Six Bulldogs Advance In FedExCup Playoffs; Kisner, Todd Secure PGA TOUR Cards For 2014

Bubba Watson came in 13th at The Barclays last week.

The six former Bulldogs in the FedExCup Playoffs advanced among the Top 100 following The Barclays, highlighted by Erik Compton's leap to No. 94.

Compton, a two-time heart transplant recipient, was 117th at the beginning of the week. On Sunday, he sank a 5-foot, 9-inch putt on the final hole to cap a 1-under 70 to tie for 43rd and move to 94th in the FedExCup Playoffs.

The five other Bulldogs already were within the Top 100 and were able to maintain that status. Following the Barclays, their standings are now: No. 26 Harris English, No. 27 Bubba Watson, No. 33 Russell Henley, No. 47 Chris Kirk, No. 88 Brian Harman and No. 94 Compton.

Following this week's Deutsche Bank Championship (which will run Friday through Monday) in Norton, Mass., the top 70 will move onto the BMW Championship in Lake Forest, Ill. The top 30 after that event will play in Atlanta in the TOUR Championship.

Watson came in 13th at The Barclays at 7-under, while Compton was 43rd at even-par 284. English, Henley, Kirk and Harman missed the cut.

• Former Bulldogs Kevin Kisner and Brendon Todd secured PGA TOUR cards for next season by finishing the regular season in the Top 25 of the Web.com Tour's money leaders. Kisner came in 13th and Todd, who won the Stadion Classic at UGA earlier this year, placed 20th following play in the Cox Classic.

The Top 25 will move onto the four-tournament Web.com Tour Finals, where they will be joined by the PGA TOUR players who finished 126-200 in the FedExCup standings.  Another 25 cards will go to those players who earn the most cumulative money in the four Finals events.

A Web.com Tour Finals money list reflecting earnings in the four Finals' events will be in effect, with all players starting with $0. For those in the Finals, a player's finish on the Finals' money list will determine his position within the PGA TOUR priority ranking, which is used to form fields for TOUR events, with two exceptions. The Web.com Tour's leading money winner during the regular season and the player who earns the most money during the Web.com Tour Finals will be fully exempt, meaning each is guaranteed a spot in PGA TOUR events the following season (excluding invitationals). Both will earn invitations to THE PLAYERS. The 48 remaining players will be slotted next in priority after the top 125 off the FedExCup points list.

The Finals will begin this week with the Hotel Fitness Championship in Fort Wayne, Ind. Justin Bolli (who was 150th in the FedExCup standings), Kisner, Todd, Scott Parel and Hudson Swafford are in the field.

Parel. who came in 31st on the money list, placed 33rd at the Cox Classic. Kisner, Ryuji Imada, Paul Claxton and Richard Scott missed the cut and Swafford withdrew.

• The Champions Tour continues with the Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary. Chip Beck is slated to participate.

• The Bulldogs will open their 2013-14 season Sept. 6-8 at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Rocky Face, Ga.

• The 2013 Bulldog Open is slated for Friday, Sept. 6, at the UGA Golf Course. Call (706) 369-6066 for information on fielding a team and/or becoming a sponsor.

• Congratulations to David Boyd, who has been chosen as the recipient of the Bill Hartman Award. Boyd was the SEC medalist in 1962 and has been one of Georgia Golf's greatest supporters. He will be recognized at the Georgia-LSU football game Sept. 28. Named for Georgia's long-time kicking coach and chairman of the Georgia Student Educational Fund, the award has been given annually since 1992 and recognizes former Georgia student-athletes who have demonstrated excellence in their profession and/or in service to others by 20 or more years of superior performance after graduation. Only former varsity athletes who have received a baccalaureate degree from Georgia can be considered for the award. 

• A reminder that this is YOUR blog. If you have any news you want to share, please do so by emailing Denise Saliba (dsaliba@sports.uga.edu).

