April 13, 2013
ATLANTA – Seth Reeves and Ollie Schniederjans picked up easy victories for Georgia Tech Saturday, but the 8th-ranked Yellow Jackets dropped a dual golf match to No. 31 South Carolina, 3 ½-2 ½ at East Lake Golf Club.
In the first of two dual matches Tech will play as it prepares to defend its Atlantic Coast Conference golf championship in two weeks, Anders Albertson and Shun Yat Hak lost their matches late, and Bo Andrews was unable to win a hole coming on and left his match all square.
“South Carolina had some guys play well and they deserved to win,” said Tech coach Bruce Heppler. “Match play is a completely different experience. Kids in the United States don’t grow up playing a lot of it. You have a putt on just about every hole to win it, halve it, or lose it. In stroke play you don’t have those pressure situations coming along until late in the tournament. So I think it’s a good experience to do this.
“I think it’s phenomenal. You just watch the emotional challenges and the stress that they’re under. In golf, you’ve got to learn to deal with stress. Those that can, move on.”
Reeves, a junior from Duluth, Ga., made quick work of South Carolina junior Caulder Moore, 7 and 6, and Schniederjans, a sophomore from Powder Springs, Ga., defeated Gamecock senior Dykes Harbin, 4 and 3. South Carolina’s Will Starke, playing in the same group as Schniederjans and Harbin, easily defeated Tech freshman Michael Hines, 5 and 4.
Albertson’s and Hak’s matches came down to the par-4 17th. Each down a hole, each put their tee shots in East Lake which runs along the left side of the fairway. Gamecock sophomore Caleb Sturgeon, Albertson’s opponent, and freshman Matt NeSmith, facing off against Hak, each managed pars on the hole to close out the matches by identical 2 and 1 scores to put the Gamecocks ahead 3-2.
Meanwhile, Andrews and South Carolina’s Sean Kelly were all square heading to 17. Andrews, a junior from Raleigh, N.C., put his drive in the middle of the fairway on 17 and put his approach within 15 feet of the pin. He could not convert the birdie, however, opening the door for Kelly to save par from a greenside bunker after he drove his tee shot in the right-hand rough.
On the par-18th, both players were short of the green on their tee shots, but both saved par to secure a half for each.
Tech and 12th-ranked TCU will square off in a dual match next Friday at the Capital City Club – Crabapple Course, site of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship in May.
No. 31 South Carolina 3 ½, No. 8 Georgia Tech 2 ½April 13, 2013, Atlanta, Ga. (East Lake Golf Club)
1-Ollie Schniederjans (GT) def. Dykes Harbin (SC), 4&3 2-Will Starke (SC) def. Michael Hines (GT), 5&4 3-Bo Andrews (GT) vs. Sean Kelly (SC), all square 4-Matt NeSmith (SC) def. Shun Yat Hak (GT), 2&1 5-Seth Reeves (GT) def. Caulder Moore (SC), 7&6 6-Caleb Sturgeon (SC) def. Anders Albertson (GT), 2&1
