Sept. 25, 2012
Alpharetta, Ga. – Seth Reeves fired a 4-under-par 66 Tuesday, the best round by an individual in the tournament, leading 4th-ranked Georgia Tech to a share of the championship with California in the PING-Golfweek Preview Invitational at Capital City Club Crabapple.
The Yellow Jackets and Bears entered the final round tied for third place, three strokes behind 36-hole leader UCLA, while UNLV started the day just a shot behind the Bruins. But both teams played the best team rounds of the tournament, each posting scores of 276 (4-under-par), while the Bruins and Rebels struggled on the 7,248-yard, par 70 Crabapple Course.
“We came back (from the Carpet Capital Collegiate) and had some qualifying, and we had to learn how to compete,” said head coach Bruce Heppler. “The (Crabapple) course was a real challenge, and you had to stay with it, and you had to stay competitive. When you get to the 14th tee and have shut it down emotionally, it’s a long way home. But we played those holes well. From 11th place a week ago to beating some of the best teams in the country is fantastic. I’m really proud of these guys.”
The Capital City Club Crabapple, which will host the NCAA Division I Men’s Championship next May, turned out to be an exacting test for the 15 teams, 14 of which are ranked among the nation’s top 25. Tech and Cal finished the tournament at 5-over-par 845, eight shots ahead of defending national champion Texas and UNLV. The Longhorns, who were tied for 10th place after the opening round, were 9-under-par for their round Tuesday, briefly taking the lead before falling back.
Meanwhile, Tech surged behind Reeves, who bounced back from a poor opening weekend performance at the Carpet Capital Collegiate to finish 54 holes at even-par 210, part of an eight-player tie for second place individually. The junior left-hander from Duluth, Ga., had an eagle and five birdies on his card, completing the fourth top-10 finish of his career. This came a week after Reeves had shot two rounds in the 80s and tied for 76th at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Dalton.
“I got too emotional and made a lot of dumb decisions (at the Carpet Capital),” so I threw away results and didn’t get too emotional after bad shots,” said Reeves, “So I tried to concentrate on staying level-headed. I knew I was swinging well and knew it was a matter of time before something good happened. Today I drove the ball really well, hit it really far, and that gave me a big advantage.”
San Diego State’s Tom Berry shot a 72 Tuesday to complete a wire-to-wire victory in the medal competition with a 54-hole total of 208 (-2).
Freshman Michael Hines shot a 1-under 69, while Ollie Schniederjans added an even-par 70 and Bo Andrews carded a 71 Tuesday for Tech. Andrews finished the tournament tied for 10th place at 1-over 211, his sixth top-10 finish, while Albertson tied for 16th.
Tech returns to action Oct. 5-7 to defend its 2011 championship at the Brickyard Collegiate in Macon, Ga.
PING/GOLFWEEK PREVIEW INVITATIONAL
Capital City Club Crabapple, Alpharetta, Ga.
Final Results
TEAM STANDINGS
T1 Georgia Tech 287 282 276 845 +5
T1 California 289 280 276 845 +5
T3 Texas 290 283 280 853 +13
T3 UNLV 281 286 286 853 +13
T5 UCLA 282 284 288 854 +14
T5 Washington 289 282 283 854 +14
T5 7 New Mexico 287 284 286 857 +17
8 Georgia 288 291 280 859 +19
T9 Alabama 294 284 283 861 +21
T9 San Diego State 287 288 286 861 +21
T11 Arkansas 288 292 289 869 +29
T11 Kent State 290 290 289 869 +29
13 Texas A&M 294 280 296 870 +30
14 Florida State 290 292 291 873 +33
15 Chattanooga 295 301 298 894 +54
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
1 Tom Berry San Diego State 67 69 72 208 -2
T2 Michael Weaver California 71 70 69 210 E
T2 Chris Williams Washington 69 72 69 210 E
T2 Max Homa California 71 70 69 210 E
T2 Cheng-Tsung Pan Washington 72 69 69 210 E
T2 Gavin Green New Mexico 71 67 72 210 E
T2 Nick Reach Georgia 70 73 67 210 E
T2 Seth Reeves Georgia Tech 73 71 66 210 E
T2 Kevin Penner UNLV 71 69 70 210 E
T10 Michael Kim California 73 68 70 211 +1
T10 Bo Andrews Georgia Tech 70 70 71 211 +1
GEORGIA TECH SCORES
T2 Seth Reeves (4) 73 71 66 210
T10 Bo Andrews (3) 70 70 71 211
T16 Anders Albertson (2) 71 70 72 213
T22 Ollie Schniederjans (1) 73 71 70 214
T30 Michael Hines (5) 75 72 69 216
