Bubba Tied for 4th at Masters, Bolli in 2nd on Nationwide

Bubba Tied for 4th at Augusta

Bubba Watson posted his best opening round in four appearances at the Masters on Thursday by posting a 3 under 69.  When the wind picked up late in the day, Watson was steady and played the final five holes 1 under par.  Bubba is 2 shots back of the lead held by Lee Westwood.

Bubba was joined in the Masters field by former Bulldog, Bryden Macpherson, who is playing as an amateur.  Macpherson carded a 5 over 77 on his first round in the Masters Tournament.  Macpherson earned an invitation to the Masters by winning the 2011 British Amateur.

Live scoring of the Masters can be followed at http://www.masters.com/


Bolli Tied for 2nd on Nationwide

Former Bulldog, Justin Bolli is tied for second on the Nationwide Tour at the Soboba Golf Classic in San Jacinto, CA.  Bolli fired a first round 2 under par 69 and is 2 strokes back of the lead.  Bolli is joined in the top 10 of the leaderboard by former Bulldog Paul Claxton, who is tied for 10th.

Former Bulldog Scott Parel is currently tied for 45th at 1 over, Russell Henley is tied for 83rd at 3 over, Hudson Swafford is tied for 99th at 4 over, and matt McQuillan is tied for 169th at 7 over par.

live scoring can be followed at http://www.pgatour.com/

Honda Classic, Panama, and Golf Team in Tampa

Bulldogs Third After First Round Of USF Invitational

The 22nd-ranked Georgia men’s golf team stands third after one round of the USF Invitational at the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club.

On Sunday, the Bulldogs carded a 3-over-par 291 — seven shots behind team leader Central Florida’s 284. Middle Tennessee State is third at 289.T.J. Mitchell paced the Bulldogs in the first round with a 2-under 70. Mitchell is fifth in the individual race, five shots in back of Central Florida’s Jose Joia (65). Keith Mitchell and Joey Garber each signed for a 1-over 73 to place them in 15th. Brian Carter and Nicholas Reach shot 3-over 75s to close out the Bulldogs’ lineup. Sepp Straka, playing as an individual, carded a 6-over 78.

“I was encouraged by what I saw today,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “We did enough good things to keep us in the hunt. We need to come out on Monday and correct our mistakes and build on the things that we did well.”The USF Invitational will continue on Monday and will conclude on Tuesday.  Live scoring can be followed at www.golfstat.com


Honda Classic

Harris English was in the final pairing on Sunday, but it was Brian Harman who finished as low Bulldog at The Honda Classic.  Harman had his best career finish as he tied for 12th at 4 under par.  His week was highlighted by a second round 61, that is now the course record at the PGA National Champions Course.
Harris English fell down the leaderboard on Sunday with a final round 77 to finish tied for 18th at 2 under.  English was just two shots back of the leader and eventual winner, Rory McIIroy, heading into the final round.
Erik Compton tied for 26th at even par.  Compton, playing close to his south Florida home, recorded his best finish of the season thus far.  Chris Kirk tied for 56th at 6 over par.
The next events on the PGA Tour will be the WGC Cadillac Championship and the Puerto Rico Open, both played this week.
Bubba Watson will be the only Bulldog in the field at the WGC Cadillac.  Bulldogs in the field for the Puerto Rico Open will be Erik Compton, Ryuji Imada, Kevin Kisner, Matt McQuillan, and Brendon Todd.
Panama Claro Championship

Four Bulldogs made the cut at the Panama Claro Championship in Panama City, Panama.  Justin Bolli finished the week tied for 6th at 1 under par.  His week was highlighted by a first round 65 that had him a shot back of the lead.
Russell Henley finished in a tie for 33rd at 4 over par, Scott Parel finished tied for 43rd at 6 over par, and Paul Claxton finished tied for 5qst at 7 over par. 
The next event for The Nationwide Tour is the Chile Classic in Santiago, Chile that begins on Thursday.  Bolli, Henley, Claxton, Parel, and Hudson Swafford will be competing.

