April 28, 2009
GREENSBORO, Ga. – Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson and former Yellow Jacket and NBA standout Jon Barry combined to shoot 10-under par and earn $37,500 in scholarship donations at the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge golf tournament here Tuesday.
It was the second straight top-four finish for Johnson and Barry, who tied Alabama’s Nick Saban and Johnny Musso for third place at the third annual event hosted at Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee.
The University of South Carolina team, represented by head coach Steve Spurrier and Sterling Sharpe, carded a 12-under-par 60 and then outlasted Virginia Tech in a playoff to win the Challenge and the $120,000 first-place scholarship donation. This is team South Carolina’s second straight championship in the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge.
“It was a fun day today. Sterling made a bunch of crucial putts down the stretch and I pitched in a little,” Spurrier said after the victory. “I think this was the first playoff I’ve ever won, and I’ve been in a few.”
In regulation play, Sharpe holed a dramatic 10-foot putt on 18 to force the playoff with Frank Beamer and Dell Curry from Virginia Tech. After repeating the 18th hole, the teams were still tied and a four-shot closest-to-the-pin competition decided the championship. From 150 yards, Beamer’s approach finished 23′ from the cup. Sharpe then stroked his approach to 18′ to win by five feet.
“This was just an incredible day on the golf course,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. “Everywhere you looked there was great golf action. These teams really delivered the level of play we’ve come to expect in this tournament. To cap everything off with a playoff victory put the perfect finishing touch on a fantastic three-day event.”
A total scholarship purse of $350,000 was awarded to the teams by the Chick-fil-A Bowl and an additional $150,000 was raised for other charities bringing the total charitable purse to $500,000.
The Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge is a significant contributor to the Chick-fil-A Bowl’s annual charitable giving platform. The Bowl will contribute approximately $1.3 million to organizations in need this year.
Last year’s tournament was won by South Carolina (-12) and the 2007 event saw the Virginia Tech take home first-place honors.
The complete order of finish with scholarship winnings:
TEAM: SCORE: WINNINGS:South Carolina (Steve Spurrier / Sterling Sharpe) -12 (playoff) $120,000Virginia Tech (Frank Beamer / Dell Curry) -12 $60,000Alabama (Nick Saban / Johnny Musso) -10 $37,500Georgia Tech (Paul Johnson / Jon Barry) -10 $37,500Minnesota (Tubby Smith / Jim Petersen) -9 $25,000Ole Miss (Houston Nutt / Kris Mangum) -8 $17,500Wake Forest (Jim Grobe / Billy Packer) -8 $17,500Kentucky (Rich Brooks / Jared Lorenzen) -4 $15,000Vanderbilt (Bobby Johnson / Will Perdue) -2 $10,000Maryland (Ralph Friedgen / Neil O'Donnell) -1 $10,000
