ATLANTA (Jan. 12) – Top-ranked Georgia Techs golf team succeeded at a high level both on the course and in the classroom last fall, as all nine team members earned Dean’s List academic honors after the 1999 fall semester.
Tech, which is ranked 13th among public universities by The U.S. News & World-Report, ended the term with a 3.27 cumulative grade point average. The Yellow Jackets registered top-five finishes in all four of their fall tournaments, including a win over 10 ranked teams in the Carpet Capital Collegiate and a second in the Golf World Invitational. Tech went 26-7 against top 25 competition and was 30-0 against squads ranked 26th and higher in the Golfweek rating, which is administrated by the Jeff Sagarin ratings system.
“Its nice to know that our guys are working hard both on the course and in the classroom,” said fifth-year head coach Bruce Heppler. “We achieved the No.1 ranking in the Golfweek poll and had all nine guys finish with a 3.0 or above grade point average. It is satisfying for me as a coach to see that our priorities are in order. We want every one of our athletes to gain their degree, because that is one thing that can’t be replaced.”
Tech currently is the only team with two players ranked in the top 10 individually, as junior Bryce Molder (Conway, Ark.), is ranked fourth and senior Matt Kuchar (Lake Mary, Fla.) is ranked eighth. Kuchar ended the fall leading Tech with a 70.33 average and won the Savane College All-America Classic by besting a field of 16 all-Americas in November. Molder has five top-20 finishes and a 70.64 stroke average this year and won the Carpet Capital Collegiate after firing a career-best 12-under-par score.
Tech returns to action February 17-19 in the Waikoloa Intercollegiate in Waikoloa, Hawaii, where it is the defending team champion.
