March 28, 2010
Greensboro, Ga. – James White fired 4-under-par 68, and Chesson Hadley added a 3-under 69 Sunday, leading Georgia Tech to a 7-under team total of 281 and a fourth-place finish in the Linger Longer Invitational.
The 15th-ranked Yellow Jackets, who also got a 1-under-par 71 from Paul Haley and a 73 from John-Tyler Griffin on the 7,051, par 72 Reynolds Landing Golf Course, closed the gap on the leaders in terms of strokes, but gained only one spot from its 36-hole position.
“We played much better today,” said head coach Bruce Heppler. “The winds were a little easier today, and the hole locations were better on a few holes, and the pace of play improved. For never having played here before, it took us a few rounds to get used to it.”
White started quickly, getting an eagle on the par-5 second and a birdie on the par-3 third. After a bogey at 4, he recorded two more birdies and played the front nine in 4-under-par. The sophomore from Acworth, Ga., parred every hole on the incoming nine and posted his fifth sub-70 round of the year.
He tied for seventh place individually, his second top-10 finish this year and his sixth top-20, at 1-over 217. Hadley tied for 13th place at 3-over 219, and Haley tied for 19th at 5-over 221, each earning their second top-20 finish of the year.
Hadley birdied four straight holes on the front side, and added two more on the back for his 69, which matched a season low for the senior from Raleigh, N.C. Haley shook off a double bogey at 9 and posted two birdies with no bogeys on the back for his 71, one off his season low. If not for a triple bogey from Griffin at 17, Tech would have posted four subpar rounds Sunday.
Kyle Scott, Tech’s fifth player, withdrew after 12 holes because of a back injury.
No. 2-ranked Oklahoma State, who shot 2-under-par as a team Sunday, finished with a tournament total of 1-over-par 865 and won the event by two shots over No. 24 Alabama. The Tidee (3-over 867) made a run at the Cowboys with a 5-under-par final round of 283. Eighth-ranked Texas A&M shot 4-under 284 Sunday and finished third overall at 10-over 874.
Tech and No. 20 Georgia tied for fourth at 15-over 879. The Jackets’ 7-under round Sunday was topped only by the Bulldogs, who turned in an 8-under-par 280 which was the low team round of the weekend. Rounding out the top 10 teams in the 16-team field were Furman (+22), No. 11 Florida State (+31), Charlotte (+33), Kennesaw State (+38) and Oklahoma (+42).
Tech returns to action April 9-10 at the Wolfpack Invitational in Raleigh, N.C.
