Georgia Tech #ProJackets Golf Report

Chesson Hadley enters The Players with five straight top-20 finishes.

THE FLATS – Former champion Matt Kuchar and a surging Chesson Hadley headlines a group of five former Yellow Jackets competing at The Players Championship this week … Hadley posts a 66 Saturday at Quail Hollow and ties for 16th at the Wells Fargo Championship … Two current Jackets advance to sectional qualifying for U.S. Open … this and more in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Golf Report.

Five former Yellow Jackets are in the field this week for The Players at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., the highest profile and most lucrative of the PGA Tour’s regular-season events, with 2012 champion Matt Kuchar and a surging Chesson Hadley leading a group that includes Stewart Cink, Ollie Schniederjans and Richy Werenski. Schniederjans and Werenski are playing the event for the first time.

Kuchar, who won the 2012 Players for one of his seven PGA Tour victories, has three top-10 finishes this year on Tour but ranks just 63rd in FedEx Cup points after sitting out last week’s Wells Fargo Championship. Hadley, Tech’s top finisher at the Wells Fargo last week (T-16) is one of the favorites this week because he has finished in the top 20 five straights weeks and ranks high on the Tour in stats relevant to good performance at TPC Sawgrass – 35th in greens in regulation and tied for 11th in proximity.

Schniederjans (T-34 at Wells Fargo) enters this week ranked 60th in FedEx Cup points after tying for 34th at the Wells Fargo, while Cink (T-72) stands at 120th, and Werenski (missed cut) is 145th.

Opening round tee times Thursday for The Players:
7:21 a.m. (10th hole) – Richy Werenski, Scott Stallings, Kevin Na
8:05 a.m. (1st hole) – Stewart Cink, Jonas Blixt, Chris Kirk
12:46 p.m. (1st hole) – Ollie Schniederjans, Jamie Lovemark, Kevin Tway
12:46 p.m. (10th hole) – Chesson Hadley, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Bill Haas
1:19 p.m. (1st hole) – Matt Kuchar, Billy Horschel, Brandt Snedeker

Meanwhile, Hadley was featured in last week’s “Inside the PGA Tour” program. Here are his three segments from the show.

Chesson Hadley feels that having the support of a loving family is important, that’s why he has them travel with him.

Chesson Hadley burst onto the scene in 2014, earning Rookie of the Year honors, but continued success has proven difficult to maintain.

When not lounging in his man cave or hanging with family, Chesson Hadley focuses on other endeavors.

Web.com Tour: After an open week, the Web.com Tour lands in Knoxville, Tenn., for the Knoxville Open, where Roberto Castro looks to continue a hot streak which has seen him finish second, T-7 and T-5 in his last three starts. He ranks 14th in earnings on the Tour this season.

Castro, who helped organize an Georgia Tech golf alumni gathering last week at the Yellow Jackets’ Noonan Golf Facility, is featured in a style story on PGATour.com.

With well-tailored apparel and colorful saddle shoes, Roberto Castro is putting a modern spin on classic looks. The @WebDotComTour Style Insider talked with him about his new apparel, his bespoke FootJoys and more. https://t.co/GjuCeUemJf pic.twitter.com/6uzRJvlwfN

— Georgia Tech Golf (@GTGolf) May 7, 2018

Grateful for a wonderful gathering of #GT_GOLF alumni today at #TheNoonan for some great fellowship and friendly competition. Thanks to @cicioCASTRO and Kris Mikkelsen for organizing, @stewartcink and Chad Parker for the vittles. pic.twitter.com/e2bvDGrjtJ

— Georgia Tech Golf (@GTGolf) May 1, 2018

U.S. Open: Local qualifying tournaments for the 2018 U.S. Open Championship have begun, and current Tech sophomores Andy Ogletree and Tyler Strafaci have advanced to sectional qualifying in the last week. Ogletree was co-medalist at Marietta (Ga.) Country Club with a 67, grabbing one of eight available spots out of a field of 132 players, while Strafaci tied for second (67), securing one of four spots available in a field of 72 at Lago Mar Country Club in Plantation, Fla. Freshman Noah Norton came up one stroke short of a playoff for the final spot at Lago Mar after posting a 69. Tyler Joiner and Michael Pisciotta, current Jackets graduating this spring, will attempt local qualifying along with former Tech players Bo Andrews, Drew Czuchry and J.T. Griffin on May 14 at Georgia National Golf Club in McDonough, Ga. Local qualifying tournaments are 18 holes of individual stroke play.

The 2018 U.S. Open will be contested June 14-17 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y. Matt Kuchar is the only former Tech player currently exempt into the field.

Elsewhere: Chris Petefish, a current Georgia Tech senior who remains an amateur through the NCAA Championship, and Bo Andrews traveled to British Columbia last week in an attempt to qualify for the MacKenzie Tour (PGA Tour Canada). Petefish was able to secure some conditional status by tying for 21st place, firing a closing 68 with three birdies in his last four holes in the final round on Friday. He then boarded a red-eye flight to return to Atlanta and participate in spring commencement exercises on Saturday along with fellow seniors Jacob and Tyler Joiner and Pisciotta.

Former Jackets Paul Haley (T9) and Vincent Whaley (T19) had solid weekends at the Business First Bank Classic in Mandeville, La., on the Adams Pro Tour, which features prize money of $20,000 or more for the winners each week.

Congrats to Chris Petefish and Michael Pisciotta on “getting out!” Chris finished qualifying for @PGATOURCanada Friday in British Columbia and took a red-eye flight back to Atlanta to make today’s commencement exercises. #togetherweswarm pic.twitter.com/JiFnTIvvZL

— Georgia Tech Golf (@GTGolf) May 5, 2018

UPCOMING EVENTS

PGA Tour: The Players Championship • May 10-13, 2018 • TPC Sawgrass • Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. • Purse: $11,000,000 • FedExCup Points: 600
Web.com Tour: Knoxville Open • May 10-13, 2018 • Fox Den Country Club • Knoxville, Tenn. • Purse: $550,000
PGA Tour Champions: Regions Tradition • May 17-20, 2018 • Greystone Golf and Country Club • Birmingham, Ala. • Purse: $2,400,000
Mackenzie Tour:Freedom 55 Financial Open • May 31-June 3, 2018 • Point Grey Golf and Country Club • Vancouver, British Columbia • Purse: $200,000
Adams Pro Tour:Business First Bank Classic • May 2-5, 2018 • Beau Chene Country Club • Mandeville, La. • Purse: $132,000