Six Bulldogs Advance To FedExCup Playoffs

Brian Harman is one of the six Bulldogs in the FedExCup Playoffs.

The seventh edition of the PGA TOUR's FedExCup Playoffs will begin this week after the top 125 players in points — including six former Bulldogs — were determined following Sunday's final round of the Wyndham Championship.

Erik Compton, Harris English, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Chris Kirk and Bubba Watson will be playing this week at The Barclays at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J. Watson has appeared in all seven FedExCup Playoffs.

Harman will tee off at noon on Thursday, followed by English and Watson at 12:44 p.m., Kirk at 12:55 p.m., Henley at 1:06 p.m. and Compton at 1:39 p.m.

While there is no specific threshold of points that are needed to reach and advance in the FedExCup Playoffs, the following is a best-guess template to follow:
• The top 125 in points make The Barclays.
• The top 100 in points advance to the Deutsche Bank Championship (550 points or more).
• The top 70 in points advance to the BMW Championship (807 points or more).
• The top 30 in points advance to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola (1,556 points or more) in Atlanta, where the FedExCup champ will be crowned. The top five at the TOUR Championship will control their own destiny and likely will need 3,182 points or more to fall into that category.

The Bulldogs' current points totals are English (19th, 1,134), Henley (24th, 1,048), Kirk (31st, 904), Watson (38th, 830), Harman (80th, 578) and Compton (117th, 422).

With his third-place finish at the Wyndham Championship, Harman skyrocketed from No. 115 to No. 80 in the FedExCup standings.

The Web.com Tour stop this week is the Cox Classic at Champions Run in Omaha, Neb. Scheduled to participate are Paul Claxton, Ryuji Imada, Kevin Kisner, Scott Parel, Richard Scott, Hudson Swafford and Brendon Todd. Adam Mitchell is listed among the alternates.

The 25 leading money winners at the end of the regular season will be guaranteed PGA TOUR cards for 2014. Kisner is 12th with $177,116 and Todd is 18th with $152,828. Parel is 28th with $128,957 — approximately $6,200 behind No. 25.

Four Bulldogs Seek U.S. Amateur Title

Senior Michael Cromie and three teammates are playing this week in the U.S. Amateur.

Georgia has four members of the 2013-14 team playing this week in the United States Amateur.

Rising senior Michael Cromie, rising juniors Nicholas Reach and Sam Straka, and incoming freshman Greyson Sigg are in the field in Massachusetts at The Country Club in Brookline and the Charles River Country Club in Newton Centre.

Reach will tee off at 7:20 a.m. Monday, followed by Cromie at 12:45 p.m., Straka at 1:20 p.m. and Sigg at 1:30 p.m. On Tuesday, Cromie will start at 7:45 a.m., Straka will play at 7:50 a.m., Sigg will begin at 8 a.m. and Reach will tee off at 12:35 p.m.

After the two days of stroke play, the top 64 will advance to the match play portion of the tournament.

The Golf Channel will air the first- and second-round matches and the quarterfinals Wednesday (4-6 p.m.), Thursday (noon-2 p.m.) and Friday (9-11 p.m.). NBC will show the semifinals on Saturday and the championship match on Sunday, with coverage each day going from 4-6 p.m.

Vinny Giles in 1972 is the only Bulldog to ever win the U.S. Amateur.

• The PGA TOUR stop this week is the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. N.C. The field includes Justin Bolli, Erik Compton, Brian Harman and Chris Kirk, while Brendon Todd is listed among the alternates.

• Kirk was the top Bulldog at the PGA Championship, placing 57th at 7-over. Harris English took 61st at 8-over, while Bubba Watson and Russell Henley missed the cut.

• A large group of Bulldogs will play in the Web.com Tour's News Sentinel Open at Fox Den Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn.: Paul Claxton, Ryuji Imada, Kevin Kisner, Scott Parel, Richard Scott, Hudson Swafford and Brendon Todd.

