THE FLATS – Former champions Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar are back in action at the RBC Heritage … Andy Ogletree returns to action in the Asian Tour International Series in Vietnam … Memories of Larry Mize at The Masters … More details below in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.
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CINK, KUCHAR BACK IN ACTION AT RBC HERITAGE
Former champions Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar are back in action this week for the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Kuchar, the 2014 champion, currently holds the highest FedEx Cup points ranking (No. 42) of all the Yellow Jackets on the PGA Tour, while Cink, Chesson Hadley and Richy Werenski are competing to climb into the top 125. Cink is in the field as a former champion of the event, while Werenski remains exempt based on his victory in the 2021 Barracuda Championship. Hadley finished last year in the top 125 of the FedEx Cup points list.
Kuchar tied for third last year at Hilton Head, while Cink made the cut and finished 68th in defense of his 2021 title. Cink also won the Heritage title in 2000 and 2004.
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OGLETREE BACK TO WORK ON ASIAN TOUR
Andy Ogletree, who played the LIV Golf League event two weeks ago in Orlando, returns to the Asian Tour this weekend for the International Series event in Vietnam, looking for this third victory on that tour. The International Series and Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) leader will also compete along with the three most recent winners on the Asian Tour: Wade Ormsby from Australia, Filipino Miguel Tabuena and Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho.
International Series Star Ogletree Entering Orlando with plenty of confidence
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ELSEWHERE
Tyler Strafaci returned to action last week at the Sanctuary Championship on the GPro Tour, tying for 43rd place (212, -4), while Will Dickson (-3) and Ben Smith (-2) both missed the cut … Paul Haley II, who isn’t in the field for the RBC Heritage this week, will instead play a home game, teeing it up along with Chris Petefish and Seth Reeves at the Veritex Bank Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour.
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PLAYING LAST MASTERS, MIZE FINDS IT ‘SURREAL’
With warm applause at the 18th green on a rainy morning, the Masters career of Larry Mize reached its completion Saturday. The Georgia Tech grad and the only Augusta native to ever win the Masters, Mize played his final competitive round at Augusta National after announcing that this year’s tournament, his 40th in a row, would be his last.
“It’s just unbelievable, surreal,” Mize said. “Words don’t do it justice to have won here and played here for 40 years. Pretty incredible.”
Mize, whose holed chip from off the 11th green to win the 1987 Masters in a playoff remains perhaps the most memorable shot in tournament history, was 12 strokes off the cut at 15 over for the two rounds. He was second to last among the 85 players to finish the first two rounds. The 64-year-old finished five shots ahead of another former Masters champ, Sandy Lyle, who also announced that this will be his final Masters as a competitor.
More from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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“THERE’S A REASON THIS IS MY LAST MASTERS”
Larry Mize was even on Thursday after four holes. Then, Augusta National dug its teeth.
Competing in his final Masters Tournament, the 1987 winner played his final 14 holes in plus-seven for an opening 79.
“There’s a reason why this is my last Masters,” Mize said. “I haven’t played in a tournament in a while and my game is not where I’d like it to be.”
The Augusta native birdied No. 3 and played his first nine in 38. The second nine, however, went south with bogies on Nos. 10, 11, 12, 15 and 18.
“It’s a challenge to get around this golf course at my age, and I enjoy that,” Mize said. “I enjoy the challenge of trying to work it around and put it in spots I know.”
Making his 40th and final Masters appearance, the 1987 champion Larry Mize takes in the moment on No. 18. #themasters pic.twitter.com/1ICbTf7ARe
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 8, 2023
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THE ONE ITEM LARRY MIZE HAS TO HAVE AT THE MASTERS CHAMPIONS DINNER
Masters champions get what Masters champions want, especially when it’s at the Masters Champions Dinner.
For Larry Mize and Bernhard Langer, that means the olives.
“They have these special olives,” Mize, the 1987 Masters winner, told GOLF’s Claire Rogers in the video. “Bernhard Langer sits next to me and we love the olives. They come by with the olives and a lot of times they’ll have a little cornbread with it. The olives are out of this world. I’ve never had an olive like this.”
Langer, a two-time champion in 1985 and 1993, called the olives “famous.”
These obviously aren’t the same olives you can find at your local supermarket.
An investigation from GOLF’s James Colgan found the olives actually can be traced back all the way to Augusta National co-founder Clifford Roberts. Turns out olives were Roberts’ favorite snack and he insisted the fruit be served straight from the can.
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