THE FLATS – It’ll be a Yellow Jacket foursome in Pinehurst after three #ProJackets make it through final qualifying Monday … Matt Kuchar tries out 0-degree putter to fit his reverse-armlock style … David Duval delivers career-best finish on PGA Tour Champions … More details below in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.
THREE JACKETS MAKE IT THROUGH FINAL U.S. OPEN QUALIFYING
Georgia Tech sophomore Hiroshi Tai will have company in Pinehurst next week after three Yellow Jacket pros made it through final qualifying tournaments Monday for the 124th U.S. Open championship.
Tai earned an exemption last week as a result of winning the NCAA Championship in Carlsbad, Calif., but that made him only the first Jacket in the field. Thirteen Tech pros entered final qualifying at five different sites Monday, and Matt Kuchar, Chris Petefish and Chesson Hadley all qualified.
Kuchar was the medalist at Bear’s Best in Jupiter, Fla., pacing the field with rounds of 70-67 (137, -7) and earning one of the five available spots. The nine-time PGA Tour winner will compete in his 21st U.S. Open next week.
Petefish, in his second full season on the Korn Ferry Tour, was one of six Yellow Jackets competing at the team’s home course, the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta. He came away with one of the three available spots there as co-medalist (13-under-par 131), and was the only professional to qualify at that site, joining amateurs Jackson Buchanan and Frederik Kjettrup.
Hadley tied for fourth and grabbed one of the seven spots available at the Duke University Golf Club in Durham, N.C., posting a 4-under-par total of 136. The Raleigh, N.C., native will compete in his fourth U.S. Open.
Among the Jackets who came up short Monday were Korn Ferry Tour player Connor Howe (-11), who finished fourth in Alpharetta and is the first alternate. Ollie Schniederjans (-9), Andy Ogletree (-7), Christo Lamprecht (even) and Aidan Kramer (+1) also failed to qualify.
Cameron Tringale and Tyler Strafaci were among those who did not advance in Jupiter, Fla., while Stewart Cink came up short in Ridgeway, Ontario and Vince Whaley didn’t make it in Columbus, Ohio.
Ticket punched 🎟️
Chris Petefish will tee it up in his first @USOpenGolf after successfully qualifying today in Alpharetta. pic.twitter.com/uL4RlT2IME
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) June 4, 2024
#TeamPM’s Ryan Gerard and Chesson Hadley are playing together in the longest day of golf. Coming down to the final holes as they look to qualify for the @usopengolf. pic.twitter.com/GftBbqx5kc
— Peter Millar (@petermillar) June 3, 2024
That was a close one!
Matt Kuchar remains as the solo leader. pic.twitter.com/8f0tAnuF4e
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) November 5, 2023
KUCHAR TRIES OUT 0-DEGREE PUTTER
Golf is a game of trends, especially as it relates to putting. Over the last several years, the armlock putting style has soared in popularity.
But Matt Kuchar is reversing the trend, and now he has a putter to match his style.
Kuchar is using a unique Bettinardi prototype putter specifically designed for Kuchar’s reverse-armlock putting style, meaning his hands sit behind the golf ball at address. That grip and stroke style necessitates a putter with zero degrees of loft because Kuchar adds loft with his stroke. A standard putter is lofted between two and five degrees, but if Kuchar used that much loft with his hands positioned behind the golf ball, the putter would have far too much effective loft, launching the ball in the air and causing it to bounce too much. A putter with zero degrees of loft helps him offset the stroke style and achieve a quicker roll.
Kuchar, who has deployed a reverse-armlock style since 2021, wanted a putter that measured 40.5 inches so the end of the grip nestled against his inner right forearm. He also wanted to boost stability, feel and acoustics with the putter.
With that in mind, Kuchar looked to Bettinardi, who has built his putters since the early 2000s.
Matt Kuchar and @BettinardiGolf have been working on a prototype putter he’ll debut at Colonial. Aluminum core places more mass towards the perimeter to mitigate face rotation. pic.twitter.com/cz9PtOmGix
— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) May 22, 2024
COMPETITION ROUND-UP
PGA Tour
Stewart Cink, Vince Whaley and Chesson Hadley played the weekend North of the border at the RBC Canadian Open. Cink tied for 27th place with a 2-under-par score of 275, while Whaley tied for 33rd at 276 (-4) and Hadley tied for 51st at 279 (-1).
Matt Kuchar missed the cut in Canada, but is the only Yellow Jacket with a spot in the field for this week’s signature event, the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.
There are no former Jackets currently within the top 125 on the FedEx Cup points list.
Cink-ing it from WAY downtown! 💥@StewartCink is T6 after a 52-foot birdie putt @RBCCanadianOpen. pic.twitter.com/C9rIfxekK4
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 30, 2024
*****
Korn Ferry Tour
Richy Werenski and Seth Reeves delivered solid performances last weekend at the UNC Health Championship in Raleigh, N.C. Werenski, playing events on both the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour in2024, tied for 29th place at even-par 280, while Reeves tied for 48th place at 282 (+2).
Ross Steelman, who remains Tech’s highest-ranked player on the tour at No. 31, missed the cut as did Paul Haley II, Connor Howe and Chris Petefish.
All but Steelman are in the field for this week’s BMW Charity Pro-Am in Greer, S.C.
*****
PGA Tour Champions
David Duval turned in the highest finish of his PGA Tour Champions career last weekend, tying for third place at the Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines, Iowa. At one point tied for the lead in the final round Sunday, the 13-time PGA Tour winner posted a 17-under-par score of 199, four strokes behind winner Ernie Els.
PGA Tour Champions leaderboard
What a week for @David59Duval!
His T3 in Iowa is the best finish of his PGA TOUR Champions career 💪 pic.twitter.com/Sx3fjZZJJ5
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) June 3, 2024
*****
PGA Tour Americas
Several Yellow Jackets took part in various qualifying tournaments to gain eligibility for the second half of the 2024 tour, all of which will take place in Canada.
GPro Tour member Ben Smith and Andy Mao, who competed as an amateur after concluding his eligibility at Tech in May, both failed to qualify in Dothan, Ala., while GPro Tour member Will Dickson came up short in Ocala, Fla. Luke Schniederjans, who closed the Latin America swing with two top-25 finishes in his last three events, was unable to qualify in Litchfield Park, Ariz.
