Feb. 22, 2014
THE FLATS – The No. 3-ranked Georgia Tech golf team begins the second leg of its spring schedule this weekend when the Yellow Jackets travel to Rio Grande, Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Classic, beginning Sunday on the River Course at Rio Mar Resort.
Tech has made this event, which attracts many of the nation’s top teams, an annual stop on its spring itinerary since 1994, winning four times between 2000 and 2005. The Yellow Jackets tied for seventh place in their first outing of the spring, the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawai’i, a week ago.
For the first time this spring, the Yellow Jackets will face such Southeastern rivals at No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Georgia and No. 9 Virginia Tech in the 15-team field, as well at 10th-ranked Oklahoma and six other teams ranked in the nation’s top 50. The 54-hole event runs from Sunday to Tuesday, with an 8 a.m. Eastern time shotgun start each day.
Head coach Bruce Heppler’s team will be led by a pair of two-time medalists from the fall in junior Ollie Schniederjans (Powder Springs, Ga.) and senior Seth Reeves (Duluth, Ga.). Reeves, ranked 24th nationally in this week’s Golfweek/Sagarin Index, was Tech’s top finisher in Hawai’i (T16) after closing with rounds of 66-67 for an 8-under-par total of 208. Schniederjans, ranked 10th in the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings, tied for 30th with a 6-under-par score of 210.
They’ll be joined in the lineup by junior Anders Albertson (Woodstock, Ga.), who had three top-5 finishes in the fall and ranked 44th nationally, and senior Bo Andrews (Raleigh, N.C.), who closed with a 69 in Hawai’i and tied for 42nd. Senior Richy Werenski (South Hadley, Mass.), who had two top-5 finishes in the fall, re-joins the lineup after missing the Amer Ari event with a toe injury.
PGA Tour Update
With consecutive finishes of T12, T13 and T12 the last three weeks, 2009 graduate Cameron Tringale has moved up to 48th in this week’s FedEx Cup standings, while 2001 graduate Bryce Molder, with top-10 finishes in both the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Northern Trust Open, moved up to 45th.
Molder has won $603,383 in eight events this season and has surpassed $8.1 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour. Tringale has pocketed $480,817 in 11 events and has gone over $4.3 million in career earnings.
Matt Kuchar ranks 62nd in FedEx Cup points, but has three top-10 finishes in four events this spring, earning $489,167 to surpass $43 million in career money won. He attempted this week to defend his 2013 title this week at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship in Marana, Ariz., but lost to Jordan Spieth, 3 and 2, in the third round.
Robert Castro stands 85th in FedEx Cup points, followed by Chesson Hadley at No. 87, Stewart Cink at No. 90, Troy Matteson at No. 109, David Duval at No. 186 and Nicholas Thompson at No. 187. Tiger Woods is tied for 223rd (1 event).
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.
