April 9, 2014
Official Masters Tournament website | Roberto Castro | Stewart Cink | Matt Kuchar | Larry Mize
THE FLATS – Roberto Castro, Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar and Larry Mize make up the Georgia Tech alumni contingent competing in the 78th Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.
The four entries ties for the most from any one institution in the nation. Castro, 28, is playing in the Masters for the first time after qualifying for the Tour Championship last season. The other three have combined for 53 Masters appearances and 34 cuts made in those appearances.
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.
Mize, an Augusta native playing in his 31st 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 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvQa4fbETKU.
Cink (class of 1995) finished third in the 2008 Masters, while Kuchar’s top finish was third place in 2012. They have combined for 23 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 six times on Tour, including the Accenture Match Play championship and the Memorial Tournament last year, 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.
Kuchar is currently ranked 15th in FedEx Cup points and is No. 7 in the Official World Golf ranking, having finishes fourth and second in the last two events on tour, the Valero Texas Open and the Shell Houston Open.
Cink begins his opening round at 7:45 a.m. Thursday with Tim Clark, immediately after the honorary starters Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player hit their shots. Castro tees off at 9:02 a.m. with Mike Weir and Matt Every, while Mize is paired with Branden Grace and Michael McCoy at 11:14 a.m., and Kuchar plays with Louis Oosthuizen and Thongchai Jaidee at 12:20 p.m.
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.
