Five Yellow Jackets are set to begin the FedEx Cup playoffs this week at The Northern Trust … Anders Albertson and Roberto Castro hold position and lock up their PGA Tour cards for 2018-19 … Chris Petefish and Vincent Whaley continue solid campaigns … This and more in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.
Five former Georgia Tech golfers begin competition in the FedEx Cup playoffs this week with an eye on coming home to play in the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Stewart Cink, Chesson Hadley, Matt Kuchar, Ollie Schniederjans and Richy Werenski are among the 125 players in the field for The Northern Trust at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. It is the first of four events in the playoff structure that ends with the Tour Championship Sept. 20-23 at East Lake Golf Club, where Cink is a member.
The top 100 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings will advance to the Dell Technologies Championship next week outside of Boston, Mass., and the top 70 will make it to the BMW Championship, Sept. 6-9, outside of Philadelphia, Pa. After a week break, the top 30 descend upon Atlanta for the Tour Championship. Making it to Atlanta brings with it invitations to the 2019 PGA Championship, Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship, as well as the World Golf Championships events.
Hadley currently is the only one of the five currently inside the top 30, sitting at No. 24 and looking for his first appearance in the Tour Championship. Cink, ranked No. 58 and in position to reach the third week, has not played in the Tour Championship since 2009, when he finished 15th in the FedEx Cup race. Kuchar, ranked No. 64, has qualified for the Tour Championship the last eight years, finishing second in the Fed Ex Cup race in 2013 and fourth in 2014. Schniederjans is No. 87 and Werenski No. 101 in the standings entering the playoffs.
All but Cink and Kuchar, who both took the week off, made the cut at the Wyndham Championship, the last regular-season event. Hadley posted four rounds in the 60s and tied for 45th, while Werenski tied for 53rd after closing with a 64, and Schniederjans opened with a 64 on his way to a tie for 57th place.
Web.com Tour: The above-mentioned Tech fivesome on the PGA Tour will grow to seven for the 2018-19 season, when Anders Albertson and Roberto Castro join them when the fall portion of the schedule begins. Both finished in the top 25 of the regular-season money list and were officially awarded their Tour cards Sunday night following the regular-season finale, the WinCo Foods Portland Open.
In his third year on the Web.com Tour, Albertson broke through with a big second half, posting four top-10 finishes and a victory in the Lincoln Land Championship to wind up eighth on the money list. Albertson averaged 67.75 strokes over a 10-tournament stretch and finished eighth on the tour in season scoring average.
Castro graduated from the Web.com Tour for the second time, having done so in 2011 to launch a six-year run on the PGA Tour, where he earned more than $6.5 million and qualified for the Tour Championship in 2016. He lost his card after the 2017 campaign, but earned it back this season on the Web.com Tour by finishing 24th in earnings.
Seth Reeves, in his second year on the Web.com Tour, secured his status for 2019 and qualified for the Web.com Finals by finishing 66th in earnings (the top 75 earners qualify for the Finals and keep their privileges for the next season).
The Web.com Finals begins this week with the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Columbus, Ohio, and offers another opportunity to earn PGA Tour status. The top 75 earners from the regular season, as well as PGA Tour players ranked No. 126-200 in FedEx Cup points qualify to play in the four-event series.
The top 25 money earners over the four tournaments also are awarded PGA Tour cards. Cameron Tringale, who finished No. 195 in FedEx Cup points this season on the PGA Tour, kept his Tour card last year by finishing in the top 25 of Finals money.
Elsewhere: Chris Petefish, who played his first professional events after May graduation on the G Pro Tour, has earned three starts on the MacKenzie Tour (PGA Tour Canada) the last three weeks, and earned his best finish to date with a T16 at last weekend’s ATB Financial Classic … Vincent Whaley has finished second, T7, T14, T7, T3 and T12 in his last six Adams Pro Tour events and ranks eighth in earnings on that tour … Larry Mize has finished T17, T20 and T46 in his last three Champions Tour events on this side of the pond, and has moved up to 65th in Schwab Cup earnings.