• Claxton was 19th at 12-under in the Price Cutter Charity Championship last weekend. Parel, Swafford and Scott missed the cut.

• In the all-important Top 25 money leaders on the Web.com Tour, Kisner ranks 14th, Todd ranks 17th and Parel ranks 24th. At the end of the season, the Top 25 will receive PGA TOUR cards for 2014. Another 25 TOUR cards will be awarded based on the three-tournament Web.com Tour Finals following the regular season.

• Chip Beck will tee it up this week in the Champions Tour's Dick's Sporting Goods Open at En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, New York.

• The 2013 Bulldog Open is slated for Friday, Sept. 6, at the UGA Golf Course. Call (706) 369-6066 for information on fielding a team and/or becoming a sponsor.

• A reminder that this is YOUR blog. If you have any news you want to share, please do so by emailing Denise Saliba (dsaliba@sports.uga.edu).

Four Bulldogs To Play In PGA Championship

Harris English appeared in The Golf Channel's "Playing Lessons" recently.

Four Bulldogs will be in the field at the PGA Championship this week.

Harris English, Russell Henley, Chris Kirk and Bubba Watson are scheduled to tee it up Thursday through Sunday at Oak Hill Country Club in Town of Pittsford, New York.

Here are the first- and second-round tee times for the Bulldogs: Watson (1:05 p.m. and 7:55 a.m.), Henley (12:50 p.m. and 7:40 a.m.), English (1 p.m. and 7:50 a.m.) and Kirk (2:20 p.m. and 9:10 a.m.).

TNT will televise the PGA Championship from 1-7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. CBS will take over Saturday and Sunday from 2-7 p.m.

• U.S. Amateur qualifiers Michael Cromie (a rising senior) and Greyson Sigg (an incoming freshman) were interviewed by WSB Channel 2 in Atlanta on Tuesday. Their interviews will air during the Bulldogs Gameweek broadcast Saturday at 10 a.m.

• In case you missed it, English recently appeared on The Golf Channel's Playing Lessons With The Pros. For some behind-the-scenes moments from his segment at Sea Island Golf Club, click here.

• English was the top Bulldog at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. He placed 14th at 2-under. Watson was 27th at 4-over.

• At last weekend's Reno-Tahoe Open, Brian Harman was 11th with 28 points in the Stableford scoring system, followed by Brendon Todd in 13th with 27, Justin Bolli in 32nd with 22 and Ryuji Imada in 68th with eight.

• The Web.com Tour stop this week is the Price Cutter Charity Championship at Highland Springs Country Club in Springfield, Mo. Paul Claxton, Scott Parel, Hudson Swafford, Kevin Kisner, Imada, Richard Scott and Todd are in the field.

• At the Mylan Classic at Southpointe Golf Club in Canonsburg, Pa., Swafford came in 10th at 5-under. Kisner was 21st at 2-under, Claxton was 27th at 1-under and Scott missed the cut.

• In the all-important Top 25 money leaders on the Web.com Tour, Kisner ranks 12th, Todd ranks 15th and Parel ranks 22. At the end of the season, the Top 25 will receive PGA TOUR cards for 2014. Another 25 TOUR cards will be awarded based on the three-tournament Web.com Tour Finals following the regular season.

• The 2013 Bulldog Open is slated for Friday, Sept. 6, at the UGA Golf Course. Call (706) 369-6066 for information on fielding a team and/or becoming a sponsor.

• Georgia remains in second place in the Rivals Cup standings for both the PGA TOUR and the Web.com Tour. Following last weekend's action on the PGA TOUR, Georgia Tech has 5,497 FedExCup points, while the Bulldogs have 5,287. Using the Web.com Tour's money list, Pepperdine is first with $717,390 and Georgia is next with $610,337.

• A reminder that this is YOUR blog. If you have any news you want to share, please do so by emailing Denise Saliba (dsaliba@sports.uga.edu).

