Bulldogs Play Well at Azalea Invitational

The Azalea Invitational had a very Bulldog feel to it as there were five Bulldogs finishing in the top 25 of the 72 hole event held at The Country Club of Charleston.   Keith Mitchell was the low Bulldogs as he finished 3rd at 10 under par.  Mitchell posted a final round 65 to finish 4 back of the winner.  Nick Reach and Michael Cromie each tied for 9th at 6 under par.  Cromie held a share of the 54 hole lead, but fell to 9th with a final round 74.  Reach's week was highlighted by a second round 64.
Brian Carter finished in 16th place at 1 under par for 72 holes and Joey Garber tied for 25th at 2 over par.  Former Bulldogs Jack Larkin finished 44th at 8 over par and Jack Hall finished tied for 46th at 9 over par.

The UGA Golf Team will return to action on April 20-22 at Sea Island for the SEC Championship.

Georgia Golfers Second At Linger Longer



Freshman Nick Reach finished runner-up at The Linger Longer Invitational

Georgia's Nick Reach finished second individually in dramatic fashion at the Linger Longer Invitational at the Great Waters Course at Reynolds Plantation on Sunday. Reach, a freshman from Moscow, Pa., birdied the final two holes of regulation to force a playoff with Alabama's Cory Whitsett. Both golfers birdied No. 18 on the first three holes of the playoff. Reach then birdied No. 18 again, but an eagle by Whitsett gave him the victory.

The No. 25-ranked Bulldogs placed second in the team field, closing with a 5-under 283 to finish the 54-hole event at 12-under 852. No. 7 Alabama won the team title at 26-under 838.
"There are signs we're getting better," head coach Chris Haack said. "We put ourselves behind the eight ball with a bad first nine holes yesterday, but I was pleased with the way that they battled back and turned this into a solid performance in the end. There are still some youthful mistakes but there are also signs of improvement."

Reach shot 4-under 68 on Sunday. He fell to 1-over on the day following his only bogey of his Sunday loop at No. 3. He rallied to turn at 1-under after birdies at No. 6 and No. 9 and moved further into red numbers with another birdie at No. 11. Reach posted a quartet of pars before back-to-back birdies at No. 17 and No. 18.
In addition to Reach's 68, the Bulldogs also counted 71 from sophomore Joey Garber and a pair of 72s from sophomore Keith Mitchell and junior T.J. Mitchell.
Garber and sophomore Brian Carter, who shot 74 on Sunday, also posted top-10 finishes, tying for sixth at 4-under 212 and 10th at 2-under 214, respectively.

In addition, Sam Straka, who competed as an individual, finished 22nd at 218; Michael Cromie, also competing individually, tied for 23rd at 219; T.J. Mitchell tied for 26th at 220; Keith Mitchell tied for 31st at 222; and Sepp Straka, UGA's third individual competitor, tied for 43rd at 227.

The Bulldogs will enjoy a four-week break from competition before opening play at the SEC Championships on Friday, April 20.

Jones Cup Invitational

The Jones Cup Invitational begins today at Ocean Forest Golf Club on Sea Island

The prestigious Jones Cup Invitational gets under way today at Ocean Forest G.C. in Sea Island, GA.  In only its eighth edition, this tournament has become an important event in amateur golf, featuring top players from around the world.  In all 13 countries will be represented in the 54 hole event. 
Bulldogs in the field are junior Bryden Macpherson and sophomore Michael Cromie.

Live scoring can be followed at http://www.golfstat.com/

Bulldogs, Mitchell Win ODU/OBX Collegiate

The Dawgs posted the seventh best tournament score in program history in Winning the ODU/OBX Collegiate

Led by first-time medalist T.J. Mitchell, the 16th-ranked Georgia men’s golf team won the ODU/Outerbanks Collegiate Invitational on Tuesday to conclude the fall portion of its schedule.

At Kilmarlic Golf Club, the Bulldogs posted a final-round 12-under-par 276 to wind up at 30-under 834. Georgia pulled away on the back nine for a four-shot victory over Liberty. The Bulldogs’ 30-under tally is the seventh-best in school history.