UPCOMING EVENTS
PGA Tour: The Northern Trust • August 23-26, 2018 • Ridgewood Country Club • Paramus, N.J. • Purse: $9,000,000 • FedExCup Points: 2,000
Web.com Tour: Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship • August 23-26, 2018 • Ohio State University – Scarlet Course • Columbus, Ohio • Purse: $1,000,000
PGA Tour Champions: Boeing Classic • August 24-26, 2018 • The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge • Snoqualmie, Wash. • Purse: $2,100,000
Mackenzie Tour: Mackenzie Investments Open • September 6-9, 2018 • Elm Ridge Country Club (North course) • Montreal, Quebec • Purse: $200,000
PGA Tour China: Shuzhou Championship • Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 2018 • Jinji lake Golf Club • Shuzhou, China • Purse: n/a
Adams Pro Tour: Southside Bank Open • August 21-24, 2018 • Crown Colony Golf Club • Lufkin, Texas • Purse: $132,000
G Pro Tour: Wilmington Open • August 21-23, 2018 • River Landing (River Course) • Wilmington, N.C. • Purse: n/a
No. 8, from Atlanta, Georgia … @AndersAlbertson. pic.twitter.com/WUHoM1gPxi
— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) August 20, 2018
No. 24, from Atlanta, Georgia … Roberto Castro (@cicioCASTRO). pic.twitter.com/9BWpId0Isp
— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) August 20, 2018
For these guys, the path to the @PGATOUR is complete! 🎓 #TOURBound pic.twitter.com/oszZsKOAXa
— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) August 20, 2018
#ProJackets – Mourning the loss of one of our greats. Georgia Tech football and golfing great Bunky Henry passes away at age 74 … https://t.co/VhZUl8PmK2 pic.twitter.com/QioxraIagl
— Georgia Tech Golf (@GTGolf) August 21, 2018
| PLAYER | LAST WEEK | SEASON STATS | |
 | ANDERS ALBERTSON Woodstock, Ga. Turned pro: 2015 Career earnings: $400,964 Years at Georgia Tech: 2011-15 High School: Etowah Status: Web.com Tour | Last Week missed cut 69-74—143 (+1) | Money rank 8 Earnings $210,455 |
 | ROBERTO CASTRO Alpharetta, Ga. Turned pro: 2007 Career earnings: $7,298,828 (PGA + Web) Years at Georgia Tech: 2003-07 High School: Milton Status: Web.com Tour | Last Week T-48 69-70-71-70—280 (-4) | FedEx Cup Rank 23 Earnings $172,054 |
 | STEWART CINK Duluth, Ga. Turned pro: 1995 Career earnings: $37,283,343 Years at Georgia Tech: 1991-95 High School: Bradshaw (Florence, Ala.) Status: PGA Tour | Last Week did not play n/a | FedEx Cup Rank 58 Earnings $1,868,038 |
 | DREW CZUCHRY Auburn, Ga. Turned pro: 2015 Career earnings: n/a Years at Georgia Tech: 2010-14 High School: home schooled Status: G Pro Tour | Last Week T-21 72-70—142 (E) | Money rank 29 Earnings $8,651 |
 | DAVID DUVAL Denver, Colo. Turned pro: 1993 Career earnings: $19,196,243 Years at Georgia Tech: 1989-93 High School: Jacksonville (Fla.) Episcopal Status: no status | Last Week did not play n/a | FedEx Cup Rank 248 Earnings n/a |
 | J.T. GRIFFIN Wilson, N.C. Turned pro: 2011 Career earnings: $20,896 Years at Georgia Tech: 2007-11 High School: Fike Status: Web.com Tour | Last Week 67 70-70-73-73—286 (+2) | Money rank 141 Earnings $20,896 |
