May 9, 2001
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech senior golfer Bryce Molder became the first player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to be named conference player of the year three times, as he earned the honor once again in 2001. Molder, along with teammate Troy Matteson were among the 12 players named to the 2001 All-ACC team as selected by a vote of the league’s nine coaches, and announced by the conference office in Greensboro, N.C. today.
Joining Molder and Matteson on the award recipient list was Tech head coach Bruce Heppler, who was named the conference’s coach of the year for the second time in his career, after leading Georgia Tech to the ACC title for the seventh time in school history.
Molder, who is the country’s top-ranked player, and leads the nation in stroke average, was named to the All-ACC team for the fourth time in his career, becoming the third Tech player to be so honored. Also on that list is David Duval and most recently, Matt Kuchar. After being named the ACC Player of the Year in both 1999 and 2000, Molder continued the Yellow Jackets’ hold on the award in 2001, as a Tech player has received the honor each of the last four years, with Matt Kuchar being the recipient in 1998.
Matteson has turned in an outstanding sophomore campaign, as he ranks second on the team in stroke average at 72.58, and has two top-10 finishes this year to go along with six placements in the top 20 through 10 events in 2001. He recorded the top finish of his career on March 11 at the Las Vegas Intercollegiate with his second-place effort that helped the Jackets to the team title in the event.
Heppler now joins former Tech coach Puggy Blackmon as two-time winners of the ACC Coach of the Year award. Blackmon won the honor four times, while Heppler was also the recipient of the award two years ago after leading the Jackets to the ACC team title.
The second-ranked Yellow Jackets will return to action on May 17-20, when they travel to Williamsburg, Va., to compete at the NCAA East Regional.
