Thirteen of the 30 men’s golf teams participating in this week’s NCAA championship at the Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course were here last September, competing in the PING-Golfweek Preview Invitational.
Georgia Tech and California tied for the PING title and posted matching 5-over-par scores in three rounds. The Yellow Jackets and Bears are back this week.
The course then was par 70, like it is for this week, but was 7,248 yards. For the NCAA Championship, the Crabapple has been stretched to 7,319 yards. The tee boxes on Nos. 8 (461 yards), 9 (518) and 16 (516) will be all the way back this week, which resolves the difference in yardages for the two events.
Tech’s Ollie Schniederjans said the biggest differences in the course between this week’s event and last year’s is the rough isn’t as punishing and the greens are harder and faster, which he said will benefit the Jackets.
Other teams competing this week that were here for the PING are (scores from the PING in parentheses): Texas (13 over), UNLV (13 over), UCLA (14 over), Washington (14 over), New Mexico (17 over), Georgia (19 over), Alabama (21 over), Arkansas (29 over), Kent State (29 over), Texas A&M (30 over) and Florida State (33 over).
Tough holes: This week's championship could be decided on a brutal stretch of three holes, which have no nickname, but will likely be called a lot of names by the end of the tournament: Nos. 14, 15 and 16.
“Fourteen, of those three, will play easier, and they will get progressively harder,” said Saint Mary’s senior Ben Geyer, who played his first round at Crabapple on Monday.
No. 14 is 446-yard, downhill par 4 that features knee-high grass, and then a road that is in play, along the right side. A tough, lateral hazard area lines most of the left side of the fairway. The fairway pinches in to less than 30 yards across in the area around 150 yards from the green, which was the landing spot for a few of players during Monday’s practice round. A bunker also awaits golfers on the right in that same area. Missing the green to the left will produce balls that roll into the hazard. The hole will play especially difficult if the pin is in the front.
No. 15 is a 220-yard par 3 that features a light-bulb shaped green fronted by bunkers to the left and right. The bunker on the right is more than 12 feet deep, and is a well-utilized piece of property. The bunker on the left isn’t quite as deep, but is a ball magnet. If the pin is in the front, and the players hit into the bunkers, bogey will be a good score. Behind the green is a steep drop. Geyer said he hit a 3-iron into the green during Monday’s practice round. He said the bunker catches your eye, but isn’t scary.
No. 16 is a clinch-your-teeth 516-yard par 4 that features a 90-yard-long bunker that runs up the middle of the fairway in the landing area for drives. Driving to the right of the bunker will shorten the approach to the green. Those that drove the right side learned that trees guard the front of the green, meaning the second shot must be precise and likely will necessitate a shot over the trees, depending upon the pin placement. Many players favored the left side of the fairway, where they were hitting approach shots from around 200 yards to the green. Two bunkers front the right side of the green on the line for those golfers attempting to come in from the right side of the fairway; behind those bunkers is a deep drop. Geyer tried to go to the right of the fairway bunker, but drew his tee shot into it. He said he will try to play to the left side of the fairway bunker on Tuesday.
Tee times to note: Tech will tee-off at 1:10 p.m. Tuesday on No. 10, a 459-yard par 4. Georgia will tee-off at 1:30 p.m. on No. 1, a 452-yard par 4. The Jackets will tee off at 7:50 on No. 1 in Wednesday's second round. The Bulldogs will tee off at 8:10 a.m. on No. 10.