Strong Start for Bulldogs on PGA and Nationwide Tours

Harris English returned from a two week break from the PGA Tour and finds himself near the top of the leaderboard after round one of The Honda Classic.  Currently English sits in a tie for second after a first round 4 under 66.  He is followed by Erik Compton who is also in the top ten after a first round 3 under 67, that puts him in a tie for 10th.
Chris Kirk shot 71 in round one and is tied for 69th while Brendon Todd is tied for 87th at 2 over and Brian Harman is tied for 107th at 3 over.
The second round of play continues today and can be followed live at http://www.pgatour.com/ and on the Golf Channel from 3:00-6:00.

Justin Bolli finds himself just a shot off the lead after the first round of the Panama Claro Championship on The Nationwide Tour.  Bolli carded a first round 5 under 65 to be the lone player at 5 under par.  Russell Henley was in the top ten for most of his round, but slipped to a tie for 41st with a 2 over 72.  Paul Claxton  and Scott Parel are tied for 78th at 4 over 74.  Hudson Swafford is in 117th after a first round 77.  The second round will be played today and can be followed live at http://www.pgatour.com/.

Dawgs in Action on PGA and Nationwide Tour

There will be 10 former Bulldogs teeing it up today between the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.  The Northern Trust Open gets under way today at Riviera C.C. with five Bulldogs in the field.  The Nationwide Tour season also begins today with the Pacific Rubiales Columbia Championship that also has five Bulldogs in the field.

Hudson Swafford and Russell Henley will both begin their rookie seasons on the Nationwide Tour in Columbia.  They will be joined by former Bulldogs Paul Claxton, Justin Bolli, and Scott Parel.  Live scoring can be followed at http://www.pgatour.com/

Erik Compton, Brendon Todd, Ryuji Imada, Chris Kirk, and Bubba Watson are in the field this week at the Northern Trust Open.  The Golf Channel will have the first and second rounds of television coverage from 3:00-6:00 each day.  Live scoring can also be followed at http://www.pgatour.com/

Two Bulldogs Make Top 25 Under the Age of 25

Russell Henley was included on a list of the top 25 players under age 25 in golf

Jason Sobel of The Golf Channel compiled a list of the top 25 players under the age of 25 in golf.  Former Bulldogs,  Russell Henley and Harris English,  were included on the list in the top 25.  Current Bulldog, Bryden Macpherson, just missed the cut as he was included in the list of the next 25 under 25 in golf.  To see the complete article and list, go to http://www.golfchannel.com/news/jason-sobel/top-25-under-25/

English and Henley Make Pro Debuts on Nationwide Tour

Harris English and Russell Henley will make their pro debuts today on the Nationwide Tour

After being roommates in college, teammates for four years, and after just representing the U.S. at the Walker Cup, Russell Henley and Harris English will make their pro debuts at this week’s Soboba Classic on the Nationwide Tour.
English accepted Nationwide Tour membership after his victory at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational. Henley is competing on a sponsor exemption. Henley could not accept membership because he waited more than 60 days to turn pro after his victory at the Stadion Classic at UGA. 
Harris will have 5 tournaments  left on the Nationwide schedule to play his way into the top 60, who qualify for the season ending Nationwide Tour Championship. 
Henley will have to rely on sponsor exemptions on the Nationwide Tour for the remaining events if he were to not finish inside the top 25 this week.

Live scoring can be followed on the Nationwide Tour website at:
http://www.pgatour.com/h/leaderboard/

Georgia's Walker Cup Tradition

English, Henley latest Bulldogs to play for the USA in biennial competition



Russell Henley and Harris English will represent the U.S. during the Walker Cup this Weekend

 Recent Georgia graduates, Russell Henley and Harris English, were the feature of a article about the history of Georgia Bulldogs in the Walker Cup.  The two Bulldogs will represent the U.S. at the Walker Cup this weekend at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in Scotland.

