April 3, 2015
Live Scoring, Results and Tee Times via Golfstat
Franklin, Tenn. – Vincent Whaley fired a 2-under-par 69, while Anders Albertson and Ollie Schniederjans also broke par Friday to lift Georgia Tech into second place after the first round of the Mason Rudolph Championship at the Vanderbilt Legends Club outside Nashville, Tenn.
TECH LINEUP – Whaley, a sophomore from McKinney, Texas, carded his fourth subpar round of the year with five birdies and three bogeys and is in a tie for second place individually. Tech’s seniors, Albertson (Woodstock, Ga.) and Schniederjans (Powder Springs, Ga.), each shot 1-under-par 70 and are in a tie for 11th place. Schniederjans birdied five holes against four bogeys, while Albertson birdied three holes against one double-bogey.
Sophomore Michael Hines (Acworth, Ga.) turned in the Yellow Jackets’ fourth counting score with a 3-over-par 74. Freshman Chris Petefish (Danville, Calif.) shot 75 and did not count.
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Host Vanderbilt, the sixth-ranked team in the nation, made a late push with nine birdies and two eagles over its last five holes to grab the opening-round lead at 4-under-par 280. Tech (1-under 283) is three shots back along with No. 21 Kennesaw State. Those were the only three teams to break par for the round.
Tech’s 283 was its second-lowest score in the opening round of a tournament this year. Georgia Southern (285, +1) is in fourth place, followed by Alabama (287, +3) and Louisville (289, +5).
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Kelby Burton negotiated the Legends Club in 4-under-par 67, one shot ahead of Ball State’s McCormick Clouser and Georgia Southern’s Scott Wolfes. Whaley is part of an eight-player logjam at 2-under 69, while Albertson and Schniederjans are in a seven-player tie for 11th.
COACH Bruce Heppler SAYS – “Lots of positives from today. Anders, Ollie and Vince played very solid rounds. We didn’t quite get the fourth score we needed to have a great round. Chris and Michael will play better tomorrow.”
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Mason Rudolph Men’s Championship is a 54-hole collegiate event, with the low four scores out of five counting each round. Eighteen holes will take place on Friday through Sunday, with fixed tee times on number one and 10 starting at 9 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday and 8:30 a.m. Eastern time Sunday.. The event is played at the Vanderbilt Legends Club South Course (7,100 yards, par 71) in Franklin, Tenn. The 14-team field features eight teams in the current Golfweek/Sagarin top-50, including No. 6 and host Vanderbilt, No. 16 Georgia Tech, No. 21 Kennesaw State No. 28 Alabama, No. 32 SMU, No. 40 Georgia Southern, No. 44 East Tennessee State and No. 47 Louisville. Ball State, College of Charleston, Indiana, Liberty, Mercer and Notre Dame round out the field
TOURNAMENT HISTORY – Georgia Tech is playing in the Mason Rudolph Championship for the second time, having finished fourth among 17 teams in the 2009 event, which was held in the fall. Tech’s lineup for that event includes current PGA Tour pro Chesson Hadley, John-Tyler Griffin, Paul Haley, Kyle Scott and James White.
TEAM UPDATE – Georgia Tech is ranked No. 16 in this week’s Golfstat ranking and No. 11 in the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings. The Yellow Jackets finished 10th at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational in their last outing two weeks ago after finishing second at the Puerto Rico Classic and fourth in the Seminole Collegiate. Anders Alberton paced the Yellow Jackets by tying for 11th place individually. All three spring tournaments have featured at least eight teams which were ranked among the top 50 in the nation, against whom the Jackets have a 42-25-1 record this year. Tech’s schedule is ranked the 11th-most difficult in the nation according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Index.