Four Bulldogs Qualify For United States Am; Odom Named Coach At Western Carolina

Nicholas Reach has qualified for the United States Amateur.

Four members of the Georgia men's golf team have qualified for the United States Amateur.

Rising senior Michael Cromie, rising juniors Nicholas Reach and Sam Straka, and incoming freshman Greyson Sigg advanced from regional qualifying tournaments that concluded this week. 

The U.S. Amateur is slated for Aug. 12-18 in Massachusetts at The Country Club in Brookline and the Charles River Country Club in Newton Centre.

Cary, N.C., native Cromie tied for the top spot at the Country Club of Whispering Pines in North Carolina with a total of 138.

Reach, a native of Moscow, Pa., placed second in the event held at Cane Brook Country Club in Summitt, New Jersey, firing 137. 

Sigg, a native of Augusta, won the qualifier held at the Athens Country Club with a two-round total of 135. Straka, who hails from Valdosta, came in second, two shots back at 137.

Reach (2012) and Cromie (2011) will be playing in the U.S. Amateur for the second time, while Sigg and Straka will be making their first appearances. Said Reach, "The U.S. Amateur is a different feeling than any other tournament I've played. What I learned last year is going to help me tremendously this year."

• Former Georgia All-American Bryant Odom has been named the head coach at Western Carolina. Odom spent the last two seasons as the assistant coach at Wisconsin.

"I could not be more excited about the opportunity ahead of me at Western Carolina," said Odom. "My sincerest thanks go to Coach (Michael) Burcin who trusted me as his assistant over the past two years in Madison. I learned a great deal from him and will always be grateful for my experience at the University of Wisconsin. Looking ahead at Western Carolina, there is great potential because of the strength of current players, vision within the athletic department and support from the Cullowhee area. This region is also full of talented prospects. Abbi and I fell in love with Cullowhee on our initial visit and can't wait to settle into the community."

Odom played for the Bulldogs from 1999 through 2002, winning SEC medalist honors and All-America honors in 2001. He also served as a graduate assistant for Coach Chris Haack in 2009 and 2010.

Odom is married to the former Abbi Francis, who was a two-year letter winner for the Georgia women's golf team.

• The PGA TOUR stop this week is the Reno-Tahoe Open in Nevada. Justin Bolli, Ryuji Imada, Brendon Todd and Brian Harman are in the field.

• At last weekend's RBC Canadian Open, Chris Kirk and Bubba Watson came in 21st at 8-under, while Erik Compton, Harman and Bolli missed the cut.

• The Web.com Tour event this week is the Mylan Classic in Pennsylvania. Paul Claxton, Hudson Swafford, Kevin Kisner, Ryuji Imada and Richard Scott are slated to compete. Kisner won the Mylan Classic in 2010 for his first Web.com Tour win.

• At last weekend's Albertsons Boise Open, Claxton paced the Bulldogs as he finished 31st at 15-under. Scott finished 14-under for 33rd and Imada was 11-under for 53rd. Scott Parel, Swafford and Kisner missed the cut.

• Georgia remains in second place in the Rivals Cup standings for both the PGA TOUR and the Web.com Tour. Following last weekend's action on the PGA TOUR, Georgia Tech has 5,450 FedExCup points, while the Bulldogs have 5,053. Using the Web.com Tour's money list, Pepperdine is first with $651,206 and Georgia is next with $598,518.

• The 2013 Bulldog Open is slated for Friday, Sept. 6, at the UGA Golf Course. Call (706) 369-6066 for information on fielding a team and/or becoming a sponsor.

• UGA graduate Tony Parker has an interesting job in Scotland. Read about it here.

• A reminder that this is YOUR blog. If you have any news you want to share, please do so by emailing Denise Saliba (dsaliba@sports.uga.edu).

Henley, Watson Are Top Dogs At Greenbrier

Russell Henley hits out of the sand on No. 17 during the third round of the Greenbrier Classic Saturday.

