Nov. 24, 2013
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech All-Americans Anders Albertson and Ollie Schniederjans are among 21 of the nation’s top collegiate golfers who will compete in the Western Refining All-American Golf Classic Monday and Tuesday at the El Paso Country Club in El Paso, Texas.
Follow Anders Albertson @AndersAlbertson | Follow Ollie Schniederjans @ollie_GT
The field includes 17 of the top 100 amateur golfers in the world, according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings, including the top-ranked amateur, Cory Whitsett (Alabama), and the 2013 National Player of the Year, Michael Kim (California). Whitsett will be making his third appearance at the All-American Classic, he won the event in 2011.
Aside from Whitsett, the roster includes three other returning All-Americans from last year’s event. The top-four rated teams in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Alabama, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State and California, all have two players in this year’s field.
Both Tech players were named third-team All-Americans in 2013 and were ranked among the nation’s top 20 individuals by both Golfstat and the Golfweek/Sagarin Index. They led Tech to the semifinals of the match play portion of the NCAA Championship and a runner-up finish to California in the stroke play portion.
Schniederjans, a junior from Powder Springs, Ga., is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation by Golfstat and No. 2 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index after posting two victories and finishing in the top five of Tech’s other two tournaments this fall. Albertson, a junior from Woodstock, Ga., is ranked No. 21 by Golfstat and No. 36 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rating after finishing in the top five of two events and the top 20 in the other two.
Albertson played in the tournament last year as a sophomore, and the Yellow Jackets have had a player in the field virtually every year. Three Tech golfers have captured the title in the history of the event – David Duval (1991), Matt Kuchar (1999) and Nicholas Thompson (2004).
Throughout the years, many Sun Bowl Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic competitors have gone on to pursue successful careers in the Professional Golfers’ Association of America and on the PGA Tour. Some of the past champions include Webb Simpson (2007), Ricky Barnes (2000), Notah Begay (1994), David Duval (1991), Matt Kuchar (1999), Davis Love III (1984), Chris Nallen (2003), Jerry Pate (1974), Nicholas Thompson (2004) and Tiger Woods (1995).
Alumni of the Golf Classic have gone on to earn more than $1.6 billion and win 617 events on the PGA Tour. In all, 145 colleges and universities have participated in the tournament, raising over $730,000 in scholarship money for the participating institutions.
Each university represented by the Western Refining College All-Americans will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
About Georgia Tech Golf
Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 19th year under head coach Bruce Heppler. The Yellow Jackets have won 14 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 26 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up four times.
Connect with Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on Twitter (@GT_Golf). For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
