THE FLATS – Four Yellow Jackets, including amateur Andy Ogletree and 2020 PGA Tour winner Richy Werenski, competing this week at the U.S. Open, the second major of the 2019-20 season … Stewart Cink makes winning his first Tour event in 11 years a special family affair … More below in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report. (trophy photos courtesy of PGA Tour/Getty Images)
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U.S. OPEN UPDATE
Four Yellow Jackets – Chesson Hadley, Matt Kuchar, Andy Ogletree (a) and Richy Werenski – are in the reduced 144-player field for the 120th U.S. Open Championship this week at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y.
The United States Golf Association built its field entirely on exemptions, with no qualifying held this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Hadley (third appearance) made the field after his top-10 finish last year at Pebble Beach, Kuchar (18th start) earned his spot by qualifying for the 2019 Tour Championship, Werenski (second start) earned his after winning the Barracuda Championship earlier this summer, and Ogletree (first start) is in as the 2019 U.S. Amateur Champion.
Nobody associated with Georgia Tech golf has won the U.S. Open since Bobby Jones captured the 1930 title to complete the Grand Slam of golf. Stewart Cink, who has an Open Championship to his credit, came the closest in 2001, finishing a stroke shy of joining a playoff with Mark Brooks and Retief Goosen at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla.
Hadley bio | Kuchar bio | Ogletree bio | Werenski bio | Viewing schedule | Tee times
Former Tech star Tripp Isenhour gives us a look at Winged Foot for a segment on Golf Channel.
Easy holes at Winged Foot? Non-existent 😬 (besides the 19th hole of course)@TrippIsenhourGC explains how players can get @usopengolf Tournament Ready, presented by @CintasCorp. pic.twitter.com/ZYaneRBSH2
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 4, 2020
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PGA TOUR UPDATE
With his elder son Reagan on his bag last weekend, Stewart Cink played a strong weekend by shooting 65-65 and held off the challenge of rookie Harry Higgs to win the Safeway Open last weekend in Napa, Calif., the 2020-21 PGA Tour season opener. The three-time Tech All-American recorded his seventh PGA Tour victory and first since winning the 2009 Open Championship, posting a 21-under-par total of 267.
At age 47, Cink is now fully exempt on the Tour through 2022-23 after finishing out of the top 125 the last two seasons. He also earned entry into the 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions, Masters, Players Championship and PGA Championship.
Interestingly enough, he became the third former Yellow Jacket to win this event, which began in 2007, joining Troy Matteson (2009) and Bryce Molder (2011) in claiming the unique oak barrel trophy at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif.
Chesson Hadley and Vincent Whaley also played strong golf over the weekend at Silverado, Hadley tying for 14th place at 15-under-par 273, and Whaley tying for 23rd at 14-under 274. Cameron Tringale and Roberto Castro missed the cut, as did 2020 graduate Luke Schniederjans, who competed as an amateur after making the field as a Monday qualifier.
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KORN FERRY TOUR UPDATE
Georgia Tech’s members on the Korn Ferry Tour didn’t enjoy the same success last weekend, as all five Yellow Jackets failed to make the cut at the Evans Scholars Invitational at Westchester, Ill. Ollie Schniederjans was the only one of the five to break par for the first 36 holes (-2).
The Korn Ferry Tour is off this week as the U.S. Open is contested, and resumes next week with the Wichita Open.
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LOCALiQ SERIES UPDATE
Chris Petefish has tied for 23rd, seventh, 47th and 19th in the four events played so far, and sits 16th in the points standings. He tied for 19th at the Invitational at Auburn in the series’ last event with an 11-under-par total of 205.
The LocaliQ Series, the U.S.-based tournament series designed for members of the PGA Tours in Canada, Latino America and China, has three remaining events, culminating in the LocaliQ Series Championship at Nassau, Bahamas in late October. The series resumes next week with thee Jacksonville (Fla.) Championship.
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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS UPDATE
Former Master champion Larry Mize sits at 59th in Schwab Cup points following his tie for 63rd place at last weekend’s Sanford Invitational in Sioux Falls, S.D. (212, +2). The senior circuit moves to Pebble Beach, Calif., this week for the PURE Insurance Championship.
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