Former Tech golfer Ollie Schniederjans has an impressive pairing for the first two rounds at the U.S. Open, which begins Thursday at Chambers Bay course in University Place, Wash. In his first-ever Grand Slam event, Schniederjans will play with two-time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen (now on the Champions Tour) and 2011 British Open champion Darren Clarke. Schniederjans got into the tournament by finishing last summer as the world’s top-ranked amateur.
He'll also play the British Open and then turn professional. Schniederjans' group tees off Thursday at 4:55 p.m. (EDT) and 10:55 a.m. Friday for the second round. Television coverage for the first two rounds begins at noon (EDT) on Fox Sports 1 and switches over to Fox at 8 p.m. There are also live streaming options available through the U.S. Open site.
Palmer Cup winners
Schniederjans and former Tech teammate Anders Albertson contributed to a U.S. victory in the Palmer Cup, a Ryder Cup-style event for college golfers. Playing at Rich Harvest Farms course in Sugar Grove, Ill., the U.S. team, coached for the second time by Tech’s Bruce Heppler, won 18-12 to reclaim the cup from the European team.
Schniederjans clinched the win for the U.S. with a 5-and-3 win over Max Rottluff on Sunday. The previous day, Schniederjans defeated Arizona State’s Jon Rahm (Spain), who was this season’s winner of the Ben Hogan Award, 2 and 1.
Schniederjans and Albertson both also contributed one point each in two foursomes matches. Schniederjans, interestingly, was paired with Georgia’s Lee McCoy.
Albertson’s intention has been to turn professional following the Palmer Cup. The last time I spoke with him – at the NCAA championships in Bradenton, Fla. – he had not yet decided at which event he would make his debut.
McGuire rebounding
Former Tech pitcher Deck McGuire appears to have found new life in the minor leagues after being released by the Oakland Athletics prior to the start of this season. Signed by the Dodgers and assigned to their Double-A team, McGuire has been promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City and has a 3.34 ERA in five starts with a solid 1.27 WHIP. He went seven innings, allowing two runs and six hits, with seven strikeouts and no walks, against Nashville on Sunday.
It is a considerable revival for McGuire, who was the 11th overall pick of the 2010 draft (Toronto) after being named the ACC pitcher of the year in 2009. Last season, in seven appearances with Oakland’s Triple-A team, opponents batted .340 against McGuire, leading to his release.
Brains, Braun
Georgia Tech guard Trey Braun was named one of the top 15 smartest players in college football by NFL.com. Braun graduated in December with a degree in mechanical engineering and a GPA above 3.0 and is now enrolled in the master's program in Tech's business school.
The list ranked Braun No. 4. Not surprisingly, six of the 15 were offensive linemen, who are typically among the smartest players on any football teams.
It's hard to put a whole lot of faith in lists like this - smartness is highly subjective, and something tells me this was not an exhaustive search. Regardless, Braun has always struck me as bright and motivated, and his inclusion is entirely worthy.
Eubanks in BB&T draw
Rising sophomore tennis player Christopher Eubanks has received a wild-card entry into the BB&T Atlanta Open at Atlantic Station. To get into the main 28-player draw is a plum for Eubanks, who earned All-ACC recognition as a freshman and reached the round of 32 at the NCAA singles championship. Eubanks, a Westlake High grad, will undoubtedly have plenty of support.
He’ll be something of the featured attraction for the tournament’s College Night – July 28, which is a Tuesday. College students with a valid ID can get two-for-one tickets at the tournament box office.
You can buy tickets here.
Eubanks is in England, serving as a hitting partner for close friend Donald Young, a pro from Atlanta.
Football ticket packs on sale
The ticket office has put three-game packs on sale, with the Florida State and Georgia games as the two marquee games in the package. Fans can buy tickets for either the Oct. 24 FSU game or the Nov. 28 UGA game and also tickets to any two of the remaining five games – Alcorn State (Sept. 3), Tulane (Sept. 12), North Carolina (Oct. 3), Pittsburgh (Oct. 17) and Virginia Tech (Nov. 12).
More information here.
Good news for Hall
It appears the Tech baseball team and coach Danny Hall dodged a bullet with only two of the Yellow Jackets’ signees expected to sign professional contracts. In particular, pitcher Tristin English and catcher Joey Bart had the potential to be drafted high enough to be swayed to give up college with a six-figure signing bonuses. However, apparently by indicating their intention to stay with their college plans, Bart wasn’t drafted until the 27th round (Tampa Bay) and English until the 39th (Cleveland).
A post on English’s Twitter account summed it up:
Credit: Ken Sugiura
Credit: Ken Sugiura
The five draftees in the Tech class were the most since six were taken out of the 2011 class. Catcher Tyler Stephenson (11th overall pick, Cincinnati) and pitcher Jonathan Huges (second-round pick, Baltimore) are expected to sign. Shortstop Carter Hall, picked in the 34th round by the Braves, is also expected to forego professional baseball. Hall is the son of coach Danny Hall.
