The Georgia men’s golf team will conclude the fall portion of its 2015-16 schedule this weekend in the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational in Hawaii.
The Bulldogs and 17 other schools will play Friday through Sunday at Ka'anapali Golf Club’s Royal Ka'anapali Course (par 71, 6,700 yards) on Maui. The tournament will begin daily with a 1:30 p.m. EST shotgun start.
The Bulldogs will use a lineup of senior Lee McCoy, juniors Jaime Lopez Rivarola and Greyson Sigg, sophomore Zach Healy, and redshirt freshman Jack Larkin Jr. Redshirt freshman Matthew Beringer will make his collegiate debut playing as an individual.
McCoy leads the Bulldogs with a scoring average of 70.00, followed by Sigg – who The Carmel Cup title in September – at 70.67.
This will be the Bulldogs’ fifth and final fall event. Georgia was second in The Carmel Cup and the East Lake Cup, fourth in the DSG College Challenge Cup and sixth in the Nike Golf Collegiate Invitational.
“We’ve had a solid fall,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “We’ve been in the hunt in every tournament. Last fall, we played a pretty similar schedule and we had some finishes in the top 5 but also some in the bottom half. We’ve been more consistent this fall. We’re all excited about playing again in Hawaii. It’s a pretty nice way to wrap up things up.”
• As we mentioned, the Bulldogs went 1-1 to finish as the runner-up at the inaugural East Lake Cup on Tuesday at East Lake Golf Club. The Bulldogs dispatched 2015 SEC and NCAA champion LSU in the semifinals 3-1-1 in a contest that began on Monday and ended on Tuesday. Georgia then went toe-to-toe with Illinois, the nation's top-ranked team, before dropping a 3-1-1 decision. The championship match was decided on extra holes in the competition between Sigg and Illinois' Alex Burge. If Sigg had prevailed, McCoy was all square through 18 with Nick Hardy and also would have played extra holes.
"I am extremely proud of the way our guys played this week," Haack said. "We may not have won the trophy, but we learned a lot about ourselves. We were in situations where the blood was pumping and the nerves were there and we responded positively more often than not. We know we were right there with a chance to win. As a coach, that's all you ever ask of your team."
• The East Lake Cup was a made-for-TV event for the Golf Channel. At least one national radio personality was watching. Start listening at about the 30:50 mark.
• Defending champion Bubba Watson, Harris English, Kevin Kisner and Chris Kirk are in action this week in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China, while Brendon Todd is playing in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.
• In case you missed it, Kirk joined our friends at 960 The Ref in Athens recently. Listen to the interview here.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Bulldogs To Play In Inaugural East Lake Cup
The Georgia men's golf team will kick off a busy week Monday in the inaugural East Lake Cup at historic East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
The semifinalists (the Final Fore, if you will) from the 2015 NCAA Championships -- Georgia, LSU, Southern Cal and Illinois -- will compete in the match play event Monday and Tuesday. The women's tournament will feature Stanford, Baylor, Duke and Southern Cal.
Georgia will face LSU on Monday in a rematch of the 2015 national semifinals. Tee times are set from 11:55 a.m. though 1:15 p.m. The championship and consolation finals will be Tuesday. General admission to the East Lake Cup is free.
The Golf Channel will have live coverage from 2-5 p.m. each day and replays from 7-9 p.m. Monday and 6-9 p.m. Tuesday.
Four-fifths of the lineup for the Bulldogs at the 2015 NCAAs will be playing in the East Lake Cup -- seniors Lee McCoy and Sepp Straka, junior Greyson Sigg and sophomore Zach Healy. Junior Jaime Lopez Rivarola earned the fifth spot for the event.
On Monday, Lopez Rivarola will take on Brandon Pierce, Straka will meet Sam Burns, Healy will face Zach Wright, Sigg will play Nathan Jeansonne, and McCoy will go up again Eric Ricard. Wright, Pierce and Ricard were in the lineup for the Tigers at the NCAAs last year.
The winners of the two semifinal matches will meet in Tuesday’s championship match at 11:45 a.m., while there will be a consolation match at 10:05 a.m.
"We are really pleased to be part of the East Lake Cup," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "As members of East Lake, it means a great deal to us to be a part of the inaugural event. Making it to the national semifinals last season was a point of pride for our program, so it's nice that we get to relive that feeling and be recognized for it. I think this event is a great idea and we could not be happier about being involved in the first one."
