Five Bulldogs To Tee It Up In U.S. Amateur

Five members of the Georgia men’s golf team will be in action this week in the 2012 U.S. Amateur in Aurora, Colo.

Senior T.J. Mitchell, juniors Joey Garber and Keith Mitchell, and sophomores Nicholas Reach and Sepp Straka will be a part of the 312-player field.

The participants will go through 18 holes of stroke play Monday and Tuesday, after which the field will be cut to the low 64 scores. Six rounds of match play will follow, with the champion being crowned in a 36-hole match on Sunday.

The U.S. Amateur will be played at the par-71, 7,409-yard Cherry Hills Country Club and the par-70, 7,378-yard CommonGround Golf Course.

On Monday, Reach will tee off at 9:40 a.m., T.J. Mitchell at 9:50 a.m., Garber at 10:20 a.m., Keith Mitchell at 2:35 p.m. and Straka at 2:55 p.m. Eastern.

“This is the biggest amateur event in the world, so we’re excited,” T.J. Mitchell said. “Playing this tournament before the school tournaments will be a great warm-up. We are looking forward to seeing how our games compare to all the other great players that will be there.”

“This is a great opportunity for our guys,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “We’re very proud of the five of them for making it to the U.S. Am. I know they will go out there and represent us well. To get someone to the winner’s circle would be icing on the cake.”
Live scoring can be followed at www.usga.org

Five Bulldogs Qualify for U.S. Amateur

Current members of the Men's Golf Team have had success in the qualifying rounds for the U.S. Amateur.  So far five Bulldogs have played their way into the USGA championship to be played August 13-19 at Cherry Hills Country Club in Colorado.

Four of the five Bulldogs were medalists at their respective sites.

Nick Reach was medalist at Blue Ridge Country Club in Harrisburg, PA with a 36 hole score of 135.

Sepp Straka was runner-up at Piedmont Driving Club with a 36 hole score of 133.

Keith Mitchell was medalist at Willow Creek Golf Club in Knoxville, TN with a 36 hole score of 136.

T.J. Mitchell was medalist at Saugahatchee Country Club in Opelika, AL with a 36 hole score of 133.

Joey Garber was medalist at Kirtland Country Club in Willoughby, OH with a 36 hole score of 139.

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 Second In USF Invitational

The 22nd-ranked Georgia men's golf team finished second on Tuesday in the USF Invitational at Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club.

The Bulldogs fired a 3-under 285 in the final round to wind up at 4-under 860. No. 16 Central Florida opened the day with a 6-shot lead over the Bulldogs and maintained its advantage by also shooting a 3-under 285 to finish at 10-under 854.

Joey Garber and Nicholas Reach paced the Bulldogs on Tuesday as each signed for a 2-under 70. Keith Mitchell followed at even-par 72, while Brian Carter signed for a 1-over 73 and T.J. Mitchell had a 2-over 74.

T.J. Mitchell came in fifth individually at 2-under 214, three shots behind Louisville's Justin Dorward and Arkansas State's Chris Pledger. Garber and Reach were fifth at 1-under 215, while Keith Mitchell was 12th at 1-over 217 and Carter wound up at 4-over 220. Playing as an individual, Sepp Straka shot a 6-over 78 Tuesday to finish at 9-over 225.

"We would liked to have won this golf tournament of course, but we can leave here with our heads held high," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "We played pretty solid golf for three days, and having a spirited head-to-head competition today with UCF was good for our guys. I think we grew up a lot at this tournament. There were a lot of positives that we can build on as we move forward."

The Bulldogs will return to action Monday in Montecito, Calif., in The Maestro -- a match-play event against Southern Cal. Georgia's next stroke-play event will be the Furman Intercollegiate March 16-18.

The No. 22 Georgia men’s golf team will continue its spring schedule at the USF Invitational in Dade City, Fla., Sunday through Tuesday.
The Bulldogs are coming off a ninth-place finish at the Puerto Rico Classic, where they were paced by Keith Mitchell who finished 14th in the individual race.
Georgia will feature a lineup of junior T.J. Mitchell, sophomores Brian Carter, Joey Garber and Keith Mitchell and freshman Nicholas Reach. Reach leads the Bulldogs with a scoring average of 72.46, followed by T.J. Mitchell at 72.75. Keith Mitchell, Garber and Carter have played less than 10 rounds each and are averaging 70.17, 72.00 and 72.57, respectively. Sepp Straka, who is averaging 74.60, will play as an individual.
“I can’t recall ever having a team this young, but it’s been fun,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “It’s been a fun challenge. Everywhere we go, it’s something new for these guys. It’s been enjoyable watching them get better week-to-week and helping them overcome the pitfalls and focus on the things we need to work on.
“All in all, it’s been good. Week to week, you don’t what you’re going to get. But I do know we’ll get a group that’s willing to play hard and lay it on the line. The more experience they get, the more tournament-ready they will be. We’ve had our ups and downs, but as long as we’re getting better, it’s going to be fine in the long run.”
Joining the Bulldogs and host South Florida will be No. 16 UCF, No. 18 Florida State, Arkansas State, Cincinnati, DePaul, Eastern Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Middle Tennessee State, North Carolina, Troy and Villanova.
Live scoring and tee times can be found here.

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.

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.

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.”