Van Aswegen moves ahead in Stadion Classic at UGA
ATHENS, Ga. -- Tyrone Van Aswegen fired a 6-under 65 Saturday and moved into first place after three rounds of the Stadion Classic at UGA. Van Aswegen jumped ahead of the field with an eagle-3 at the par-5, 17th and finished at 13-under 200, one better than Bio Kim (64), Woody Austin (66) and second-round co-leader Billy Horschel (69).
Two shots off the pace are Shawn Stefani (66), Cliff Kresge (68) and Jim Herman (70), who shared the 36-hole lead with Horschel.
Two-time U.S. Open champ Lee Janzen shot a 66 and is only three off the lead along with Monday qualifier Brandon Brown (69) and Luke List (70), winner of last week's South Georgia Classic in Valdosta.
Any one of the top 10 players had a chance to assume control of the tournament but it was Van Aswegen who emerged late in the day.
"It's nice to be flashy. If you can make six birdie on nine holes or five in a row at one point, that's pretty flashy," said the admittedly-not flashy leader. "Basically what I try to do is to build momentum as the round goes on. Usually if you've got something good going on you're going to be rewarded. That's what happened today. It works for me."
No argument there.
Van Aswegen chalked up seven straight pars to open his day before closing the front nine with birdies at 7 and 9. He added another birdie at the par-5, 12th to reach 10-under, but was still lurking behind a handful of others.
The 30-year old South African slammed on the gas at the 567-yard, 17th hole.
"I hit two good ones there," he said. "Big drive, big 3-wood. And then I holed a 30-footer."
The eagle vaulted him over the others jumbled at 12-under and gave him sole possession of the 54-hole for the second time in three weeks.
"They always say it's not how you start, it's how you finish," he said.
Van Aswegen is hoping for a better finish Sunday than he had at the TPC Stonebrae Championship a few weeks back. He was up by three in the weather-plagued event but couldn't get settled off the tee and wound up shooting a 3-over 73 and fell into a tie for seventh.
"I hope I learned something from it. I just hope it turns out better tomorrow," he said. "I know the guys are going to be charging and making birdies. That's expected. I just have to play my game and build some momentum."
Paired with Van Aswegen will be Kim, the Tour's youngest member at just 21 -- but he won't know that until he arrives at the University of Georgia Golf Course on Sunday.
Kim found out Saturday morning he was paired with Lee Janzen, a veteran who extended a kind hand to the youngster on the PGA TOUR last year.
"Last year he was really nice to me," said Kim. "He was nice to me on the practice facility and I would ask him questions. I've known (about) him since I was a kid. I watched him on TV. This was the first time I got to play with him."
Kim, who doesn't look at pairing sheets and relies on his caddie to let him know about his tee time, chalked up seven birdies on his round of 64 -- the day's best -- and finished two strokes in front of his new friend. When he was done with his round, he wasn't sure where he was on the leaderboard because he doesn't look at those, either.
"I haven't looked at one. I guess since I'm interviewing right now I'm in a good position," he said with a laugh. "I figure if I looked at the leaderboard I would just think too much about scores. I guess it's working pretty good."
Chasing the final pair will be Austin, who shared the 54-hole lead a week ago.
"If I don't putt like I did last week on Sunday, I'll have a chance," said Austin, who shot a 73 and finished third. He also has a T5 on his resume this year and is No. 17 on the money list. The new success is mainly due to his putting.
"I'm missing some short ones but it kind of balances itself out. I'm missing some short ones but I've made a couple of 20-footers," he said. "I'm not used to making too many 20-footers. That's the difference. I haven't played as well as I want but I'm making two putts a round that I'm not normally making. There's six shots in three days. There's your difference right there."
Austin leads the field in putting this week with 78 putts through 54 holes.
Third-Round Notes:
• Luke List leads the field in birdies with 17.
• Billy Horschel and Cliff Kresge lead the field in greens in regulation (47 of 54/87%).
• Bio Kim started the round T20 and moved up the board with the low score of the day.
• Former Georgia Bulldogs Justin Bolli and Paul Claxton are tied for 15th at 8 under and will be paired together for the final round. Rookie Hudson Swafford, the third former UGA player to make the cut, is also at 8 under after 54 holes.
• Australian Cameron Percy celebrated his 38th birthday Saturday.
• Bubba Dickerson (31) and Aron Price (30) will celebrate birthdays on Sunday.
• Scoring averages for the week:
Front 9 (35)
Back 9 (36)
Total (71)
Round 1
35.083
35.744
70.827
Round 2
34.929
35.735
70.665
Round 3
34.651
35.492
70.143
• The Nationwide Tour will take next week off before resuming play at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation in Greenville, SC. The tournament will be staged at three different courses in the greater Greenville area -- Thornblade Club (host), Greenville CC and Carolina CC -- May 14-20.
HUDSON SWAFFORD WINS STADION CLASSIC AT UGA
Athens, GA – How ‘bout them Dawgs! Former Georgia All-American Hudson Swafford fired a blistering 9-under 62 to come charging from the back of the pack Sunday and win the Stadion Classic at UGA in dramatic fashion. Swafford capped off a brilliant final round by holing out from a greenside bunker for birdie and sending the hometown fans into a concussion of roars.
