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.

Bulldogs Come In Ninth In Puerto Rico Classic

The Georgia men’s golf team finished in ninth place in the Puerto Rico Classic on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs fired a final-round 4-over-par 292 to wind up at 5-over 869 in their first tournament of the spring portion of their schedule. Team honors went to Alabama, which finished at 834 and coasted to an 18-shot victory.

Nicholas Reach paced the Bulldogs on Tuesday as he signed for a 2-under 70. Keith Mitchell added an even-par 72, followed by Joey Garber at 2-over 74 and Sam Straka at 4-over 76. T.J. Mitchell had Georgia’s non-counting score of 5-over 77.

Keith Mitchell finished 14th in the individual race at 1-under 215, nine strokes behind medalist Justin Thomas of Alabama. Garber, making his Georgia debut since transferring from Michigan, came in 19th at even-par 216. Reach wound up at 2-over 218, with T.J. Mitchell and Straka at 9-over 225.

“We didn’t close as well as I would have liked,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “But the good news is I saw a lot of positives during this tournament. We’ll get back home, correct some things and keep working hard. I really think this team will get better and better as we move forward.”

The Bulldogs will return to action March 4-6 at the USF Invitational in Dade City, Fla.

Bulldogs Move To Fifth In Puerto Rico Classic

 The Georgia men’s golf team moved up one position on Monday in the second round of the Puerto Rico Classic.

After entering the day tied for sixth, the Bulldogs fired an even-par 288 to move to 1-over 577 and into fifth. Alabama has the team lead at 21-under 555.

Joey Garber, competing for the first time as a Bulldog since transferring from Michigan, paced the Bulldogs in the second round with a 2-under 70. Sam Straka added an even-par 72, while Keith Mitchell and T.J. Mitchell each signed for a 1-over 73. Nick Reach had the Bulldogs’ non-counting score of 4-over 76.

Garber moved into eighth in the individual race at 2-under 144, six shots behind Georgia Tech’s James White. Keith Mitchell is 14th at 1-under 143, followed by T.J. Mitchell and Reach at 4-over 148 and Straka at 5-over 149.

“Our guys really battled hard today, and that always make a coach proud,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “As competitors, you want to give it everything you’ve got whenever you’re on the course. Our young team will grow more and more experienced as we go forward. We want to make progress with every round, and I think we did that today.”

The Puerto Rico Classic, the Bulldogs’ first event of the spring, will conclude today.  Live scoring can be followed at http://www.golfstat.com/.

Bulldogs Sixth After One Round In Puerto Rico

The Georgia men's golf team opened the spring portion of its schedule on Sunday by shooting a 1-over-par 289 in the first round of the Puerto Rico Classic.

The Bulldogs are tied for sixth place with tournament host Purdue, 13 strokes behind Alabama.
Keith Mitchell paced the Bulldogs on Sunday as he shot a 2-under 70. Mitchell is sixth in the individual race, trailing Alabama's Justin Thomas, who opened with a 5-under 67.
Joey Garber, making his Bulldogs debut after transferring from Michigan, and Nicholas Reach followed with even-par 72s. T.J. Mitchell signed for a 3-over 75. Sam Straka had the Bulldogs' non-counting score of 5-over 77.

"This tournament has always given us a chance to knock the rust off coming off the fall and winter," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "Our guys have been working hard, and all that was missing was the tournament aspect of things. Now that we've got a competitive round under our belts, we can keep focusing on getting better and playing more consistently."

The Puerto Rico Classic will resume on Monday and will conclude on Tuesday.  Live scoring is available at http://www.golfstat.com/

Golfers Head to Puerto Rico

The Men's Golf team will begin their spring portion of their schedule as they head to the Puerto Rico Shootout in Rio Mar, Puerto Rico.  The five golfer line up will include senior T.J. Mitchell, sophomores Keith Mitchell and Joey Garber, and freshmen Nick Reach and Sam Straka. 
The 54 hole event begins on Sunday and will conclude on Tuesday.  Live scoring can be followed at http://www.golfstat.com/

A video preview of The Puerto Rico Shootout on G-TV can be viewed by clicking here:
http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/m-golf/spec-rel/021312aaa.html

Straka Twins Featured in Red and Black

Sepp Straka appeared in three tournaments for the Bulldogs this fall

The Red and Black featured Bulldog freshmen golfers, Sam and Sepp Straka, in a story about being siblings and teammates here in Athens.

To read the story, click here:
http://redandblack.com/2011/12/08/golf-twins-different-players-own-distinct-styles/

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.

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.”