The Georgia men finished strong to win the Linger Longer Invitational at Reynolds Lake Oconee’s Great Waters course to give coach Chris Haack his 67th career title.
The Bulldogs closed with an 8-under 280 to finish at 28 under and beat runner-up Vanderbilt by four shots. Florida was third at 13 under.
Trent Phillips shot a 6-under 66 in the final round and wound up in second place at 10 under, six shots behind medalist Jacob Bridgeman of Clemson. His 25-foot eagle on the 18th hole helped close the door and set off an emotional display for Phillips.
“Things were tight, and I knew that putt could be big for our team,” Phillips said. “That’s why the emotion came out of me.”
Ben van Wyk finished third, Maxwell Ford tied for fourth and Nic Cassidy tied for 19th.
Augusta finished tied for 11th, Mercer was 14th and Kennesaw State was 15th.
Tour Championship official headed to Clemson
Martin Stephenson resigned as tournament director of the Tour Championship to become senior vice president of corporate partnerships for Clemson athletics. Stephenson began with the PGA Tour as an intern in 2003, worked for the Atlanta Spirit group from 2005 to 2007 and joined the PGA Tour full time in 2007. He was promoted to tournament director in April 2015.
Kil leads Kennesaw State women to title
Bella Kil shot a 2-under 214 to win the individual title and lead the Kennesaw women to victory in the Pinetree Country Club Women’s Collegiate. Kil, a junior from Australia, went wire-to-wire for her first win. Alizee Vidal tied for 12th for the Owls, who finished eight shots better than runner-up Xavier. It was the second win of the season for Kennesaw State.
Georgia women host 50th Liz Murphey Classic
The University of Georgia has another outstanding field lined up to compete in the 50th Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, Friday through Sunday at the UGA Golf Course. Georgia finished fifth last year, with South Carolina holding off Ole Miss for the title.
The Dogs finished sixth in their most recent event, the Clover Cup in Mesa, Ariz. Coach Josh Brewer’s team shot 5-under 283 the final day and moved up a couple of spots. Caterina Don finished tied for 10th to lead Georgia, with Jenny Bae (T-15) and Jo Hua Hung (T-19) also in the top 20.
Bae, the Georgia Amateur of the Year and a contender to make the Curtis Cup, leads the team with a 72.34 scoring average. A senior from Lawrenceville, Bae accepted an invitation to play in next month’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
The Liz Murphey tournament is named in honor of the former UGA golf coach and longtime senior administrator. She won the Women’s Golf Coaches Association’s national coach of the year in 1984 and is a charter member of the organization’s Hall of Fame in 1986.
The Liz Murphey will be Georgia’s final tournament before the SEC Championships at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Birmingham, Ala., on April 13-17.
Bortons, Branans win Mixed Team titles
Aubrie and Michael Borton of Atlanta won the gross division, and Bill and Kathy Branan of Statham won the next division of the GSGA’s Mixed Team Championship at the Sea Island Golf Club.
The Bortons shot 66-68 in the four-ball event and won by four shots over Kit Creighton of Atlanta and Ty Hampel of Smyrna. The Branans shot 54-65 and won by two shots over Bobby Colwell of Smyrna and Debbie Price of Marietta.
Georgia Southern captures 42nd Schenkel
Georgia Southern shot 25 under to win the 42nd Chris Schenkel Invitational at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro. The Eagles beat No. 18-ranked Notre Dame by seven shots to win the event for the third time.
Mason Williams shot a 206 to finish second, and Ben Carr shot 208 to place third for the Eagles.
The medalist was Kieron van Wyk of College of Charleston, who shot 204.
“It was a pretty cool experience,” Williams said. “It was just surreal. Making putts out here and hearing crowds roar and getting high-fives walking from tee to green is something you don’t really experience in any other tournament.”
Emory women roll to Jekyll Island title
Sharon Mun shot a 211 to place second overall and help Emory win the Jekyll Island Women’s Collegiate at the Indian Mounds course. The Eagles shot 866 and beat the University of Redlands by 31 shots.
All five Emory players finished in the top 20: Ellen Dong (T-7 at 217), Heejo Hyun (ninth at 219), and Irene Wang and Mariana Chong (T-17 at 224).
Berry was 15th, Oglethorpe finished 21st and Piedmont placed 22nd. Rylee Suttor of Centre College was medalist at 209.
The Emory men finished third in the Jekyll Island Collegiate at the Pine Lakes and Oleander courses. Logan Ryan shot 210 and tied for sixth to pace the Eagles.
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