“It was so nice to look in the eyes of all our players after this one,” said Coach Chris Haack, who has piloted the Bulldogs to 46 titles in 16 seasons. “These guys have worked so hard, and you could tell that it meant a lot to them. We’ve got a pretty green team and we’ve still got a long way to go, but we’re really going to enjoy this one. Winning a tournament is a feeling that never gets old.”

Mitchell, a junior from Albany, closed with a 5-under 67 to finish first at 15-under 201. Mitchell posted a two-shot win over Liberty’s Robert Karlsson, with whom he was paired on Tuesday. Mitchell’s 15-under score ties the school record for the second-lowest figure, trailing only Chris Kirk's 18-under 295 in the 2007 All-American Classic. Mitchell finished the tournament with three eagles and 14 birdies.

“I could not be prouder of T.J.,” Haack said. “He got off to such a great start (an 8-under 64 in the first round) and really just kept his foot on the gas. Coming in, he knew what was at stake for the team and for him individually and he never backed off. He really grew up this week.”

Keith Mitchell (no relation to T.J.) and Bryden Macpherson also recorded top-10 efforts. Mitchell shot a 10-under 206, including a final-round 4-under 68, to come in a career-best third. Macpherson signed for a 2-under 70 on Tuesday to wind up eighth at 1-under 215. Macpherson recorded three top-10 finishes in his four fall events.

Brian Carter shot a 1-under 71 on Tuesday to finish 13th at 1-over 217. Michael Cromie came in 23rd at 3-over 219, including a final-round 3-over 75.

The Bulldogs will resume their schedule Feb. 19-21 in the Puerto Rico Shootout.

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.

Dawgs to Begin Play at U.S. Amateur



2011 U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills


The 2011 U.S. Amateur will begin today with 3 current and 2 former Bulldogs in the field.  Erin Hills will serve as the host for the championship with Blue Mound Country Club will serve as the second stroke play course for the first two rounds. 
Erin Hills, located in Erin, WI, will also be the host of the 2017 U.S. Open.  Playing to a yardage of 7,760, Erin Hills will be the longest course in USGA history by playing 18 yards longer than last year's U.S. Amateur venue, Chambers Bay.

Harris English and Bryden Macpherson will both play their first rounds at Erin Hills.  English will tee off at 7:30 with Macpherson following him at 7:40.

Russell Henley, Michael Cromie, and Keith Mitchell will begin their first rounds at Blue Mound Country Club.  Henley will start at 7:50, Cromie at 9:00, and Mitchell at 1:15.

The first two rounds of the U.S. Amateur are played to determine the low 64 players who will advance to match play.  Scoring can be followed live at:
http://www.usga.org/ChampEventScore.aspx?id=17179869326&year=2011&type=stroke

Bunker to Bunker-Georgia Golf Update, July 13

Macpherson Set to Begin Play at British Open

Current Georgia Bulldog, Bryden Macpherson, will tee off in his first appearance at a major championship on Thursday in the British Open Championship.  Macpherson earned a spot in the British Open by winning the British Amateur in June.  
Macpherson will tee off at 1:21 local time (8:21 am eastern).  His playing partners for the first two rounds will be Padraig Harrington and Matt Kuchar.
Former Bulldog Bubba Watson will also be competing in the British Open.  Watson will be playing two groups behind Macpherson in the 1:43 local time pairing.  Bubba's playing partners will be Graeme McDowell and Jason Day.


Live scoring can be viewed at:
www.opengolf.com


105th Southern Amateur

The 105th Southern Amateur will get underway today at Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor, Fl.  Former Bulldog, Harris English, along with current Bulldog Michael Cromie and incoming Freshman Nick Reach will be competing in the championship.  
UGA golfers have experienced success over the year at the Southern Amateur with a Bulldog winning the championship a total of 8 times.  
Bulldog winners include, Arnold Blum (twice), Vinny Giles (twice), Danny Yates, Tim Simpson, Bill Brown, and Ryan Hybl.  
The winner of the Southern Amateur Championship will receive an exemption into the Bay Hill Invitational PGA Tour event.


Live scoring of the Southern Amateur can be followed at:
www.sgagolf.com