Georgia Tech #ProJackets Golf Report

April 24, 2018

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech fielded its largest contingent of alumni in a single event this season last weekend at the Valero Texas Open … Kuchar takes on a Bulldog partner in New Orleans … Roberto Castro puts two top-10 performances back-to-back … Larry Mize ties for 10th in a team event on the Champions Tour … this and more in this week’s Georgia Tech ProJackets report.

Richy Werenski has struggled to get traction in his second season on the PGA Tour, but he used the TPC San Antonio course to post his best finish of the season last weekend, tying for 11th place with a 9-under-par score of 279 at the Valero Texas Open. It was easily his best performance of the season (previous was a tie for 29th at the CareerBuilder Challenge) and improved his FedEx Cup standing from 175th to 143rd.

Four of the seven Yellow Jackets in the field played the weekend, with Chesson Hadley (24th in FedEx Cup) tying for 20th place, Ollie Schniederjans (57th) tying for 36th, and Matt Kuchar (58th) tying for 51st. Cameron Tringale, Stewart Cink and the semi-retired Troy Matteson, who got into the field through Monday qualifying, missed the cut.

Hadley, Kuchar, Tringale and Werenski move to the New Orleans area this week for the Zurich Classic, a two-man team event which utilizes best-ball play Thursday and Saturday, and alternate shot Friday and Sunday. Under the team format, FedEx Cup points are allocated as if the two teammates tied, with the total points for the two positions split evenly among the two.

Hadley teams with Brice Garnett, while Cameron Tringale partners with Brett Stegmaier and Werenski plays with Nicholas Lendheim.

Kuchar has partnered with two-time Masters champion and former Georgia player Bubba Watson for the Zurich Classic. The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist has found success teaming with former Bulldogs before, twice winning the Franklin Templeton Shootout with Harris English. Also competing this week is David Duval, who steps down from the Golf Channel booth to team up with Jim Furyk.

In the final round of the 2018 Valero Texas Open, Richy Werenski sinks a 32-foot birdie putt on the par-3 13th hole.

Chesson Hadley’s interview following his opening round 68 at the Valero Texas Open

Matt Kuchar’s tee shot sets up 12-foot-birdie putt at the Valero Texas Open

Nice little red

A post shared by Richy Werenski (@rwerenski) on Apr 11, 2018 at 5:16pm PDT

Web.com Tour: Roberto Castro posted his second-best finish of 2018, tying for seventh place at last weekend’s North Mississippi Classic in Oxford, Miss., with a 7-under-par total of 209 in the rain-shortened event. The performance followed a second-place showing in the Savannah Championship the week before, and Castro stands 17th in earnings for 2018.

Anders Albertson tied for 22nd place for his third-best finish of the year, and improved to 53rd in earnings. Nicholas Thompson (129th) and Seth Reeves (65th) missed the cut. The top 25 players in earnings at the end of the season earn PGA Tour cards for 2018-19.

Champions Tour: Larry Mize teamed up with Scott Parel to tie for 10th place at last weekend’s Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf in Ridgedale, Mo., compiling a 72-hole total of 18-under-par 200, six strokes out off the lead (-24) and a playoff which was won by Kirk Triplett and Paul Broadhurst.

MacKenzie Tour: Drew Czuchry is in the field for the PGA Canadian Tour’s final qualifier held in the United States, which begins Tuesday in Lakeland, Fla. He will be the second former Yellow Jacket to attempt to qualify for the Canadian Tour after Vincent Whaley earned conditional status in a qualifier held in late March in Ponte Vedra, Fla. The tour has one final qualifier set for May 1-4 in British Columbia before beginning its regular schedule at the end of May.

UPCOMING EVENTS

PGA Tour: Zurich Classic of New Orleans • April 26-29, 2018 • TPC Louisiana • Avondale, La. • Purse: $7,200,000 • FedExCup Points: 500
Web.com Tour: United Leasing and Finance Championship • April 26-29, 2018 • Victoria National Golf Club • Newburgh, Ind. • Purse: $600,000
PGA Tour Champions: Insperity Invitational • May 4-6, 2018 • The Woodlands Country Club • The Woodlands, Texas • Purse: $2,200,000
Mackenzie Tour:Freedom 55 Financial Open • May 31-June 3, 2018 • Point Grey Golf and Country Club • Vancouver, British Columbia • Purse: $200,000