East Lake is the home of several elite events, including the Tour Championship. The East Lake Cup will benefit the East Lake Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to helping families build better lives and children reach their highest potential through its holistic approach to community revitalization incorporating mixed-income housing, cradle-to-college education and community wellness.
Following the East Lake Cup, the Bulldogs will depart for Hawaii to participate in the Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic Friday through Sunday.
• Keith Mitchell demonstrated the type of man he is recently with a heartfelt email to PGA Tour Latinoamérica President Jack Warfield. Read it here.
• Adam Mitchell has decided to give pro golf another shot. Read about his journey here.
• Brian Harman, Hudson Swafford, Harris English and Kevin Kisner will be competing in the CIMB Classic in Malaysia this week.
• Henley was the top Bulldog in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open last week as he came in 10th at 13-under. Kisner placed 25th at 9-under and Harman was 56th at 3-under. Swafford and Erik Compton missed the cut.
The semifinalists (the Final Fore, if you will) from the 2015 NCAA Championships -- Georgia, LSU, Southern Cal and Illinois -- will compete in the match play event Monday and Tuesday. The women's tournament will feature Stanford, Baylor, Duke and Southern Cal.
Georgia will face LSU on Monday in a rematch of the 2015 national semifinals. Tee times are set from 11:55 a.m. though 1:15 p.m. The championship and consolation finals will be Tuesday. General admission to the East Lake Cup is free.
The Golf Channel will have live coverage from 2-5 p.m. each day and replays from 7-9 p.m. Monday and 6-9 p.m. Tuesday.
Four-fifths of the lineup for the Bulldogs at the 2015 NCAAs will be playing in the East Lake Cup -- seniors Lee McCoy and Sepp Straka, junior Greyson Sigg and sophomore Zach Healy. Junior Jaime Lopez Rivarola earned the fifth spot for the event.
On Monday, Lopez Rivarola will take on Brandon Pierce, Straka will meet Sam Burns, Healy will face Zach Wright, Sigg will play Nathan Jeansonne, and McCoy will go up again Eric Ricard. Wright, Pierce and Ricard were in the lineup for the Tigers at the NCAAs last year.
The winners of the two semifinal matches will meet in Tuesday’s championship match at 11:45 a.m., while there will be a consolation match at 10:05 a.m.
"We are really pleased to be part of the East Lake Cup," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "As members of East Lake, it means a great deal to us to be a part of the inaugural event. Making it to the national semifinals last season was a point of pride for our program, so it's nice that we get to relive that feeling and be recognized for it. I think this event is a great idea and we could not be happier about being involved in the first one."
East Lake is the home of several elite events, including the Tour Championship. The East Lake Cup will benefit the East Lake Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to helping families build better lives and children reach their highest potential through its holistic approach to community revitalization incorporating mixed-income housing, cradle-to-college education and community wellness.
Following the East Lake Cup, the Bulldogs will depart for Hawaii to participate in the Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic Friday through Sunday.
• Keith Mitchell demonstrated the type of man he is recently with a heartfelt email to PGA Tour Latinoamérica President Jack Warfield. Read it here.
• Adam Mitchell has decided to give pro golf another shot. Read about his journey here.
• Brian Harman, Hudson Swafford, Harris English and Kevin Kisner will be competing in the CIMB Classic in Malaysia this week.
• Henley was the top Bulldog in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open last week as he came in 10th at 13-under. Kisner placed 25th at 9-under and Harman was 56th at 3-under. Swafford and Erik Compton missed the cut.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Macpherson Notches 2nd Win In 4 Weeks
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| Bryden Macpherson |
Since returning to China, Macpherson's game has come together, with his two victories and a tie for third in his four starts.
“I think I played this well on the Web.com Tour in pieces,” Macpherson said. “I played really well on Thursday and Friday on the Web.com Tour, and sometimes Saturday morning. But by the ninth hole on Saturday, I would start to drop off. I didn’t feel comf
ortable. I played (in China) last year, and I felt comfortable because I knew how I could play for 72 holes. On the Web.com Tour, I would sometimes get in my own way and stop myself because I didn’t feel that comfortable. Now, I feel very comfortable about going back and playing the Web.com Tour next year.”
The win Sunday was his eighth top-10 in his last nine Series starts and his ninth in 14 career events.
• In case you missed it, Bubba Watson made a big family announcement last week. The two-time Masters champion announced in 2014 that he and Angie were in the process of adopting a second child. On Christmas Eve later that year, Watson announced that the couple had adopted Dakota as their second child. The 36-year-old cautioned at the time, though, that the adoption was not final. A near 10 months later, Watson can now officially say: Welcome to the family, Dakota!
