Two Georgia Tech graduates need to make a move this week when the FedEx Cup Playoffs begin with The Barclays.
Stewart Cink (No. 109) and Bryce Molder (No. 122) need to gain enough points this week to be among the top 100 on the points list or plan to take an extended vacation. The top 125 on the points list will be winnowed to 100 for the Deutsche Bank Championship, then to 70 for the BMW Championship, before the final 30 spots are determined for the Tour Championship at East Lake.
Others on the outside looking in are Lee Westwood (107), David Toms (112), Boo Weekley (113) and Louis Oosthuizen (123).
Definitely out: Steve Stricker. The veteran played an abbreviate schedule this season and finished 103rd on the list. He’s not in this week’s field at The Barclays, which means his season is over. He’s played in the past seven Tour Championships.
Meanwhile, Dustin Johnson is No. 6 in FedEx Cup points and should qualify for East Lake, even though he’s taking a six-month leave of absence for “personal reasons.” If Johnson qualifies, the Tour Championship will have only 29 players in the field.
Tough call for Schniederjans: Tech's Ollie Schnierderjans, the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, has a tough decision to make.
Does he represent the United States on the World Amateur Team that will compete Sept. 10-13 in Japan? Or will he defend his championship and represent the Yellow Jackets at the Carpet Capital Collegiate at The Farm, Sept. 6-8? If Schniederjans chooses the World Amateur path, he will miss about 10 days of school.
“That’s a tough call,” Tech coach Bruce Heppler said.
Thielemann leads Senior Am qualifiers: Alan Thielemann of Woodstock shot a 4-under 68 at Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta to win the local qualifier for the USGA Senior Amateur Championship.
Chris Hall of Mableton and Don Russell of Atlanta tied for second at 69. The other qualifying spots went to Don Marsh of Johns Creek, Mark Nickerson of Roswell, Donny Phillips of Suwanee and Jack Hall of Savannah.
John Gibbs of Augusta qualified in Lexington, S.C., James Stormont of Atlanta qualified in Nashville, Tenn., and Jack Kearney of Peachtree City qualified in Vermont. Doug Hanzel of Savannah, the defending national champion, is exempt.
Qualifiers advance to the Senior Am, which is Sept. 13-18 at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach, Calif.
Big Break Invitational sets field: The 40-player field for the Big Break Invitational, scheduled for Sept. 30-Oct. 3 at Reynolds Plantation-Great Waters, is led by PGA Tour winner Tommy Gainey, who was the first competitor from the series to gain a Tour card.
Others include Tony Finau, who won on the Web.com Tour this season; James Nitties, a former PGA Tour player who currently competes in the Web.com Tour; Jay Woodson, a winner on the NGA Tour; NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice; and Kristy McPherson, Ryann O’Toole and Gerina Piller, LPGA players and former Solheim Cup participants.
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