Sept. 20, 2006
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech’s golf team, fresh off a tie for third place in its season-opening tournament last weekend, turns around quickly to play Sunday and Monday in the Olympia Fields Country Club/Fighting Illini Invitational, set at Olympia Fields Country Club near Chicago, Ill.
The tournament begins with 36 holes Sunday at the par-70 North Course (7,205 yards) that hosted the U.S. Open Championship in 1928 and 2003. The final 18 holes is scheduled for Tuesday. Tech, ranked eighth nationally, joins a field that includes defending NCAA champion Oklahoma State, currently the nation’s top-ranked team, as well as No. 7 Arizona State, No. 12 Duke, No. 15 Minnesota, No. 21 Stanford, No. 24 Northwestern, host Illinois, Oklahoma, Purdue, Toledo and Vanderbilt.
“Our team performance was decent,” said head coach Bruce Heppler of the Yellow Jackets’ showing at the Carpet Capital Collegiate. “The real challenge was we didn’t have anybody contend for the individual title. We need to get to where our All-Americans play at that level for three rounds and get involved for the individual championship. It’s a great opportunity to play a U.S. Open venue and go to Chicago, so it makes for a great trip.”
Leading Tech’s travel team are seniors Roberto Castro and Kevin Larsen, who tied for 27th and 44th, respectively, at last week’s Carpet Capital Collegiate. Castro, an All-American from Alpharetta, Ga., posted a 1-under-par 215 at the tournament, while Larsen, a third-team All-American last year, shot 3-over-219.
Also making the trip is 2006 second-team All-America Cameron Tringale, a sophomore from Laguna Niguel, Calif., who paced Tech last week at 3-under-par 213 after a closing 66. Daniel Bowden, a freshman from Easley, S.C., will be the first member of Tech’s four-man freshman class to play, having finished second in the Yellow Jackets’ qualifying tournament last week.
Taylor Hall, a sophomore from LaGrange, Ga., who tied for 32nd at the Carpet Capital Collegiate at 1-over 217, won a playoff over sophomore Adam Cohan for the fifth spot on Tech’s travel team.
Sunday’s first and second rounds begin with tee times at 7:30 a.m. Central time on holes 1 and 10. Monday’s final round also begins at 7:30 a.m. Central on holes 1 and 10.
Live scoring can be followed at Golfstat.com.
