THE FLATS – Matt Kuchar gets runner-up finish as four Jackets play the weekend at Valero Texas Open … Stewart Cink and Larry Mize repping Tech in The Masters this week … Will Dickson gets Korn Ferry tee time and makes the cut in Savannah … More details below in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.
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CINK AND MIZE CARRY TECH BANNER AT THE MASTERS
Georgia Tech is always present at The Masters in some form. From the memory of Bobby Jones as the founder of the event to Larry Mize’s thrilling chip-in to win the 1987 Masters over Greg Norman.
Mize is back this year for his 39th appearance as a former champion, and Stewart Cink made the field for the 20th time based on his victory at the RBC Heritage last spring.
Cink enters his 20th Masters coming off his finest season on the PGA Tour in more than a decade. With his son Reagan on the bag, Cink, 48, captured his first victory since the 2009 Open Championship at the 2020 Safeway Open, earning an invitation to last year’s Masters, where he finished T12. His spot in the 2022 Tournament already secured, Cink won the following week at Hilton Head for his eighth career PGA Tour victory. Father and son are both graduates of Georgia Tech, and Stewart resides in the Atlanta area. His best Masters finish was a T3 in 2008.
Augusta native Mize won the 1987 Masters in unforgettable fashion by chipping in from 140 feet on No. 11, the second playoff hole, to prevail over Greg Norman after Seve Ballesteros had been eliminated on the first extra hole. Mize, 63, opened the 2020 Masters with a 2-under 70, his lowest round at the Masters since 2009. He is making his 39th appearance as a competitor. As a teenager, he worked the leader board at the third hole.
- Mize nearing the end of Masters’ run as famous chip will never be duplicated – Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Matt Kuchar to miss Masters Tournament for first time since 2009 – Flurry Sports
35 years ago: One of the most iconic finishes in Masters history. Mize, an Augusta native, was four years removed from his last win and found himself in a sudden-death playoff with two legends of the game, Greg Norman and Ballesteros. On the first extra hole, Ballesteros fell out of the playoff by three-putting. So the second time around, Norman, one year after completing the “Saturday Slam,” stood in the way of Mize’s dream. But on the par-4 11th, that dream would come true as Mize holed a 140-foot chip for birdie, throwing his club in the air and running in circles as Norman watched in disbelief.
Masters: Larry Mize on 1987 winning chip – ‘it looked good, I was just frozen watching it’ https://t.co/4T3K4bevPj pic.twitter.com/RIo1gO97V2
— Scotty Dog Golf Ltd (@scottydoggolf) April 4, 2022
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KUCHAR FINISHES RUNNER-UP AT VALERO TEXAS OPEN
Four Yellow Jackets played the weekend at the Valero Texas Open last weekend in San Antonio, and Matt Kuchar made a strong bid to capture his 10th PGA Tour win but fell a couple of strokes short.
Making his 500th career PGA Tour start, Kuchar instead posted the 14th runner-up finish of his career, posting an 11-under-par score of 277 to tie for second two strokes behind winner J.J. Spaun. The performance elevated him 60 spots to No. 44 in the FedEx Cup points standings for 2021-22.
Without a victory since the last Masters Tournament and sitting outside the top 50 in the Official World Ranking, however, Kuchar needed to win in San Antonio to earn an invitation to the year’s first major tournament. Kuchar had competed in the last 12 Masters and in 49 of the last 50 major tournaments.
Outside of Kuchar, Vincent Whaley helped himself the most in terms of FedEx Cup ranking, tying for 29th place at 6-under-par 282, finishing strong with an eagle at the 18th hole for a final-round 69. He sits No. 99 in the FedEx Cup standings.
Richy Werenski tied for 48th place, and Chesson Hadley tied for 53rd in San Antonio. After missing the cut in six straight events, Werenski has now made the cut in three of his last four, finishing as high as 21st at the Valspar Championship.
Not in the masters field this week, Whaley, Werenski and Hadley have the week off and will return to action next week at the RBC Heritage.
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DICKSON MAKES BANK IN FIRST KORN FERRY START
Will Dickson paced the field at Monday qualifying, carding 7-under 65 at Forest Heights CC, to secure a tee time for last week’s Club Car Championship in Savannah, Ga. He made good on the chance, making the cut and tying for 31st place overall (3-under-par 285) to earn his first Korn ferry Tour check.
Dickson, who resides in Atlanta, is playing his first full season as a professional golfer, having made history in Rhode Island by winning four consecutive high school state titles before coming to Georgia Tech.
Anders Albertson, who sits 56th in Korn Ferry Tour points, and Paul Haley II, at No. 15, both missed the cut.
Will Dickson Vaults 15 Spots to Finish 31st in Korn Ferry Tour Debut https://t.co/4czGUrJaMT @will_dicksongt #golfnewsri
— GolfNewsRI (@golf_ri) April 3, 2022