Click here to view the article.

English and Henley advance to 2nd Round of Match Play

Harris English at Erin Hills

Harris English and Russell Henley each won their first round matches at the U.S. Amateur. 

English, who had 5 birdies in an 8 hole stretch, won his match 3&1 vs Andrew Yun. 
English almost put the match away on the par-3 16th when his 7-iron from 192 yards landed 10 feet in front of the hole and grazed the hole for a near ace. The two men halved with pars. But matters were settled on No. 17 when Yun, after pushing a drive into the right rough, came up short of the green and couldn’t get up and down. Yun’s lone bogey of the round sent English into the second round of the Amateur for the second time.    Harris will play Bobby Leopold in round 2, match scheduled to start at 11:00 am.

Henley defeated Kevin Dougherty 3&1 to advance to the second round.  Henley will play Patrick Cantlay, who is currently the top ranked amateur in the world, in the round of 32.  That match is scheduled to begin at noon.  

The Golf Channel will have coverage of the second round today from 1-3 pm.  Live scoring can be followed at:
 http://www.usga.org/ChampEventScore.aspx?id=17179869326&year=2011&type=match2

English and Henley Advance to Match Play at U.S. Amateur

2011 U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills

Former Bulldogs, Russell Henley and Harris English, finished in the top 64 of stroke play at the U.S. Amateur and will advance on to the match play portion of the tournament. 

Henley stood at 7 under par after 36 holes and tied for third while English finished at 2 under and tied for 31st. 

Harris will be seeded 32 in match play and Russell will be the 5th seed in the match play bracket.

Harris will face Andrew Yun in the first round of match play.  Russell will be paired against Kevin Dougherty in his first round match.

The 111th U.S. Amateur is being played at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin. 

The matches can be followed live on the U.S. Amateur website:
http://www.usga.org/ChampEventScoringIndex.aspx?eid=17179869326&year=2011&id=2147493610

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

Bulldogs Henley and English Selected to U.S. Walker Cup Team

Former Georgia All-Americans Harris English and Russell Henley were chosen for the United States' Walker Cup Team on Sunday, according to the United States Golf Association.

The USGA picked four players on Sunday for Team USA: English, Henley, Patrick Cantlay of UCLA and Peter Uihlein of Oklahoma State. The remainder of the 10-man USA team that will compete against 10 amateurs representing Great Britain and Ireland will be named later this summer.

The Walker Cup will be played Sept. 10-11 at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in Scotland.

"This is a tremendous accomplishment for Harris and Russell," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "They set their sights on making the Walker Cup team, and that's exactly what they did. All their hard work has paid off with this selection. I could not be prouder of them. I know they will represent the University of Georgia and the United States in a first-rate manner in Scotland."

With the selections of English and Henley, Georgia now has been represented in the Walker Cup by 15 golfers, including Vinny Giles (1969, 1971, 1973, 1975 and 1993), Danny Yates (1989, 1993, 1999 and 2001) and Jimmy Gabrielsen (1971, 1981 and 1991). Brian Harman and Adam Mitchell helped the United States win the Walker Cup in Ardmore, Pa., in 2009.

The biennial Walker Cup match consists of 18 singles matches and eight foursomes (alternate-shot) matches over the competition’s two days. Team USA has won the last three matches and leads the series overall, 34-7-1.

Russell Henley to Appear on CBS

Russell Henley to appear on CBS

Russell Henley will be featured on the CBS Sports television show, "Next on the Tee: The Future of Golf" on Saturday July 30th.  The show is scheduled to air at 2:00 pm eastern.  The segment featuring Russell was filmed in Macon at Russell's home course, Idle Hour Country Club.

