The Dogwood Invitational amateur golf tournament, which begins Wednesday at Druid Hills Golf Club, has a long list of alumni who have had outstanding careers on the PGA Tour.
In fact, 20 players who have competed in the Dogwood have won on the PGA Tour since 2010, including Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson (who won the Dogwood in 2007), Russell Henley, Brandt Snedeker and Bryce Molder. Others, such as Ben Kohles, who won last year’s tournament, turned pro and won two times on the Web.com tour by year’s end, have had success on the lower tours.
Which players in this year’s field have the potential to have solid careers as professionals? Dustin Roberts of the Golf Coaches Association of America offered his take on five players who you may one day on a pro tour.
Anders Albertson
Age: 20
School: Georgia Tech
Amateur rank: Tied for No. 51 in Golfweek's U.S. amateur rankings.
College highlights: Won the 2013 ACC tournament. … Two-time All-American. … Two-time All-ACC. … Finished 2012-13 strong, with four consecutive top-10 finishes leading into the NCAA championships. Has 10 top-10 finishes and five top-five in two years.
Amateur and junior highlights: Tied for fourth at the 2012 Monroe Invitational … Tied for fourth at the 2012 Players Amateur. … Tied for first at the 2011 U.S. Amateur qualifier in Duluth. … Third at the 2011 Georgia State Amateur Championship in Atlanta. … Fourth at the 2011 Monroe Invitational in Pittsford, N.Y. …. Tied for fourth at the 2011 Greystone Invitational in Birmingham, Ala. … Tied for 17th at the 2011 Dogwood Invitational. … Won the 2010 Georgia State Golf Association Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championship.
Stat to watch: 71.2 scoring average in two years at Tech.
Roberts' take: "Anders Albertson is a guy who has a history of competing at a high level. He has that consistency. He finished the year on a hot streak. Anders has been really consistent over the years."
Ollie Schniederjans
Age: 20
School: Georgia Tech
Amateur rank: Tied for No. 24 in Golfweek's U.S. amateur rankings.
College highlights: An All-American and All-ACC this year. … Posted a team-high six top-10 finishes, including two top-fives, this year.
Amateur and junior highlights: Won U.S. Amateur qualifier at Piedmont Driving Club (10 under) in 2012. … Tied for sixth at 2012 Dogwood Invitational. … Tied for ninth at 2012 Southern Amateur. … Tied for 11th at the 2011 Sunnehanna Amateur in Johnstown, Pa. … Tied for 10th at the 2011 Terra Cotta Invitational. … Tied for 10th at the 2010 Dogwood Invitational. … Won the 2009 Jones Cup Invitational.
Stat to watch: 72.0 stroke average in two years at Tech.
Roberts' take: "He made a habit this year of making big putts and playing well in big moments. He won the match to send them to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament."
M.J. Maguire
Age: 20
School: North Florida
Amateur rank: Tied for No. 35 in Golfweek's U.S. amateur rankings.
College highlights: Helped lead Ospreys to NCAA tournament each of the past two years. … Won the Atlantic Sun tournament, part of seven top-10 finishes this year.
Amateur and junior highlights: Has several top-20 finishes at amateur events, including a fifth-place finish at the 2012 Dogwood Invitational.
Stat to watch: 71.28 stroke average this year at North Florida.
Roberts' take: "Last year he really took off. He's a guy who over the past year has pretty consistently competed at a high level. Can he continue competing at a high level? It's fun to see guy make that much improvement between his freshman and sophomore years."
Peter Williamson
Age: 22
School: Dartmouth graduate (2012)
Amateur rank: Tied for No. 5 in Golfweek's U.S. amateur rankings.
College highlights: Won the Ivy League championship three times. … Had six victories as part of 31 top-10 and 23 top-five finishes.
Amateur and junior highlights: Won the North & South Amateur and the Southern Amateur in 2012. … Finished third at the 2012 Western Amateur.
Stat to watch: 69.88 scoring average in 2012, the lowest in college golf.
Roberts' take: "He burst onto the scene last year. People forget about him because he competed at Dartmouth. He's not really flashy, he's the type of guy who gets the job done. Keeps the ball in play, makes putts, a really solid player."
Robby Shelton
Age: 17
School: Enrolling at Alabama for fall semester
Amateur rank: Tied for No. 88 in Golfweek's U.S. amateur rankings.
College highlights: None yet.
Amateur and junior highlights: No. 1-ranked junior in Golfweek/Sagarin ratings and a Rolex Junior All-American. … Won the 2012 Junior PGA Championship and Junior Players Championship. … Was a member of U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team. … Second at the 2013 Terra Cotta Invitational. … Second at the 2012 AJGA Polo Junior Golf Classic.
Stat to watch: Three-time state high school individual champ in Alabama. He played at St. Paul's in Mobile, Ala.
Roberts' take: "We will begin to get a glimpse of what he can do."
About the Author
