April 12, 2013
THE FLATS – To fill the three-week void between its last tournament and the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in late April, Georgia Tech has scheduled a pair of dual matches in the next two weeks, first against South Carolina Saturday at East Lake Golf Club.
The 8th-ranked Yellow Jackets and the No. 31 Gamecocks, coached by former Tech All-American Bill McDonald, will square off in a match-play format in which six golfers from each team will play individual matches against each other. Each match will count one point for his team.
The same format will be in effect next Friday, April 19, when the Jackets and 12th-ranked TCU will battle at the Capital City Club – Crabapple Course in Alpharetta, Ga., site of the NCAA Division I Golf Championship in late May.
NOTE: Saturday’s match at East Lake Golf Club is closed to the public.
In preparing to finalize the Tech lineup and defend its ACC title, head coach Bruce Heppler will send out sophomores Ollie Schniederjans and Anders Albertson, juniors Bo Andrews and Seth Reeves and freshmen Shun Yat Hak and Michael Hines against the Gamecocks Saturday.
“We needed to schedule something in between so our players could stay active and competitive without going on the road,” said Heppler. “We’re playing two very, very good teams on good golf courses without missing any class. The bonus is we get to play match play. The guys like it, and it’s good preparation not only for the NCAA Championship if we get to that point but for amateur events in the summer.”
Schniederjans (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Albertson (Woodstock, Ga.) have played in every tournament for the Yellow Jackets this year and rank 1-2 on the team in scoring average (71.8). They have combined for seven top-10 finishes and rank 24th and 41st, respectively, in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index. Albertson tied for sixth at the Gary Koch Invitational last weekend.
Andrews (Raleigh, N.C.) made a big push for the Yellow Jackets earlier this week when he tied for medalist honors at the Gary Koch with a 9-under-par total of 207, his first career victory and his best 54-hole score. He closed with a 6-under-par 66 to forge the tie.
Hak (Lake Mary, Fla.) notched his first top-10 finish (tie for 8th) with a middle-round 66 that left him with a 3-under-par total of 213 in just his second tournament as a counting member of the Tech travel team.
“We have to get some help throughout our lineup and have multiple guys competing for the individual portion of the tournament in order for us to compete for team titles,” said Heppler. “For Bo to win that tournament was terrific, and Jason (Hal) was leading after two rounds. That’s how you have to play with the nation’s best, have everybody on your team competing individually for the title.”
Hines (Acworth, Ga.) has a 73.4 average over 17 rounds this year, fourth on the team, while Reeves (Duluth, Ga.) has three top-20 finishes and a 74.0 average over 23 rounds.