Bunker to Bunker-Georgia Golf Update, July 5th

English Reaches Semifinals of U.S. Amateur Public Links

Harris English's run at the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links came to an end with a 5&3 loss to stroke play medalist Corbin Mills.  English had dispatched J.J. Spaun in the quarterfinals 2&1 to make it to the final four.  English, who was also a quarterfinalist at the 2010 U.S. Amateur Public Links, helped build his case for a spot on this year's Walker Cup Team with another strong showing in a USGA event.  
Corbin Mills, a current Clemson golfer,  would go on to win the title with a 1 up win in 37 holes over Derek Ernst.

Chris Kirk Has Good Weekend at AT&T National

Thanks to a third round 63 and a final round 69, former Bulldog Chris Kirk finished tied for 8th at The AT&T National on the PGA Tour.  With his third top ten of the season, Kirk moved over the $1 million mark in earnings for the season and moved him to 50th in the FED-Ex Cup standings.
Ryuji Imada made the cut and tied for 34th, while Erik Compton did not make the cut for the first time this season on the PGA Tour.  

Dogwood Invitational Results

Bryden Macpherson has the honor of being low Bulldog at the 2011 Dogwood Invitational.  Macpherson, the 2011 British Amateur Champion, finished the four round tournament tied for 17th at 9 under par.  Russell Henley, finished a stroke behind Macpherson,  at 20th with an 8 under par total.  
Two Bulldog signees, who will be freshmen this fall, made the cut and had strong finishes.  Sepp Straka finished the tournament tied for 25th at 7 under par and Nicholas Reach finished in 37 place with a 3 under par total.
Fellow Bulldogs, T.J. Mitchell and Keith Mitchell,  played in Dogwood and both players failed to make the cut.
The Dogwood was won by Nate McCoy at 22 under par.

Bunker to Bunker-Georgia Golf Update

English, Henley, Swafford Earn All-America Honors

Hudson Swafford, Harris English, and Russell Henley

Georgia golfers Harris English, Russell Henley and Hudson Swafford — who capped their collegiate careers earlier this month — have earned All-America honors.

PING and the Golf Coaches Association of America picked English for their Second Team, with Henley and Swafford earning Honorable Mention status. Golfweek tabbed English for its Third Team and Henley was named Honorable Mention.

English led the Bulldogs with a 72.39 scoring average, while Henley was next at 72.73 and Swafford was third at 73.20. The seniors helped Georgia finish second at the NCAA Championships June 5 in Stillwater, Okla.

English and Henley ended their Georgia careers as four-time All-Americans, and Swafford was picked as an All-American three times. Collectively, they rolled up the following career numbers: 11 All-America honors, 10 All-SEC certificates, 12 medalist titles, 17 team tournament victories, two SEC Freshman of the Year awards, two SEC team titles and one National Player of the Year honor.

“Those guys were tremendous ambassadors for the golf team and for the University of Georgia on and off the course,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “They also were great leaders. They led by example with hard work and dedication. Everything they did was for the  betterment of the team. We’re going to miss them. They have left an indelible mark on our program.”

Macpherson Wins British Amateur

Bryden Macpherson becomes the second Bulldog to win the British Amateur

Georgia golfer Bryden Macpherson won the 116th British Amateur Championship on Saturday, earning spots in this year's British Open and next year's Masters in the process.

Macpherson defeated Scotland's Michael Stewart 3&2 in the final match, joining Doug Bachli (1954) as the only Australians to win the British Amateur.

The 2011 Open Championship will take place July 14-17 at Royal St. George's. The 2012 Masters will be held April 5-8 at Augusta National.

“I can’t believe it just yet," Macpherson said. "It feels pretty good to bridge the gap of 57 years. I hope there are a few proud Aussies having a barbecue. My judgment of speed was awesome today, so that was real important, but the real key to this week was patience. As hard as it was to believe, I had complete confidence that it was going to happen for me this week. I did a really good job of staying out of my own way, and celebrating everything I did well. Staying in the moment was a major key. I love the whole atmosphere of the Amateur Championship. One of the main things is the crowds: it’s amazing how much people love their golf around here. It’s a credit to them."

