May 7, 2007
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech’s golf team, ranked 10th in the nation, has been made the No. 5 seed in the NCAA East Regional, which will be played May 17-19 at The Golf Club of Georgia, the Yellow Jackets’ home course, in Alpharetta, Ga.
The Yellow Jackets are joined in the East by two other teams from its home state, including top-ranked and top-seeded Georgia, the top seed in this regional and No. 27 Georgia State. Tech, which earned an automatic berth by sharing the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship last month, returns to the East after being sent to the Central regional last year.
The other two regional tournaments will be held the same weekend at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill., (Central Regional) and at Arizona State’s Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz. (West Regional). Each regional is a 54-hole stroke play event with 27 teams and six individuals competing. The top 10 finishers and two individuals not on those teams in each regional advance to the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, May 30-June 2 at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va.
The full East Regional field, in order of seed, includes Georgia, Clemson, Florida, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Charlotte, North Carolina, Florida State, Duke, Auburn, Mississippi, Chattanooga, Alabama-Birmingham, Central Florida, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Old Dominion, Jacksonville State, Louisiana-Lafayette, St. John’s, Eastern Michigan, Maryland, Longwood, Rhode Island, Hartford and Boston College.
The field for the East includes eight teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (Wake Forest was sent to the West) and four teams from the Southeastern Conference (Alabama and Tennessee are in the Central, South Carolina and Vanderbilt are in the West). In all, 16 of the 27 teams coming to Atlanta are ranked among the nation’s top 44 in the latest Golfweek rankings.
The fields for the Central and West Regional tournaments can be found at www.NCAASports.com. Alabama drew the top seed in the Central Regional, Stanford the top seed in the West.
The NCAA East Regional will be played at The Golf Club of Georgia’s Lakeside Course, a 7,017-yard, par 72 layout with demanding, firm and fast greens. It was honored in 1991 by Golf Digest as “Best New Private Course” in America and annually hosts The United States Collegiate Championship. In 1999, Golf Digest honored Lakeside’s par-5, 607-yard 11th hole as one of “America’s Best 99 Golf Holes.”
Tech has never failed to advance through an NCAA regional in 16 tries (the Yellow Jackets did not receive bids in 1995 and 1996). Heppler’s teams have won two regional tournaments and finished seventh or higher in all the rest. The Jackets have played in the NCAA Championship every year but two since 1985, finishing second four times.
Georgia, NCAA champions in 1999 and 2005, is making its 18th NCAA regional appearance and has advanced to the championship 12 times in its previous 17 regionals. Georgia State is in an NCAA regional for the eighth time, having advanced to the championship three times in its previous seven.
2007 NCAA EAST REGIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT
Site: The Golf Club of Georgia, Alpharetta, Ga.
Dates: May 17-19, 2007 (Thursday-Saturday), practice round on Wednesday, May 16
Host school: Georgia Tech
Course: Lakeside Course (7,017 yards, par 72)
Admission: Free
Teams competing (in order of seed): Georgia, Clemson, Florida, Coastal Carolina*, Georgia Tech*, Georgia State, Charlotte*, North Carolina, Florida State, Duke, Auburn, Mississippi, Chattanooga*, Alabama-Birmingham, Central Florida, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Old Dominion*, Jacksonville State*, Louisiana-Lafayette*, St. John’s*, Eastern Michigan*, Maryland, Longwood, Rhode Island, Hartford, Boston College (*denotes automatic qualifier)
Individuals competing (in order of seed): Duncan Stewart (Jacksonville); Fredric Sundberg (Campbell), Chris Narramore (Middle Tennessee State), Matt Cook (Western Carolina), Russell Knox (Jacksonville), Jeff Dennis (North Florida)
Format: 54 holes (18 each day). Each team has five players, with the low four individual scores each day counting toward the team total. The top 10 teams and two individuals not on those teams after 54 holes advance to the NCAA Championship May 30-June 2 at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 16 – practice rounds from 8 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. in order of seed, beginning with top seed (Georgia)
Thursday, May 17 – first round, play begins at 7 a.m. from both No. 1 and No. 10 tees (last group at 1:43 p.m.)
Friday, May 18 – second round, play begins at 7 a.m. from both No. 1 and No. 10 tees (last group at 1:37 p.m.)
Saturday, May 19 – third and final round, play begins at 7 a.m. from both No. 1 and No. 10 tees (last group at 1:37 p.m., leaders tee off early)
DIRECTIONS TO THE GOLF CLUB OF GEORGIA
From Georgia 400 – From Georgia 400, exit onto Windward Parkway, exit 11. Travel eastbound 2.2 miles to Golf Club Drive , just a short distance past the traffic light at the intersection of Windward Parkway and Clubhouse Drive. Turn right onto Golf Club Drive and proceed to the guard house.
Traveling to the club from the east side of Alpharetta – Travel North on Medlock Bridge Road/Highway 141. Turn Left onto McGinnis Ferry Road. This intersection consists of a Texaco and a McDonald’s on the left and a Wendy’s and a Kroger on the right. Go to the stop sign and turn right. Still traveling on McGinnis Ferry Road, travel approximately 5 miles until you see a stacked stone marquis with the word “Windward.” Turn left onto Windward Parkway. Travel 1.5 miles and at the top of the hill, turn left onto Golf Club Drive.
