We know we have the ability to put up a good score down here, and that's going to be our goal on Sunday."

The final round of the SEC Championship will be played Sunday. Live scoring and tee times can be found at golfstat.com and secsports.com.

The weather forecast is for rain and thunderstorms overnight Saturday and throughout much of Sunday. Said Carter, "Tomorrow could be a grind-it-out kind of day. We'll put the layers on and tough it out and see how deep we can go."

Young Bulldogs Set Sights On SEC Championship

SEC Championship Notes 

A Georgia men's golf team that looks nothing like it did a year ago will join its league brethren this weekend for the Southeastern Conference Championship at Sea Island Golf Club on St. Simons Island.
The 25th-ranked Bulldogs and the other 11 teams will compete Friday through Sunday on the par-70, 6,898-yard layout on the Seaside Course.

Georgia has been a dominant force at the SECs, winning a league-best 28 conference titles. Under Coach Chris Haack, the Bulldogs have secured seven SEC titles, including five of the 11 tournaments held at Sea Island.

But this year, Haack will be rolling out perhaps his most inexperienced squad ever. Junior T.J. Mitchell is the only Bulldog who has made the trek around Sea Island -- and he did so with the victorious Bulldogs in 2010. Sophomores Brian Carter, Joey Garber and Keith Mitchell and freshman Nicholas Reach all will be making their postseason debuts for Georgia.  A year ago, the SECs lineup included All-Americans Harris English, Russell Henley, Bryden Macpherson and Hudson Swafford -- all of whom are now playing professionally.

"We know the guys we have now are extremely talented. The only thing that's really missing is experience," Haack said. "But unlike football or basketball where you go head-to-head against someone else, our sport is you against the golf course. If our guys can take care of the mental part of the game, then we'll be fine.  All the guys have done really good things at different points this year. The key is getting them to do it on a consistent basis. If we get that, if they all play to their potential at the same time, it will be fun."

The SEC is as strong as ever with No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Auburn, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 21 LSU and No. 23 Florida joining the Bulldogs in the national rankings. And in discussing the SEC, Haack was quick to reference one of Georgia golf's favorite sons, Bubba Watson.

"Our league is very strong, but that's the way it should be," Haack said. "There's a lot of pride in winning your conference tournament, and it shouldn't be easy to do. If you win this league, you've definitely earned it. Before the Masters, everybody was picking the experienced guys like Phil (Mickelson) and Tiger (Woods). Nobody was picking Bubba. I think people are looking at favorites for the SECs and I don't think anybody's picking us, so we hope we can be this week's Bubba down there."

The Bulldogs will tee off Friday in 10-minute increments between 8 and 8:40 a.m. with their counterparts from Alabama and Arkansas on the 10th hole. The Saturday and Sunday tee times will be based on the standings. Live results and tee times can be found here.

Bulldog Golf Story #9 in 2010: The Signing of Nick Reach, Sam and Sepp Straka

The #9 event in Bulldog Golf for 2010 was the signing of the freshman class who will step foot on campus in Athens this fall.  The class consists of Nick Reach from Moscow, PA and twin brothers, Sam and Sepp Straka from Valdosta, GA.
Reach attends Montverde Academy in Howey-in-the-Hills, FL after transferring from Scranton Prep so he could  focus on his golf while attending the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy.  

Nick Reach of Moscow, PA

During his junior career, Reach recorded nine top-20 finishes in American Junior Golf Association events, including four top-6 efforts. Reach was a semi finalist at the 2009 U.S. Junior Championship.  He also earned Rolex Junior All-America honors and was a member of the 2010 Canon Cup Team, joining former Bulldogs Ryuji Imada, Erik Compton, Bubba Watson, Ryan Hybl, Christo Greyling, Michael Green, Brendon Todd, Brian Harman, and Chris Kirk as past participants of a Cannon Cup Team.  In 2008, Reach became the fourth-youngest participant (16 years, three months, nine days) in a Nationwide Tour event. He has competed in the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic in Scranton twice.
"Nick is a talented young man, and we are excited about having him join the program," Haack said. "He's a great prospect with solid golf skills. We feel like he will be able to come in and compete right away for playing time. He will be a great addition to our program both academically and athletically."


The Straka brothers, Sam and Sepp, have never been far apart and that will continue to be true during their college years as Bulldogs.  The Lowndes High standouts have signed National Letters of Intent and will attend UGA together.  The two brothers are among the top junior golfers in the country and have played tournaments all over the U.S. as well as Austria. Both brothers are members of the Austrian national golf team.  Their father is from Austria and their mother is from Moultrie. They lived in Austria until they were 14, when they moved to Valdosta.

Sepp and Sam signing their NLI's at Lowndes High

Sam won the United States Junior Amateur Qualifier in Kennesaw by four shots this past summer, and tied for 17th at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has earned five victories on the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour, including the 2008 Tournament of Champions.

Sam Straka

Sepp has won the Austrian Junior Championship each of the past two years. He also has one victory on the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour, and has 10 top-5 finishes in addition to a runner-up finish at the prestigious Donald Ross Junior.

Sepp Straka

“We are excited about having Sam and Sepp join our program,” said Haack.  “They are excellent young prospects. They have a lot of potential, and I think they will have the opportunity to come in and play right away.”