Feb. 23, 2015
Rio Grande, P.R. – Georgia Tech’s golf team, ranked fourth in the nation by the Golf Coaches Association of America, shot the day’s best round of 14-under-par and leaped into second place after 36 holes of the Puerto Rico Classic in Rio Grande, P.R. The 54-hole event runs through Tuesday at the Rio Mar Resort.
Complete Results and Live Tournament Scoring | Puerto Rico Individual Event
TECH LINEUP – Ollie Schniederjans and Vincent Whaley led the way for Tech Monday, each firing rounds of 5-under-par 67. Schniederjans, with a 36-hole total of 142 (-2), had shot 75 Sunday, Tech’s fourth-best round, and Whaley had opened with an 80 and did not count. Anders Albertson rallied from an opening 74 to shoot 2-under-par 70, and freshman Michael Pisciotta also shot 70 to get to 1-under-par 143 for the tournament. Freshman Jacob Joiner was the Yellow jackets’ non-counter Monday with an even-par 72.
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Georgia Tech leaped over four teams to get into second place with its 14-under-par round of 274, and shaved seven shots off its opening round deficit to Georgia, which posted a 7-under-par 281. The Bulldogs have a 36-hole total of 561, while Tech is at 10-under-par 566. Clemson (578, +2) is a distant third, followed by Oklahoma (581, +5), Purdue and Alabama (both at 582 (+6). Virginia Tech, in second place after 18 holes, tumbled to eighth place after its 12-over-par 300 Monday.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Georgia’s Lee McCoy with a second-round 68, teammate Sepp Straka (70) and Clemson’s Miller Capps (70) are tied for first place at 5-under-par 139. Alabama’s Robby Shelton and Dru Love, the Bulldogs’ Greyson Sigg and the Tigers’ Billy Kennerly are one stroke back at 4-under-par 140.
Schniederjans and Michigan’s Reed Hrynewich, whose 67s were the best individual rounds of the day, and Joiner are tied for ninth place at 2-under 142. Pisciotta is tied for 12th at 143 (-1), Albertson is tied for 18th at 144 (E), and Whaley is tied for 29th at 147 (+3).
INDIVIDUAL EVENT – Tech freshman Chris Petefish shot 72 Monday and took a two-stroke lead over Will Thomas and Jaime Lopez Rivarola in the nine-player individual event taking place at an alternate course. Petefish has a 36-hole total of 143 (+1).
COACH Bruce Heppler SAYS – “Everyone played very solidly today. We got good rounds from our seniors, and our freshmen had only one bogey between them.”
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Puerto Rico Classic is a typical 54-hole collegiate event, with the low four scores out of five counting each day. The final round is set for Tuesday morning. The 16-year-old event is played on the Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa River Course (6,902 yards, par 72) in Rio Grande, P.R. The 15-team field features nine teams in the current Golfweek/Sagarin top-50, including Georgia Tech (6), North Carolina (9), Alabama (11), Oklahoma (22), Virginia Tech (28), Clemson (30), East Tennessee State (32), Georgia (39), North Carolina State (47), UNC Greensboro (56), Michigan (63), Purdue (70), Minnesota (99), Tulsa (120) and Nebraska (207). Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, Alabama,, Virginia Tech and Purdue all reached last year’s NCAA Championship.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY – Georgia Tech has played in the Puerto Rico Classic every year the event has been held and won the event four times (2000, 2001, 2002, 2005). Three Yellow Jackets have won medalist honors (Troy Matteson, 2002, Roberto Castro, 2007, James White, 2011). Tech has also been the runner-up three times, most recently last year by four shots to Alabama. The Jackets shot a team total of 819 (41-under-par).
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 20th year under head coach Bruce Heppler. The Yellow Jackets have won 15 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 27 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up four times. Connect with Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on Twitter (@GT_Golf). For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