Macpherson, a rising junior for the Bulldogs shot 75-70 in stroke play, then posted six straight wins in match play to win the British Amateur title. Macpherson went 3-0 in match play as the Bulldogs finished second at the NCAA Championships earlier this month.

Macpherson joins Vinny Giles (1975) as the only Bulldogs to win the British Amateur.




US Open Recap

Russell Henley during the 111th U.S. Open

Russell Henley finished his second U.S. Open with a final round 75 to finish at 4 over for the day and for the tournament.  His four over total was four shots better than his score from last year, but this time he finished in a tie for 42nd place.  Henley made plenty of noise along the way, thanks in large part to a 4 under front nine on Saturday that had him in third place individually when he made the turn on his third round.  
Henley now will finish the remainder of his amateur summer as he prepares to represent the U.S. during the Walker Cup in September.  His next tournament will be the Dogwood Invitational in Atlanta starting on June 27th.


Former Bulldogs Bubba Watson and Christo Greyling also made the cut in the 111th U.S. Open.  Christo Greyling, playing in his first major championship, finished in a tie for 68th.  Greyling had to finish his second round Saturday morning and needed a couple of birdies to make the cut.  Christo birdied 3 of his last four holes to play the weekend.  Bubba Watson, the 13th ranked golfer in the world,  finished in a tie for 63rd place.  Watson will now work on defending his title at the Travels Championship this week.


Swafford Makes Professional Debut

Hudson Swafford

Hudson Swaffford made his professional golf debut this past week on the Egolf Professional Tour.  Swafford competed in the Bolle Classic in Lexington, NC and finished in a tie for 14th place while carding a four round total of 15 under par.
Swafford is playing again this week on the Egolf Professional Tour in the Cowans Ford Open.  After two rounds at the Cowans Ford Open, Hudson currently sits in third place individually.  results can be found at:
http://tarheel.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/tarheel11/event/tarheel115/contest/1/leaderboard.htm


The Southeastern Amateur

Incoming Freshman Sepp Straka

Current Bulldog Keith Mitchell and incoming Freshman Sepp Straka posted good finishes during the Southeastern Amateur played June 15-18th at Columbus Country Club in Columbus, GA.  Rising Sophomore Mitchell finished 3rd individually at 2 under for the tournament.  Straka, who will begin his first season of college golf this fall,  finished 2nd individually at 3 under par.  

The Northeast Amateur

Northeast Amateur, June 22-25

Both Bryden Macpherson and Harris English are playing this week in the Northeast Amateur.  The Northeast Amateur is one of the best field in amateur golf each summer and is being played for the 50th year this year.  You can follow the scoring live at:
http://www.northeastamateur.com/Default.aspx

Greystone Invitational

Greystone Invitational, June 23-26

Bulldogs Keith Mitchell and Brian Carter are currently competing in the tenth annual Greystone Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama.  All the scoring and results can be found on the tournament website at www.greystoneinvitational.com.  The Greystone Invitational is a four round stroke play tournament played on the Greystone Golf and Country Club's Founders Course.

U.S. Open Day 3

Russell Henley during round 3 of the 2011 U.S. Open

Russell Henley made it an exciting day for Bulldog fans at Congressional Saturday.  When Henley made the turn during his third round of the U.S. Open, he found himself tied for third place thanks to four birdies on his first nine.  The back nine saw Henley make four bogeys and fall back to the field in a tie for 21st place.  the former Bulldog is looking to repeat as low amateur in the Open and he trails fellow amateur, Patrick Cantlay, by a single stroke for those honors.

Bubba Watson fired a third round 74 and sits in 57th place while Christo Greyling carded a third round 75 and sits in 64th place.  Final round coverage begins at 1:30 on NBC.