• Hudson Swafford was the top Bulldog at the Frys.com Open in California in 17th place at 10-under. Erik Compton and Brendon Todd were 26th at 9-under, while Russell Henley was 41st at 6-under. Chris Kirk fell into the MDF (made the cut, but did not finish) category and Brian Harman missed the cut.
• Compton, Harman, Henley, Kirk, Swafford and Todd all will be in action this week in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas.
• Keith Mitchell finished fourth in the Mundo Maya Open in Mexico on the LatinoAmerica Tour.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Kirk, Watson Help U.S. Retain Presidents Cup
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| United States' Chris Kirk, right, celebrates after sinking a putt on 18 to defeat Anirban Lahiri of India |
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| United States' Bubba Watson exchanges a kiss with his wife Angie. |
"I have to give credit to Chris for making that putt," Lahiri said. "These things are scripted, I guess. And I wasn't in the script."
Watch Kirk's putt here (scroll down on the page).
That was Kirk's only point of the week for the United States, but it probably made the difference in the U.S. victory.
Watson rolled up three points as he won four-ball and a foursome matches with J.B. Holmes and he halved his singles match and a foursome match.
To view the post-match press conference, including Kirk, please click here.
• Believe it or not, the 2015-16 PGA Tour season gets under way Thursday at the Frys.com Open. Kirk, Hudson Swafford, Brendon Todd, Russell Henley, Erik Compton and Brian Harman are in the field.
• Our friends from GeorgiaDogs.com stopped by the Lettermen's Tournament recently and posted this video.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
McCoy, Sigg Shine In Nike Invitational
Buoyed by top-5 efforts from senior Lee McCoy and junior Greyson Sigg, the eighth-ranked Georgia men's golf team came in sixth on Tuesday in the Nike Golf Collegiate Invitational at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club.
McCoy finished third at 11-under 204, while Sigg was one shot back in fourth at 10-under 205. Texas' Beau Hossler claimed the top spot at 18-under 197.
The Bulldogs closed Tuesday with a 2-under 286 to wind up at 14-under 846. Wake Forest took team honors at 823, followed by Duke and Southern Cal both at 826 and Texas and Stanford each at 834.
McCoy paced the Bulldogs in the final round with a 4-under 68. Sigg added a 3-under 69, while sophomore Zach Healy posted a 2-over 74 and junior Jaime Lopez Rivarola signed for a 3-over 75. Senior Sepp Straka had Georgia's non-counting score of 6-over 78.
Healy landed at 2-over 217 for the tournament, followed by Lopez Rivarola at 6-over 221 and Straka at 9-over 224.
"Lee and Greyson were solid players for us all week," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "They've been playing well this fall, so it's no surprise they did what they did. Our team had a few chances we didn't take advantage of, but we had plenty of good things happen that we can build on moving forward."
The Bulldogs will return to action Nov. 2-3 in the East Lake Cup in Atlanta.
• Chris Kirk and Bubba Watson will be competing for the United States in the Presidents Cup in South Korea this week. Watson and J.B. Holmes will be paired in Thursday's foursomes matches and they will take on Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama.
• Chris Kirk and Bubba Watson will be competing for the United States in the Presidents Cup in South Korea this week. Watson and J.B. Holmes will be paired in Thursday's foursomes matches and they will take on Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Bulldogs Playing In Nike Invite Next Week
The Georgia men's golf team will be back in action Sunday through Tuesday in the Nike Invitational at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Oregon. The Bulldogs will be joined by Washington, Oregon, Southern Cal, Oklahoma, TCU, Duke, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Arizona.
• The Bulldogs came in fourth in the stroke play portion of the DICK'S Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup. The Bulldogs fired a final-round 4-over 288 at the Golf Club of Tennessee to land at 8-over 860. Vanderbilt took top honors at 3-under 849, topping Virginia in a sudden-death playoff. Zach Healy finished 16th at 2-over 215, 10 shots in back of Alabama's Robby Shelton (8-under 205). Lee McCoy followed at 3-over 216, while Greyson Sigg came in at 4-over 217, Sepp Straka wound up at 5-over 218 and Jaime Lopez Rivarola had a 12-over 225.
In the match play portion, McCoy won his match and Lopez Rivarola squared his as Georgia went 1.5-3.5 against Florida State. The ACC nipped the SEC 15.5-14.5 to retain the Challenge Cup. The ACC leads the series with the SEC 2-1.
