Georgia Tech Golf: Five Jackets Named GCAA All-East Region

Chris Petefish was one of three Tech seniors to graduate in May. Tech scored a perfect 1000 in the APR measurement for the 13th straight year.

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s Noah Norton, Andy Ogletree, Chris Petefish, Luke Schniederjans and Tyler Strafaci — the Yellow Jackets’ entire starting lineup for the ACC Championship and NCAA regional — have earned All-East Region honors by the Golf Coaches Association of America, the organization announced over the weekend during the NCAA Championship.

The five Tech players are among 25 student-athletes who were named to the East region team, one of six all-region teams selected by the GCAA. Schniederjans earned the honor for the second time. While Norton, Ogletree, Petefish and Strafaci made the team for the first time while leading the Yellow Jackets to the 2018 ACC title, the 17th in program history.

Norton, a freshman from Chico Calif., ranked No. 57 by Golfstat, led the Yellow Jackets with four top-10 finishes, including a tie for second at the General Hackler Championship this spring, and was second on the team with a stroke average of 71.56. Strafaci, a sophomore from Davie, Fla., ranked No. 52, had the Jackets’ best stroke average at 71.52, with a pair of top-10 finishes and a tie for 12th at the ACC Championship. Schniederjans, a sophomore from Powder Springs, Ga., ranked No. 66, ranks third on Tech’s team with a 71.77 stroke average, had six top-20 finishes this year and also tied for 12th at the ACC Championship. Ogletree, a sophomore from Little Rock, Miss., who is ranked No. 90 in Golfstat, compiled a 71.88 stroke average with five top-20 finishes. Petefish, a senior from Danville, Calif., whose birdie on the 18th hole in the final round clinched the ACC title for the Yellow Jackets, was the team’s only tournament winner this year, having won the General Hackler.

Tech is ranked fifth in the nation by Golfstat and won four tournaments this season.

TECH GOLF APR PERFECT FOR 13TH STRAIGHT YEAR

Bruce Heppler’s golf program again earned a perfect four-year APR score of 1000 for the four-year period ending in the 2016-17 academic year in the NCAA’s survey announced last May 23. The Yellow Jackets have earned a perfect four-year score every year since its inception in 2006, and has also received an APR Public Recognition Award every year. Among Power 5 conferences, the Yellow Jackets are one of two men’s golf teams and 14 programs overall that have earned all 13 Public Recognition Awards.

The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each term and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in every sport.

The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams nationally. The most recent APR scores are based on the ofur-year period ending with the 2015-16 academic year. This year marks the 13th year of APR data for most teams.

FOUR JACKETS IN FIELD FOR DOGWOOD INVITATIONAL

Red-shirt senior James Clark, rising juniors Andy Ogletree and Luke Schniederjans and red-shirt freshman Ben Smith are in the field for the 52nd Dogwood Invitational, which takes place next Wednesday through Saturday (June 6-9) at Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta.

The Dogwood, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz USA, moves to an earlier date this summer and is producing an even stronger field as one of two leadoff events to the summer amateur schedule. The tournament has been the proving ground for players like Masters champion Adam Scott, U.S. Open champions Dustin Johnson and Webb Simpson and PGA Tour winners such as Matt Kuchar.

Schniederjans is back this year after finishing as the runner-up last summer to Lloyd Jefferson Go, who returns to defend his title. Clark (Columbus, Ga.), who red-shirted for the Yellow Jackets in 2017-18, tied for 25th in the Azalea Invitational in April, and Smith (Novi, Mich.) tied for 21st in the same event.

OGLETREE, STRAFACI IN U.S. OPEN SECTIONALS

Rising juniors Andy Ogletree and Tyler Strafaci join a handful of Georgia Tech alumni in professional golf in attempting to qualify for the U.S. Open when 10 36-hole sectional qualifiers are held around the country next Monday.

Ogletree, a co-medalist at the local qualifier at Marietta (Ga.) Country Club on April 30, will attempt to qualify along with former Jacket Roberto Castro at Ansley Golf Club’s Settindown Creek course in Roswell, Ga. Strafaci, who advanced from a local qualifier in Plantation, Fla., is in the field along with former Jacket Cameron Tringale at The Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Fla.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team has completed 23 years under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 53 tournaments in his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 17 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 32 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 (@GTGolf) and Instagram. For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.