Russell Henley and Bubba Watson tied for 30th at the Greenbrier Classic on Sunday to wind up as the top Bulldogs in the field.

Henley and Watson each wound up at 5-under for the tournament. Brian Harman placed 65th at 1-over, while Erik Compton and Justin Bolli missed the cut.

The PGA TOUR stops this week at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill. Bolli, Compton, Harris English, Harman, Chris Kirk and Brendon Todd are in the field.

• The Web.com Tour resumes its schedule with the Utah Championship in Sandy, Utah. Scheduled to participate are Paul Claxton, Ryuji Imada, Kevin Kisner, Scott Parel, Richard Scott and Hudson Swafford.

Jaime Lopez Rivarola

• Jaime Lopez Rivarola, a native of Argentina, has signed a national letter of intent with the Bulldogs. Lopez Rivarola is a graduate of St. John's High School in Pilar, Buenos Aires. He has been ranked first in the Under-18 rankings for Argentina for each of the past two years after placing fifth the year before. Lopez Rivarola has represented Argentina in amateur and junior tournaments in international competitions. In the past year, Lopez Rivarola has competed in tournaments in his native Argentina as well as the United States, Colombia, Venezuela, South Africa, Paraguay and England. Lopez Rivarola is scheduled to play later this month in the Cardinal Amateur in North Carolina and the Porter Cup and the U.S. Amateur qualifier in New York before arriving in Athens. Lopez Rivarola rounds out an incoming freshman class that includes Parker Derby of Columbus, Greyson Sigg of Augusta and Branson Davis of McKinney, Texas.

• The Rivals Cup not only has PGA TOUR standings but it now has added Web.com Tour standings. Heading into the John Deere Classic, the Bulldogs remain in second place behind Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have 4,755 FedExCup points, while the Bulldogs have 4,659. Using the Web.com Tour's money list, Pepperdine is first with $635,696 and Georgia is second with $551,627.

Todd Steps Up At AT&T National

Brendon Todd got into the AT&T National when Justin Rose withdrew.

Brendon Todd made the most of his opportunity at the AT&T National.

On Sunday, Todd, the winner of the Web.com Tour's Stadion Classic at UGA in Athens earlier this year, came in 13th in the AT&T National on Sunday at Congressional in Bethesda, Md., to wind up as the top Bulldog in the field.

Todd secured a berth in the tournament when U.S. Open champion Justin Rose withdrew. Todd was the event's first alternate and he earned more than $125,000.

Russell Henley, Harris English and Erik Compton were 34th at 1-over, while Justin Bolli, Chris Kirk and Brian Harman missed the cut.

• This week's PGA TOUR stop is the Greenbrier Classic in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Bolli, Compton, Harman, Henley and Bubba Watson are in the field with Todd listed as an alternate.

• In the Web.com Tour's United Leasing Championship in Newburgh, Ind., Richard Scott was 31st at even par, Ryuji Imada came in 42nd at 2-over, while Paul Claxton, Hudson Swafford and Kevin Kisner missed the cut. The Web.com Tour takes this week off.

• Rising senior Joey Garber was the top Bulldog in the Dogwood Amateur as he placed 10th at 10-under. He was followed by rising senior Keith Mitchell (15th, 9-under), signee Greyson Sigg (24th, 6-under) and signee Branson Davis (35th, 2-under).

• In The Rivals Cup race, Georgia and Georgia Tech are in the midst of a battle worthy of a Saturday in late November. The Bulldogs dropped back to No. 2 in this week's rankings with 4,578 points, with Tech taking over at No. 1 with 4,629. Both teams have two wins -- Henley and English for the Bulldogs and both by Matt Kuchar for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia has had nine formers earn FedEx Cup points this year while Georgia Tech has had eight.

• Did you know? The only other time two Bulldogs won on the PGA TOUR in the same year was 1990 when Chip Beck won the Buick Open and Tim Simpson took the Oldsmobile Classic.