Sept. 10, 2003
ATLANTA – The 10th-ranked Georgia Tech golf team will open its 2003-04 season this weekend by competing in the Bank of Tennessee at the Ridges tournament in Jonesborough, Tenn., on Sept. 13-14. The event will consist of 36 holes of play on the first day and 18 on the second at the 7,147-yard, par-72 layout of The Ridges.
The Yellow Jackets will be part of an outstanding 18-team field to open the year, as the tournament will feature 14 of the top 30 teams from the Golfweek Preseason Poll, including four of the top 10, with top-ranked Clemson, third-ranked Florida, fifth-ranked Georgia and 10th-ranked Tech, headlining the field. Also among the participants will be TCU (No. 12), North Carolina (No. 13), Wake Forest (No. 19), Auburn (No. 21), host East Tennessee State (No. 22), South Carolina (No. 23), Tennessee (No. 25), Oklahoma (No. 26), Tulsa (No. 27), Illinois (No. 29), Alabama, Kansas, Southern California, and Virginia Tech.
Junior All-American Nicholas Thompson will lead the Yellow Jacket individuals in the field, as he enters the year with a 72.76 career scoring average, which ranks sixth all-time at Tech. In 2002, Thompson was second on the team with a 72.72 stroke average and recorded four top-20 finishes en route to earning All-ACC and honorable mention All-America honors.
Joining him in the field will be fellow junior Chan Wongluekiet. Wongluekiet finished the 2003 season ranked third on the team with his 74.36 scoring average, as he notched a pair of top-20 finishes on the year, including a tie for 12th at the NCAA East Regional. His 73.55 career scoring mark is 13th on the school’s all-time list.
The third member of the Jacket contingent will be sophomore Thomas Jordan, who competed in 11 events as a rookie last season. He finished with a pair of top-20 placements, including a tie for fifth at the ACC Championship. His 74.97 stroke average was fourth on the team, as he carded eight rounds of par or better on the year.
The final two Tech individuals in the field will be sophomore Mike Barbosa and rookie Roberto Castro. Barbosa will be competing in his fourth tournament as a Yellow Jacket, after playing in three events a year ago, including the season-opening Carpet Capital Collegiate. Castro will be making his Georgia Tech debut after a stellar junior career that saw him earn AJGA All-America honors three times. Over the summer, he notched a trio of top-10 finishes in amateur competition, topped by a fourth-place finish at the Dogwood Invitational.
The Bank of Tennessee at the Ridges will get under way with the first round of play on Saturday morning. Live scoring of the tournament will be available at www.golfstatlive.com. A full recap of Georgia Tech’s results will be posted at www.ramblinwreck.com.
