April 9, 2013
THE FLATS – Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar and Larry Mize make up the Georgia Tech alumni contingent competing in the 77th Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.
The tournament begins Thursday with the first two rounds televised on ESPN and the weekend rounds on CBS. Georgia Tech has a long association with professional golf’s first major and with Augusta National, dating back to the legendary Bobby Jones (class of 1922) co-founding the club in 1933 and the tournament in 1934.
Tech’s three alums in the field ties the most for any college program with Oklahoma State. Florida, Georgia, Illinois, LSU, NC State, Stanford, UNLV and Wake Forest each have two.
Mize, an Augusta native playing in his 30th Masters, hit one of the most memorable shots in the tournament’s history, chipping in from 140 feet on No. 11, the second playoff hole, to prevail over Greg Norman in the 1987 Masters. He currently competes on the Champions Tour.
Here is a link to a video of that shot.
Cink (class of 1995) finished third in the 2008 Masters, while Kuchar’s top finish was third place in 2012. They have combined for 21 Masters appearances.
Cink, a six-time winner on the PGA Tour, is exempt into the tournament based on his 2009 British Open championship. Kuchar (class of 2000) has won five times on Tour, including the Players Championship in 2012, and holds a current Official World Golf Ranking of No. 10. He played in his first Masters Tournament in 1998 after winning the 1997 U.S. Amateur Championship.
Official Masters Tournament profiles for all three players appear below.