Day 2 of U.S. Open-Bulldogs Make Cut

Russell Henley continues his great play of late and has found his way on the first page of the leader-board at the halfway point of the 2011 U.S. Open.  Henley put together his best round of his U.S. Open career, a 2 under 69, that vaulted him to a tie for 15th.  The Macon native is trying to become the first repeat low amateur in 20 years at the U.S. Open.  Currently Henley is tied with fellow amateur Patrick Cantlay, who fired a second round 67, to also move into 15th place.

Henley currently sits tied for 15th at the U.S. Open

Fellow Bulldogs,  Christo Greyling and Bubba Watson are tied with a group in 56th place.  Greyling fired a second round 74 and Watson carded a second round 75.

All three Bulldogs will make the cut and play the weekend at Congressional.  Follow the action live at usopen.com.

U.S. Open, Day 1

Day 1 at the 2011 U.S. Open saw all three Bulldogs post solid rounds in the second major championship of the year.  Bubba Watson was the low Bulldog after firing an even par 71 and sits tied for 20th, Christo Greyling finished with a 1 over par 72 and sits tied for 31st, and Russell Henley carded a 2 over par 73 and is tied for 44th.

The round of the day went to Rory McIlroy who jumped out to the first round lead with a 6 under par 65.

All three Bulldogs will play in the afternoon wave today and all currently sit inside the cut line.  Henley is looking to repeat as low amateur and he currently trails fellow amateur, Peter Uihlein, by a single shot.

Golf.com featured Russell Henley in an article about his first round.  Click here to read the article.

Christo Greyling is playing in his first major championship this week.  To read more about his journey as a professional golfer, click on the links to CBSsports.com and The Detroit Free Press as they featured Greyling in articles this week.

Dawgs Tee It Up at U.S. Open

Three former Georgia Bulldogs will be playing in the 2011 U.S. Open starting on Thursday at Congressional Country Club.  Bubba Watson, Christo Greyling, and recent graduate, Russell Henley, will all be paired in the morning wave for round 1.

Russell Henley will start at 7:33, Bubba Watson at 8:28 and Christo Greyling will begin at 9:01.

This will be the first U.S. Open for Greyling and the second for Henley.  Henley is playing in his second consecutive U.S. Open after tying for 16th last year at Pebble Beach and finishing as low amateur for the championship.

Watson will be playing in his 5th U.S. Open with his best career finish coming in 2007 at Oakmont with a tie for 5th.

All of the action can be followed live at USGA.org

Henley Headed Back to U.S. Open

Russell Henley will play in the U.S. Open next week at Congressional Country Club

Russell Henley birdied two of his final holes during a grueling 36-hole day to earn a tie atop the leaderboard at the U.S. Open sectional qualifier Monday at Hawk’s Ridge Golf Club.  After players in the final two groups passed him, the 22-year-old found out he had a little work left to do and landed in a sudden-death playoff with PGA Tour professional Jason Dufner for the third and final qualifying spot in the U.S. Open.

Henley survived the challenge, however, with a birdie on the fourth playoff hole after Dufner hit his second shot on the par-5 hole into the water, and Henley earned a return trip to the U.S. Open, which begins June 16 at Congressional Country Club outside of Washington, D.C.

“I’m really excited to get back to another U.S. Open,” Henley said with just a few minutes of daylight left. “It was an emotional day, but it feels good to get back.”

Henley played 40 holes in nearly 12 hours when Dufner hit his approach into the par-5 fourth hole into the water right of the green. Henley played his second shot safe, but the ball ended up in deep rough left of the green. He hit what he called “one of the best chips of my life” to about 3 feet of the hole. Dufner missed his par putt, but Henley knocked in his birdie anyway. He shared a long embrace with Adam Henley, his caddie, after he clinched the spot in the U.S. Open.

“We just went through a lot of emotions (Monday),” Adam Henley said. “It feels pretty sweet right now.”

