Sep 3, 2013
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s golf team, which welcomes back four starters from the unit that reached the semifinals of last spring’s NCAA Championship, has come in at No. 4 in the pre-season rankings of both Golfweek and Golf World magazines.
The Yellow Jackets, who begin their 19th year under head coach Bruce Heppler when they tee it up Friday at the Carpet Capital Collegiate, will field a lineup that includes seniors Bo Andrews (Raleigh, N.C.), Seth Reeves (Duluth, Ga.) and Richard Werenski (South Hadley, Mass.), as well as juniors Anders Albertson (Woodstock, Ga.) and Ollie Schniederjans (Powder Springs, Ga.). All five of those players qualified for the U.S. Amateur in August, as did sophomore Michael Hines (Acworth, Ga.).
Tech, which has reached match play in three of the last four NCAA Championships, only to fall to the eventual national champion, also has senior Drew Czuchry (Auburn, Ga.) back and has added Vincent Whaley, a freshman from McKinney, Texas, ranked as high as 24th in his class.
Werenski, who has four top-10 finishes in his career and a 73.6 stroke average, replaces freshman Shun Yat Hak in that NCAA Championship lineup. Hak turned pro over the summer and did not return to school.
Tech’s expectations are bolstered by the success on the amateur circuit of many of its players. Andrews, Reeves and Werenski each advanced to match play at the U.S. Amateur, while Reeves won the Southeastern Amateur and Albertson won his U.S. Amateur sectional qualifier. Collectively, the team posted 12 other top-10 finishes during the summer.
The Golfweek rankings lead with last year’s No. 1 team, California, which also returns four starters, followed by defending NCAA Champion Alabama, Oklahoma State, Tech and UCLA. Golf World magazine listed Alabama, California, Texas, Tech and Washington in its top 5.
Schniederjans, Albertson Among Golf World Top 50 Players to Watch
Juniors Ollie Schniederjans and Anders Albertson are both listed among Roberto Castro, Nicholas Thompson and Bryce Molder all advanced to the third round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs with their performances last weekend at the Deutsche Bank Championship. They emerged from the second-round event ranked among the top 70 in FedEx Cup points.
Kuchar tied for fourth at the Deutsche Bank with a 17-under-par total of 267, holding his No. 4 position in the FedEx Cup rankings, while Roberto Castro tied for ninth at 15-under 269, moving up to 25th in the rankings. The top 30 in FedEx Cup points after this week’s BMW Championship in Lake Forest, Ill., will be in the field for the Tour Championship presented by Coca-Cola the weekend of Sept. 19-22 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Thompson jumped 14 spots to 59th after tying for 22nd place (273, -11) at the Deutsche Bank, while Bryce Molder (276, -8) stayed in the top 70 at 66th.
Stewart Cink, who entered the weekend 85th in FedEx Cup points, couldn’t make up enough ground to advance, tying for 27th and (274, -10) reaching 76th place in points. Cameron Tringale, who began the weekend in 69th place, fell 10 spots back after shooting 281 (-3).
Note – Georgia Tech’s alumni on the PGA Tour earned $10,111,658 combined through The Barclays, the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs, tops among all colleges and universities in the country.
About Georgia Tech Golf
Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 19th year under head coach Bruce Heppler. The Yellow Jackets have won 14 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 26 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up four times.
Connect with Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on Twitter (@GT_Golf). For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
