Georgia Tech #ProJackets Golf Report

March 27, 2018

THE FLATS – Matt Kuchar, a longtime success in match play, sailed through the round-robin portion of the Dell Technologies Match Play event last weekend … Troy Matteson came out of semi-retirement to have a solid weekend in the Dominican Republic … Vincent Whaley begins qualifying for MacKenzie Tour … this and more in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.

Kuchar has enjoyed a long career of success in match play events, beginning with his 1997 U.S. Amateur championship and eight appearances in Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup competition. It looked as if he was primed to challenge for the title last weekend at the Dell Technologies Match Play Championship, the second World Golf Championships event of the season in Austin, Texas.

The seven-time PGA Tour champion went 2-0-1 in the round-robin portion of the event, defeating Ross Fisher and Yuta Ikeda, and halving his match with Zach Johnson. His round 3 victory over Fisher was a runaway, a 6-and-4 triumph that included a hole-in-one (see video below). But the 2000 Tech graduate was eliminated in the first knockoff round (round of 16) by Kevin Kisner. Kisner got the upper hand on the first hole and led twice by two holes, but Kuchar stayed close and did not succumb until the 18th hole, when Kisner clinched a 1-up victory with a birdie.

In the third round of the 2018 World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play, Matt Kuchar holes a 182-yard tee shot for ace on the par-3 7th hole.

Following a victory over Ross Fisher in his Round 3 match in the 2018 World Golf Championships – Dell Technologies Match Play, Matt Kuchar talks about his ace on the 7th hole.

Kuchar, the only Yellow Jacket alumnus currently in the field for the Masters Tournament next week, continued his preparation this week in the Houston Open in Humble, Texas, where Chesson Hadley, Cameron Tringale (missed cut at the Corales event) and Werenski are also in the field.

Troy Matteson, semi-retired from competitive golf, earned a spot in last weekend’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, played in the Dominican Republic opposite the World Golf Championship event. He made the most of it, tying for 19th place and earning $39,000. The 2002 NCAA Champion opened with a 66 and was high on the leaderboard after a third-round 68 before finishing with a 72 Sunday. Richy Werenski also made the cut, tying for 45th place.

Web.com Tour: Anders Albertson (No. 50 in Web.com earnings) was the only Yellow Jacket to make the cut at last weekend’s Chitimacha Louisiana Open, posting a 4-under-par total of 280 to tie for 48th place. Seth Reeves (No. 54) and Nicholas Thompson (No. 109) both missed the cut. The trio plus Roberto Castro (No. 86) come to Savannah, Ga., this week for the Savannah Golf Championship.

Champions Tour: Larry Mize tied for 65th at last weekend’s Raspican Systems Classic in Biloxi, Miss., with a 10-over-par score of 226. The Champions Tour is off the next two weekend before coming to TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga., for the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, where Mize and former Tech All-American Charlie Rymer will compete. MacKenzie Tour: Vincent Whaley, who graduated from Tech last spring, began qualifying for the PGA Tour’s Canadian circuit Tuesday in the tour’s Q-school event at the TPC Sawgrass Dye’s Valley course in Ponte Vedra, Fla. It is one of four 72-hole qualifying tournaments the tour conducts in the United States between now and the end of April. The tour schedule begins in late May.

UPCOMING EVENTS

PGA Tour: Houston Open • March 29-April 1, 2018 • Golf Club of Houston • Humble, Texas • Purse: $7,000,000 • FedExCup Points: 500
Web.com Tour: Savannah Golf Championship • March 29-April 1, 2018 • Landings Club — Deer Creek Golf Club • Savannah, Ga. • Purse: $550,000
PGA Tour Champions: Mitsubishi Electric Classic • April 13-15, 2018 • TPC Sugarloaf • Duluth, Ga. • Purse: $1,800,000
Mackenzie Tour:qualifying tournaments in United States in March and April