Georgia Tech #ProJackets Golf Report

THE FLATS – Seth Reeves challenges for another victory on the Korn Ferry Tour but comes up short … PGA Tour season ends for Matt Kuchar and Richy Werenski, but the U.S. Open awaits for both … Andy Ogletree in field for LocaliQ Series … More below in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.

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PGA TOUR UPDATE

The 2019-20 PGA Tour season came to a close for Matt Kuchar and Richy Werenski, neither posting a strong enough performance last weekend to join the 30-man field for this week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

Werenski tied for 20^th place at last weekend’s BMW Championship outside of Chicago, finishing the 2020 campaign in 39^th place in FedEx Cup points, the best performance of his career to date. Kuchar slipped to 62^nd place in points after his tie for 59^th place at the BMW, with his wife, Sybi, on his bag after Kuchar split with his longtime caddie, John Woods.

It is only the second time in 11 years that Kuchar has missed playing at East Lake, but the nine-time PGA Tour winner is in the field for the U.S. Open on Sept. 17-20 and the Masters in November. Werenski also has a spot in the 144-player U.S. Open field.

PGA Tour leaderboard

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KORN FERRY TOUR UPDATE

Last weekend’s Korn Ferry Tour Championship did not signal the end of the 2020 season as it usually does. The wrap-around season continues the next five weeks with four events rescheduled from the spring and one new tournament in October.

Seth Reeves made a bid for his second Korn Ferry Tour victory in the last month, holding a share of the lead after 36 holes, but wound up in a tie for third place at 16-under-par 272. After missing six straight curs coming out of the Covid-19 shutdown, Reeves has a win, a tie for 18^th and a tie for third in his last five events, moving up to 13^th in the current Korn Ferry Tour points standings.

Continuing his strong play since the return to golf was Ollie Schniederjans, who tied for 12^th place at 12-under-par 276. With four top-10 finishes since the resumption of play, Schniederjans has advanced to 28th place in points.

After a streak of five missed cuts, J.T. Griffin has rebounded with ties for 37^th and 42^nd places in the last two weeks. He shot 6-under 282 at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship and ranks 58^th in points. Paul Haley II missed the cut and slipped to No. 30.

Anders Albertson took last week off but returns this week to the site of his 2018 title at the Lincoln Land Championship in Springfield, Mo. Griffin also is in the field, while Nicholas Thompson returns to action after a week off and PGA Tour rookie Vincent Whaley joins them. Reeves and Haley are idle.

Korn Ferry leaderboard

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LOCALiQ SERIES UPDATE

The LOCALiQ Series is leaving the Peach State behind for Alabama and this week’s Invitational at Auburn University Club. Tournament action begins Tuesday. Concluding this week is The Southern Company Swing, with only two players still in the running for the $7,500 first prize based on the Race to The Bahamas Points Standings. The Southern Company Swing rewards the player who accumulates the most points in the Series’ first four tournaments. The second-place finisher will walk away with $2,500, courtesy of the Southern Company.

Chris Petefish, though not in the running for the Southern Company prizes, has tied for 23^rd, seventh and 47^th in the three events played so far, and sits 19^th in the points standings. This week he is joined in the field by 2020 graduate Andy Ogletree, the only amateur in the field. Ogletree, who has berths in the fields for the U.S. Open Sept. 17-20 and the Masters in November by virtue of his 2019 U.S. Amateur triumph, has played in three PGA TOUR events in 2020, missing the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge, the RBC Heritage and the Memorial Tournament.

The LocaliQ Series, the U.S.-based tournament series designed for members of the PGA Tours in Canada, Latino America and China, has four remaining events, culminating in the LocaliQ Series Championship at Nassau, Bahamas in late October.

LocaliQ Series Leaderboard

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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS UPDATE

Larry Mize tied for 59^th at the Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National last weekend, only the fourth event since the senior tour resumed competition. The former Masters champion posted 2-under-par 211 and sits at 59^th in Schwab Cup points. The tour is off until mid-September when it resumes South Dakota.

Champions Tour Leaderboard

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U.S. OPEN UPDATE

Four Yellow Jackets – Chesson Hadley, Matt Kuchar, Andy Ogletree (a) and Richy Werenski – will be in the 144-player field for the 120^th U.S. Open Championship, which will be held Sept. 17-20 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

The United States Golf Association is building its field entirely on exemptions, with no qualifying held this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Monday, the USGA announced the addition of 16 competitors – five from the recently completed three-tournament series on the Korn Ferry Tour and eleven based on the Official World Golf Ranking – bringing the field to 139 players. Five more slots will be filled in the coming weeks.

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#PROJACKETS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

A pretty cool story here! @CharlieRymerPGA spoke with some World Am participants who have played in all 37 events.

Good luck this week!#MBWorldAm #MyrtleBeachGolf pic.twitter.com/fMle0oXxbv

— Myrtle Beach Golf (@MyrtleBeachGolf) August 30, 2020

Never a doubt. 🐦@seth_reeves is just three back after sinking a deep birdie on No. 17. pic.twitter.com/BjXxKCSsnD

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) August 29, 2020

That’s good luck, right @seth_reeves? 🦌 pic.twitter.com/zZb3L9k92d

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) August 29, 2020

UPCOMING EVENTS (subject to change)

• PGA Tour:  Tour Championship • September 4-7, 2020 • East Lake Golf Club • Atlanta, Ga. • Purse: $10,000,000
• Korn Ferry Tour:  Lincoln Land Championship • September 3-6, 2020 • Panther Creek Country Club • Springfield, Ill. • Purse: $600,000
• PGA Tour Champions:  Sanford International • September 11-13, 2020 • Minnehaha Country Club • Sioux Falls, S.D. • Purse: $1,800,000
• LocaliQ Series:  The Invitational at Auburn University • September 1-3, 2020 • Auburn University Club • Auburn, Ala.
• All Pro Tour:  Sand Creek Championship • September 15-17, 2020 • Sand Creek Station Golf Club • Newton, Kan. • Purse: $120,000
• G Pro Tour:  Columbia Open • September 16-18, 2020 • Columbia Country Club • Blythewood, S.C.
• SwingThought Tour:  ST15/Sandpiper • September 9-10, 2020 • Sandpiper Golf Club • Santa Barbara, Calif.