Many of the officials felt Russell Henley and Dufner wouldn’t need a playoff to qualify.

The two were tied atop the leaderboard when they finished 36 holes. Henley birdied two of his final three holes to finish at 11 under. Most thought Ryan Nelson, who was at 10 under through 27 holes, was the only player on the course with a shot to qualify.

Nelson indeed qualified at 12 under.

Henley received congratulatory hugs, handshakes and high-fives after he finished his round and after Nelson finished.

Playing in the final group, amateur Brett Patterson shot a course-record 62 to finish the day at 12 under and nab a spot. Patterson’s score bumped Dufner and Henley into a playoff.

“Everyone, the head pro, tournament officials are telling me I’m fine,” Henley said. “You start to rest, and then you find out it’s not over. You have to refocus fast. It’s tough to do.”

Both Henley and Dufner made a par on the first three holes of sudden death. Henley had a long birdie putt on No. 2 to win, and Dufner had about a 12-foot birdie attempt on No. 3 that would have earned him the spot.

“Russell thinks he’s one of the best amateurs and players in the world, so I don’t think he struggled to get back ready,” Adam Henley said. “I was a little nervous.”

Russell Henley finished the day with rounds of 68 and 65.

Henley shot a 4-under-par 68 through his first 18. His putter got hot on the second 18. He was 3 under through nine holes and birdied three in a row early in his second nine. He left an eagle putt on No. 4 a few inches short and then made a bogey on No. 6 when he hit it in the water trying to drive the green.

“I probably would have thought back to those if I wouldn’t have made it,” he said. “The bogey shook me up a little.”

Henley bounced back with a 15-foot birdie on No. 7, and he then made a birdie from about 3 feet on his 36th hole of the day.

“Those turned out to be huge putts,” he said.

The top three finishers out of 41 players qualified for the U.S. Open.

Henley won his qualifier a year ago and went on to finish tied for 16th at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. The finish earned him low amateur honors.

Dawgs Finish Season With Runner-Up Finish at NCAA's

Russell Henley during his last match as a Georgia Bulldog

Stillwater, OK --- The Georgia men's golf team's quest for a national title came up short on Sunday as Augusta State defeated the Bulldogs 3-2 in the finals of the NCAA Championships at Karsten Creek Golf Course.

The Bulldogs got victories from senior Russell Henley and sophomore Bryden Macpherson, each of whom went 3-0 in match play at the NCAAs, but were unable to garner a third decision.

"The guys fought hard and they never gave up," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "It was a pretty tight match all the way around. I'm proud of these guys. They represented us well. The represented the `G' and everybody should be really proud of them."

Macpherson got Georgia's first point as he defeated Olle Bengtsson 6&4. After sophomore T.J. Mitchell fell to Carter Newman 7&5, Henley put Georgia back ahead with a 3&2 decision over Henrik Norlander. Senior Hudson Swafford dropped a 2&1 match to Mitchell Krywulycz, then senior Harris English fell to Patrick Reed 2&1, giving the Jaguars back-to-back NCAA titles.

"We hung in as best we could," Henley said. "Augusta State is playing really good golf right now, and we knew we'd have to play really good golf against them. We gave it a run. I'm proud of what everybody did to get us here."

Said Macpherson, "To come into the week without having really contended all year and to give it a run to the final is an effort to be proud of no matter what."

Sunday's round marked the final one for Georgia's seniors, all of whom participated in graduation ceremonies last month in Athens.

"The last four years with these guys, you can't replace it," Swafford said. "It's been a dream come true. A win today would have topped it off for sure, but being in position to win it was still awesome."

"Our seniors were very important to the team," Macpherson said. "They mean a lot to the team and the team means a lot to them. I know they're disappointed and sad, but they can be proud of this week for sure."

Click here to watch G-TV's coverage of reaction to the final match results.

Golfweek has a recap of the final match that can be viewed here.