 | CHESSON HADLEY Raleigh, N.C. Turned pro: 2010 Career earnings: $6,154,219 Years at Georgia Tech: 2006-10 High School: North Raleigh Christian Academy Status: PGA Tour | Last Week T-45 68-68-69-67—272 (-8) | Money Rank 24 Earnings $2,729,173 |
 | SHUN YAT HAK Hong Kong, China Turned pro: 2013 Career earnings: ¥251,305 Years at Georgia Tech: 2012-13 High School: Lake Mary (Fla.) Prep Status: PGA Tour China | Last Week did not play n/a | Money rank 32 Earnings ¥140,803 |
 | PAUL HALEY Dallas, Texas Turned pro: 2011 Career earnings: $348,201 Years at Georgia Tech: 2007-11 High School: Highland Park Status: Adams Pro Tour | Last Week missed cut 75-74—149 (+6) | Money Rank 67 Earnings $2,995 |
 | MATT KUCHAR Sea Island, Ga. Turned pro: 2000 Career earnings: $43,660,127 Years at Georgia Tech: 1997-2000 High School: Seminole (Lake Mary, Fla.) Status: PGA Tour | Last Week did not play n/a | FedEx Cup Rank 64 Earnings $1,672,247 |
 | TROY MATTESON Austin, Texas Turned pro: 2003 Career earnings: $10,111,266 (PGA+Web) Years at Georgia Tech: 2000-03 High School: L.C. Anderson Status: no status | Last Week did not play n/a | FedEx/Money Rank 221 Earnings $39,000 |
 | LARRY MIZE Columbus, Ga. Turned pro: 1980 Career earnings: $12,644,105 (PGA + Champions) Years at Georgia Tech: 1975-79 High School: unknown Status: PGA Tour Champions | Last Week T-44 69-72-72—213 (-3) | Schwab Cup Rank 65 Earnings $146,784 |
 | CHRIS PETEFISH Danville, Calif. Turned pro: 2018 Career earnings: $4,180 Years at Georgia Tech: 2014-18 High School: Scottsdale [Ariz.] Christian Academy Status: MacKenzie Tour | Last Week T-16 67-68-71-70—276 (-12) | Money Rank 104 Earnings $4,180 |
 | MICHAEL PISCIOTTA Alpharetta, Ga. Turned pro: 2018 Career earnings: n/a Years at Georgia Tech: 2014-18 High School: Alpharetta Status: G Pro Tour | Last Week did not play n/a | Money Rank 147 Earnings $700 |
 | SETH REEVES Duluth, Ga. Turned pro: 2014 Career earnings: $161,325 Years at Georgia Tech: 2010-14 High School: Peachtree Ridge Status: Web.com Tour | Last week T-17 70-68-73-65—276 (-8) | Money rank 66 Earnings $81,199 |
 | OLLIE SCHNIEDERJANS Powder Springs, Ga. Turned pro: 2015 Career earnings: $3,467,971 Years at Georgia Tech: 2011-15 High School: Harrison Status: PGA Tour | Last Week T-57 64-73-70-67—274 (-6) | FedEx Cup rank 87 Earnings $1,303,610 |
 | NICHOLAS THOMPSON Coral Springs, Fla. Turned pro: 2005 Career earnings (PGA + Web.com): $6,537,666 Years at Georgia Tech: 2001-05 High School: Stoneman Douglas Status: Web.com Tour | Last Week did not play n/a | Money Rank 163 Earnings $6,612 |
 | CAMERON TRINGALE Laguna Niguel, Calif. Turned pro: 2009 Career earnings: $9,870,598 Years at Georgia Tech: 2005-09 High School: Mission Viejo Status: PGA Tour | Last Week missed cut 71-73—144 (+4) | FedEx Cup Rank 195 Earnings $179,459 |
 | RICHY WERENSKI South Hadley, Mass. Turned pro: 2014 Career earnings: $1,978,370 Years at Georgia Tech: 2011-14 High School: Heritage Academy (Hilton Head, S.C.) Status: PGA Tour | Last Week T-53 68-69-72-64—273 (-7) | FedEx Cup rank 101 Earnings $1,081,283 |
 | VINCENT WHALEY Fayetteville, Ga. Turned pro: 2017 Career earnings: $38,025 Years at Georgia Tech: 2013-17 High School: McKinney Boyd Status: Adams Pro Tour | Last Week T-12 71-69-68-69—277 (-10) | Money Rank 8 Earnings $38,025 |
