Sept. 28, 2008
ATLANTA – David Dragoo shot an even-par 71 Sunday to pace Georgia Tech and is tied for 14th place individually, while the Yellow Jackets are tied for ninth, 14 strokes off the lead, after the first round of the PING/Golfweek Preview Classic in Toledo, Ohio.
Dragoo, a senior from Scottsdale, Ariz., who was making his fifth straight start for Tech, overcame a stretch of three bogeys in four holes in the front side to post his sixth round of par or better in his last 12. He is five shots off the lead of 2007 NCAA Champion Jamie Lovemark of Southern California (66 Sunday). Thirteen golfers beat par at the 7,255-yard Inverness Club, site of next spring’s NCAA Division I Championship.
See complete results and Monday tee times
Meanwhile, Chesson Hadley shot 74, Cameron Tringale 75 and James White 76 as Tech posted a 12-over-par team total of 296. The Yellow Jackets are in a tie with Texas A&M and Charlotte and trail Oklahoma State (2-under 282 Sunday) by 14 shots.
“David had another solid round for us, and I’m extremely happy with the way he is playing,” said head coach Bruce Heppler. “He’s managing his game very well. We have to get better play from some of our other players in order to compete with the top teams that are here. The course is very challenging, and it’s a great opportunity to learn how to manage your game around the course.”
White, a true freshman from Acworth, Ga., bogeyed five holes without a birdie in his collegiate debut.
Tennessee is in second place at even-par 284, followed by Southern California (286), Georgia (290) and Florida (291) in the top five. Arizona State (292) is in sixth, followed by Alabama and Clemson (294).
The Preview Classic, annually held at the site of the upcoming NCAA Championship, features 13 of the nation’s top 25 teams in one of the fall season’s premier events.
PING/GOLFWEEK PREVIEW CLASSICInverness Club, Toledo, OhioFirst-Round Results
TEAM STANDINGS Oklahoma State, 282 (-2) Tennessee, 284 (E) Southern California, 286 (+2) Georgia, 290 (+6) Florida, 291 (+7) Arizona State, 292 (+8) Alabama, 294 (+10) Clemson, 294 (+10) Charlotte, 296 (+12) Georgia Tech, 296 (+12) Texas A&M, 296 (+12) Florida State, 299 (+15) Kent State, 299 (+15) Tennessee-Chattanooga, 299 (+15) Toledo, 314 (+30)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Jamie Lovemark, Southern California, 66 (-5) Andres Echevarria, Florida, 68 (-3) Rickie Fowler, Oklahoma State, 68 (-3) Cameron Lawrence, Tennessee, 68 (-3) Morgan Hoffman, Oklahoma State, 69 (-2) Kyle Stanley, Clemson, 69 (-2) Robin Wingardh, Tennessee, 69 (-2) Five tied at 70 (-1)
GEORGIA TECH SCORES T14 David Dragoo, 72 (E) T30 Chesson Hadley, 74 (+2) T34 Cameron Tringale, 75 (+3) T44 James White, 76 (+4) T56 John-Tyler Griffin, 77 (+5)
