ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia men’s golf team will play in its third event of the spring at the Linger Longer Invitational, hosted by Kennesaw State University, at the Great Waters Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Eatonton beginning on Sunday, March 17.
The Bulldogs lineup will consist of graduates Connor Creasy, Ben van Wyk, senior Caleb Manuel, junior Buck Brumlow and freshman Camden Smith, with graduate Beck Burnette, junior JT Herman, and sophomore Carter Loflin competing as individuals.
MEDIA INFORMATION
Dates: March 17 – 19
Location: Eatonton, Ga.
Course: Great Waters Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee
Live Stats: https://gado.gs/bfq
Georgia Season Stats: https://gado.gs/bd3
BULLDOG BULLETIN
Linger Longer Invitational: The Georgia men’s golf team will compete in the Southern Highlands Collegiate for the 17th time in the tournament’s history, taking home the team title in the event six times (2006, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2019 and 2022). The Bulldogs hold the lowest winning score in event history with an 867 in their 2009 victory and have placed in the top five every year that they have competed.
The competition will be held at Great Waters Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee in a par 72, 7,436-yard format. Play will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET each day with tee times off No. 1 and No. 10 holes.
The 14-team tournament field includes four programs ranked among Spikemark’s top 30 rankings. Playing alongside the No. 27 Bulldogs is host Kennesaw State, No. 16 Alabama, Augusta, Charlotte, Clemson, No. 14 Georgia Tech, Georgia State, UNC Greensboro, Jacksonville, Louisiana Tech, Mercer, No. 13 Virginia and Wofford.
Last year, Georgia tied for fifth in the event with four-over, 868. Creasy led the Bulldogs as he finished t-6th at three-under par, 213.
Dawgs in the Polls: On Scoreboard Powered by Clippd rankings, Georgia is currently rated No. 27 as a team. In their individual player rankings, the Bulldogs have a pair of student-athletes in the top 150 – No. 91 van Wyk, No. 121 Creasy and No. 144 Brumlow.
Georgia is also receiving votes in the Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches’ poll. The Bulldogs have a trio of individuals in the PGA TOUR University Rankings, all within the top 65. Van Wyk leads the team with a No. 31 ranking, fellow grad student Creasy comes in at No. 42 while senior Manuel rounds out the Dawgs in the rankings at No. 61.
Last Time Out: The No. 29 Georgia men’s golf team finished with the third-lowest score during the third round of the Southern Highlands Collegiate on Tuesday, Feb. 27, placing 10th on the team leaderboards paced by Creasy’s second-straight appearance in the top 10 individually.
The Bulldogs carded a four-under-par, 284 total during the final day of the event, bested only by No. 15 Oklahoma, who won the tournament, and No. 2 Auburn, who finished in second. Georgia tied with No. 30 Texas A&M, both schools earning a 14-over, 878 finish.
Creasy finished tied for ninth with a two-under, 214 total. His final round of 70 saw 14 pars, birdies on holes seven, nine and 14 with just one bogey. This marks the second time in the graduate student’s career that he has recorded consecutive finishes in the top 10.
Creasy Earns SEC Golfer of Week Honors: After leading Georgia to its first tournament win of the year, graduate Connor Creasy earned his first career Southeastern Conference Golfer of the Week award, the league office announced on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Creasy became the first Bulldog to receive the recognition since Trent Phillips did so on March 23, 2022.
“Winning this award really means a lot,” Creasy said. “It was a super fun week for everyone. We played really well and had a great second round as a team. We started slowly in the third round but then all four counting scores in the last nine holes stepped up and we closed it out. It was a ton of fun. It was a great way to start the spring, but we’ve got to keep the pedal down, put one foot in front of the other, and keep getting better.”
The Abingdon, Va. native carded his second top-five finish at the Puerto Rico Classic after a 14-under, 202 total. This tied his career 54-hole low, finishing tied for third individually for a new career-best result. The Bulldogs finished with a 42-under-par, 822 total, beating out No. 13 Virginia by three strokes after it surged to second place from a 21-under round during round three.
Creasy ended the tournament with a 67, allowing him to post three consecutive rounds in the 60s and back-to-back sub-68 rounds for the first time in his collegiate career. He was one of seven players in the top 25 to shoot three straight rounds under 70. In the third round, Creasy finished the back nine with his eighth collegiate eagle, four birdies and four pars. He was one of two players to record multiple eagles in the event, also recording one on day two.
Showing Out in Final Season: Captain van Wyk has saved some of his best play for his final year of collegiate golf. The George, South Africa native was the only player on the team with multiple top-10 finishes in the fall. He has finished in the top 10 individually in each of his last three tournaments – t-7th at the Ben Hogan Collegiate, t-8th at the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic and most recently t-8th at the Puerto Rico Classic.
Worth More Than a Buck: In his junior year, Brumlow has played some of his best collegiate golf this season. The Cartersville native entered the spring with the lowest average round of 70 and is one of four players who has played in all 12 rounds across four events during the fall. He has the highest percentage of counted rounds on the team as well, with his score being added toward the team total in 90 percent of his 15 rounds, shooting under par 13 times. He has finished his first three tournaments with a two-under-par final and capped off 2023 with a six-under at the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic.
Haack Enters 28th Season: Chris Haack was named the Georgia men’s golf coach on July 18, 1996 – and he has guided the Bulldogs to their highest levels of success. Coach Haack has coached the Bulldogs to two national championships (the only two in school history), eight Southeastern Conference crowns, 68 team tournament titles, and virtually every squad and individual record.
During his 27 previous seasons leading the program, the Bulldogs have advanced out of the NCAA Regional round and into the championships 23 times. Haack has also guided the team to at least one tournament win in 23 of the 27 seasons during his time as the head coach.
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