Golf notes: Georgians aiming at the Tour Championship
If things work out at this week’s BMW Championship, next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake will be well represented by local players.
Georgia Tech product Matt Kuchar is already in the 30-man field for the final event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He ranks No. 4 on the points list, behind Henrik Stenson, Tiger Woods and Adam Scott.
The others with Georgia ties still have work to do, some more than others, to remain in the top 30 on the FedEx Cup points list that serves as the qualifier to compete for the biggest cash prize on the PGA Tour.
Currently, Georgia Tech alum Roberto Castro is No. 25, Sea Island resident Zach Johnson is No. 26 and Georgia grad Harris English is No. 28. Just on the other side of the bubble is Augusta’s Charles Howell III at No. 31. Not only do the top 30 advance to East Lake, they also get an invitation to the Masters, which offers additional motivation for Howell.
Castro has been on a roll. He’s made the cut in five of his last six starts and finished among the top 25 each time. He tied for ninth at the Deutsche Bank Championship two weeks ago. Johnson has been even better; he had a streak of five straight top-10 finishes broken with a tie for 27th at Boston. English missed the cut at the Barclays and tied for 27th at the Deutsche Bank. Finishing among the top 25 at the BMW Championship in Chicago will keep them among the top 30.
Others still in the hunt, but with ground to make up, are former UGA players Chris Kirk at No. 37, Bubba Watson at No. 40, Russell Henley at No. 42 and Augusta State’s Patrick Reed at No. 47. Depending on how the BMW weekend evolves, they’ll all likely need to finish among the top 15 to make the jump.
The local long shots include the Georgia Tech duo of Nicholas Thompson at No. 59 and Bryce Molder at No. 66. They would need a top-four finish to get into the Tour Championship field.
Super shaper at Cherokee: The Cherokee Golf Center in Woodstock called on master shaper A.J. Stewart to work on its driving range. Stewart has done a lot of work for Arnold Palmer and is considered one of the true craftsmen when it comes to adding contours and shapes to courses.
“A driving range doesn’t need to just be flat. It needs to look like a fairway out there,” said PGA professional and general manager Mike Connelly. “You won’t believe it. This man is an artist.”
Connelly and Stewart have known each other for years and worked together on several other projects.
Georgia women defend title: Team Georgia is out to continue its dominance at the USGA Women's State Team Championship next week in Kettering, Ohio. Georgia has won the biennial competition the last two times it was contested (2009 and 2011) and also won in 2005.
The tournament, which has only been around since 1995, features three-woman teams from each state. Georgia won at the Berkeley Hall Club in Bluffton, S.C., in 2005, Sycamore Hills in Fort Wayne, Ind., in 2009 and the Landings Club in Savannah in 2011.
This year’s team includes Georgia Golf Hall of Famer Laura Coble of Augusta, who has been a member of all three winning Georgia teams, five-time GSGA Senior Women’s Amateur champion Brenda Pictor of Marietta and Mercedes Huarte of Suwanee, who reached the final 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links this summer.
Georgia wins PGA Junior: Team Georgia defeated Team California to finish undefeated and win the PGA Junior League Golf Championship at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth. Georgia won two matches to reach the final, where it defeated California 6 1/2-5 1/2. The team was made up of players from Hamilton Mill Country Club and captained by PGA professional Chuck Scoggins. This is the second time a Georgia team has won the championship.
Etc.: The Ramblin' Wreck Cup fundraiser for the Georgia Tech golf team will be Sept. 23 at the Golf Club of Georgia. Players who have committed include Stewart Cink, Roberto Castro, Troy Matteson, Cameron Tringale, Nicholas Thompson, Paul Haley, Kyle Scott and James White. … Tara Guenthner has been named championship director and Maggie Budzar has been named championship manager for the 2014 U.S. Amateur at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