• Bubba Watson was the top Bulldog at the Tour Championship, coming in fifth at 4-under. Harris English took 22nd at 5-over and Kevin Kisner placed 28th at 18-over.
• Keith Mitchell had his largest payday as a professional, pocketing more than $15,000 in the PGA Tour's Latinoamerica Aberto do Brasil. Mitchell and Kent Bulle were topped by Alexandre Rocha in a playoff that last seven holes.
• The Bulldogs came in fourth in the stroke play portion of the DICK'S Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup. The Bulldogs fired a final-round 4-over 288 at the Golf Club of Tennessee to land at 8-over 860. Vanderbilt took top honors at 3-under 849, topping Virginia in a sudden-death playoff. Zach Healy finished 16th at 2-over 215, 10 shots in back of Alabama's Robby Shelton (8-under 205). Lee McCoy followed at 3-over 216, while Greyson Sigg came in at 4-over 217, Sepp Straka wound up at 5-over 218 and Jaime Lopez Rivarola had a 12-over 225.
In the match play portion, McCoy won his match and Lopez Rivarola squared his as Georgia went 1.5-3.5 against Florida State. The ACC nipped the SEC 15.5-14.5 to retain the Challenge Cup. The ACC leads the series with the SEC 2-1.
• Bubba Watson was the top Bulldog at the Tour Championship, coming in fifth at 4-under. Harris English took 22nd at 5-over and Kevin Kisner placed 28th at 18-over.
• Keith Mitchell had his largest payday as a professional, pocketing more than $15,000 in the PGA Tour's Latinoamerica Aberto do Brasil. Mitchell and Kent Bulle were topped by Alexandre Rocha in a playoff that last seven holes.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
3 Bulldogs In Final 29 At Tour Championship
• The FedExCup Playoffs will conclude this week with the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. The top 29 players (down from 30 after Jim Furyk withdrew Tuesday) are in the field, including Bulldogs Harris English, Kevin Kisner and Bubba Watson. English will tee off at 11:40 a.m. on Thursday, followed by Kisner at 12:40 p.m. and Watson at 1:40 p.m.
• The Bulldogs will return to action Friday through Sunday in the DICK'S Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup in Kingston Springs, Tenn. Georgia, which won the inaugural event in 2014, will use a lineup of seniors Lee McCoy and Sepp Straka, juniors Jaime Lopez Rivarola and Greyson Sigg, and sophomore Zach Healy.
• Erik Compton was recognized at last Saturday's football game between Georgia and South Carolina. The two-time heart transplant recipient has partnered with Donate Life America and Genentech on the “Play Through with Erik Compton” campaign to raise awareness of organ donations and urge fans to become organ donors. For more information, visit donatelife.net.
• Thanks to everyone who participated in the 17th annual Bulldog Open last week at the UGA Golf Course. Our program has reached national elite status due to everyone who is involved with the Tee-Off Club. The overall (and afternoon) winners were Skip Evans, Scott Brown, David Robinson and John Tillery. David Guhde, Chris Maxwell, Chase Young and Willis Dobbs won the morning flight. The runner-up teams were Kevin Shields, Michael Murphree, Scott Spayed and Trent Harrell in the morning and Tom Dudley, Charlie Land, Jimmy Rigsby and Johnny McGoogan in the afternoon. The closest to the hole winners were Clem McDavid (3), Palmer Bush (8), Bonneau Ansley (13) and David Robinson (16).
• Reminder that The Golf Lettermen's Four Ball Tournament will be held Friday, Oct. 2, at the UGA Golf Course. Contact Denise at dsaliba@sports.uga.edu or 706-369-6066 for more information.
• Vinny Giles, Jack Hall and John Gibbs will be competing this week in the U.S. Senior Amateur in New Jersey.
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| Erik Compton acknowledges the Sanford Stadium crowd. |
• Erik Compton was recognized at last Saturday's football game between Georgia and South Carolina. The two-time heart transplant recipient has partnered with Donate Life America and Genentech on the “Play Through with Erik Compton” campaign to raise awareness of organ donations and urge fans to become organ donors. For more information, visit donatelife.net.
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| John Tillery, Scott Brown, David Robinson and Skip Evans. |
• Reminder that The Golf Lettermen's Four Ball Tournament will be held Friday, Oct. 2, at the UGA Golf Course. Contact Denise at dsaliba@sports.uga.edu or 706-369-6066 for more information.
• Vinny Giles, Jack Hall and John Gibbs will be competing this week in the U.S. Senior Amateur in New Jersey.
