THE FLATS – Anders Albertson nearly pulls off his second Web.com Tour victory with big closing round in Boise … Roberto Castro returns to action in Web.com Tour Championship … Vincent Whaley earns another top-10 … This and more in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.
Anders Albertson has built quite a resume over the last 15 weeks or so. In 14 events over that period he has missed only one cut, and finished out of the top 30 only three times in the others. And he has developed a knack for finishing strong, posting scores under 70 in the final rounds of 10 events, including the last five in a row.
Albertson fired a 9-under-par 62 Sunday to rally from 23rd place to a two-stroke lead during the final round of the Albertson’s Boise Open, finishing at 18-under-par 268 and giving himself a chance at a second victory this season on the Web.com Tour. He finished tied for second after Sangmoon Bae rallied to finish at 19-under-par.
The former Tech All-American, who finished eighth in earnings during the regular season to earn his PGA Tour card, went low in a final round for the second week in a row, having shot a course-record 63 two weeks ago at the DAP Championship to tie for ninth. He fired another course-record 63 on Sunday (July 1) to grab his first Web.com Tour victory at the Lincoln Land Championship.
So with nothing to lose, Albertson heads into this week’s Web.com Tour Championship looking to keep the momentum going as he transitions into a PGA Tour player come October. Same is true for Seth Reeves, who locked up his PGA Tour card with top-5 performances in the first two weeks of the Web.com Finals, and Roberto Castro, who regained his card by finishing 24th in earnings during the regular season, but skipped the first three legs of the Web.com Finals.
PGA Tour: Tech’s five current PGA Tour members are getting a rest as the Tour Championship comes to Atlanta this week. The 2018-19 schedule begins Oct. 4-7 with the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif., the week after the Ryder Cup. We know where three of them have been spending their time (see below).
Chesson Hadley parlayed his strong Web.com Tour performance last year into an equally strong return to the PGA Tour, where he resided among the top 30 in FedEx Cup points for most of the year but slipped to 44th in the end after tying for 61st at last weekend’s BMW Championship. Still, he posted seven top-10 finishes and earned more than $2.7 million this year in official money (33rd), earning exemptions into the U.S. Open, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship.
Final FedEx Cup points rankings for Georgia Tech alumni in 2018: Cink (73), Kuchar (76), Schniederjans (98), Werenski (101), Tringale (195). All but Tringale kept their Tour cards for 2018-19.
Ryder Cup: For the first time since 2008, Kuchar will not compete for the United States in the Ryder Cup (Sept. 28-30 in France). But he was chosen to be one of Jim Furyk’s vice-captains along with David Duval. Kuchar, who finished 15th in Ryder Cup points among U.S. players, competed in four consecutive Ryder Cup matches (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016), while Duval competed in 1999 and 2002.
Elsewhere: Vincent Whaley tied for eighth place (-16) last weekend in the Taco Bell Natchez Classic on the Adams Pro Tour, and moved up to sixth place in earnings on the tour, while Paul Haley tied for 23rd (-14) and stands 23rd on the money list.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- PGA Tour: Tour Championship • September 20-23, 2018 • East Lake Golf Club • Atlanta, Ga. • Purse: $9,000,000 • FedExCup Points: 2,000
- Web.com Tour: Web.com Tour Championship • September 20-23, 2018 • Atlantic Beach Country Club • Atlantic Beach, Fla. • Purse: $1,000,000
- PGA Tour Champions: Sanford Invitational • September 21-23, 2018 • Minnehaha Country Club • Sioux Falls, S.D. • Purse: $1,800,000
- Mackenzie Tour: Aruba Cup • December 13-15, 2018 • Tierra del Sol Resort and Golf • Noord, Aruba • Purse: $120,000
- PGA Tour China: Macau Championship • September 27-30, 2018 • Caesars Golf Macau • Macau, China • Purse: n/a
- Adams Pro Tour: Taco Bell Natchez Classic • September 12-15, 2018 • Beau Pre Country Club • Natchez, Miss. • Purse: $112,000
- G Pro Tour: Concord Open (cancelled) • September 18-20, 2018 • Cabarrus Country Club • Concord, N.C. • Purse: n/a