Swafford, a rookie on Tour, put a 17-under 267 total on the board but then had to wait another 90 minutes for the rest of the field to finish.
“I did what I could,” said Swafford after he signed his card. “We’ll see if it’s good enough.”
Several players had chances down the stretch but nobody could match the magic of the red and black, ultimately turning Stafford’s good into spectacular. And legendary.
“I couldn’t see it. I heard it hit the pin and then I heard everybody just go nuts. When I went up there and saw it had disappeared I blacked out to be honest,” said Swafford. “To hole out a bunker shot to win a golf tournament is amazing.”
Swafford waited out the field and wound up one better than Luke List, last week’s winner of the South Georgia Classic, and two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen, who birdied seven of his last eight holes, including the final five.
A birdie at No. 17 had given List a share of the lead but the former Vanderbilt star pushed his tee shot at No. 18 into the trees. His second shot, an uphill 6-iron from the right rough, caught the pines and dropped 40 yards in front of him. His third wound up left of the green, and he ultimately holed a 12-footer for bogey.
“This is unbelievable. My first win is huge and to be in Athens, words don’t describe it,” said Swafford, who follows in the footsteps of former teammate Rusell Henley, who won here last year as an amateur. “I couldn’t have drawn it up any better. The way it happened is a dream come true.”
Swafford collected a check for $99,000 which jumped him from No 61 to No. 7 on the money list.
“This is just a starting point. This is no time to get comfortable,” he said. “I’m still a long way from where I need to be. I’m another win away from getting anything done.”
Florida’s Billy Horschel (68) was fourth, third-round leader Tyrone Van Aswegen (70) was fifth and Jim Herman was sixth.
Swafford started the final day five shots off the pace set by Van Aswegen but figured he was still close enough. The round started on the wrong foot when Swafford three-putted the first hole for bogey.
“On any given day I know you can get after it,” he said. “I just stuck to my game plan. I gave myself a lot of chances after that.”
With the field chalking up plenty of red numbers, Swafford slowly climbed his way into contention with a trio of birdies at 5, 6 and 7. When he made the turn at 11-under, he was only three off the lead.
“Winning wasn’t crossing my mind at that point. The back nine can be penal with all the water but you can score on it,” he said. “You never know what can happen. This is the craziest game ever.”
It got absolutely nuts among the rolling hills and pine trees.
Swafford rolled in three straight birdies starting at No. 11 and put the locals on alert that something incredible might be on the horizon. Birdie putts of 10 and 8 feet at 16 and 17 got Swafford to 16-under and set up the dramatics.
“When I was standing on 18 tee I told my caddie we needed to get at least one more,” he said. “I knew Luke had some holes left.”
Swafford’s tee shot found the right rough, and he pulled his 7-iron into the bunker.
“It wasn’t that hard of a shot to be honest but it just didn’t cut,” he said. “I was actually relieved when I saw it in a flat area and not up against the lip. I thought I could get it up and down but my caddie said, ‘shoot, you’ve got to hole it.”
Ryan Baucom, a former walk-on football player at North Carolina, turned out to be prophetic when Swafford clanked in the winner.
“Talking about it and doing it are two different things,” he said. “The feeling, that roar. It was surreal.”
Fourth-Round Notes –
* Sunday’s weather: Partly cloudy, Wind variable 5-10 mph. High of 87.
* Hudson Swafford becomes the third Georgia Bulldog to win in the past year, joining former teammates Russell Henley and Harris English. Henley won this event last year with a 12-under 272 score and became only the second amateur ever to win in Nationwide Tour history. English was still an amateur when he won the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational in Columbus, OH, last summer. Swafford is the first one of the three to actually collect the winner’s check.
* Hudson Swafford’s 17-under 267 score is the lowest in the three years the event has been held at the UGA Golf Course. The tournament was held at Jennings Mill CC from 2006-09.
* Hudson Swafford becomes the fifth player in his 20s to win on Tour this year in eight events.
* Hudson Swafford becomes the seventh first-time winner on Tour this year.
* Hudson Swafford joins Paul Haley (Chile Classic) as rookie winners on Tour this year.
* Luke List collected $48,400 for his runner-up finish, enough to move in front of Andres Gonzales (m/c) and take over the No. 1 spot on the money list.
* Former Georgia Bulldogs Justin Bolli and Paul Claxton were paired together on Sunday and each carded a 4-under 67. They finished 12-under par and tied for seventh.
* Bubba Dickerson celebrated his 31st birthday with a 4-under 67. Dickerson jumped into a tie for 13th place.
* Lee Janzen set a tournament record with a 7-under 29 on the back nine.
* Lee Janzen’s runner-up finish here is his best finish since he was runner-up at The Memorial Tournament in 2003 – a span of 218 PGA TOUR starts and 2 Nationwide Tour starts. Janzen missed the cut at last week’s South Georgia Classic in Valdosta.
* Monday qualifiers David May (T13) and Brandon Brown (T24) both finished in the top-25 this week and will advance to earn a berth in the BMW Charity Pro-Am in Greenville, SC, in two weeks.
* Kevin Foley finished T7 for the second straight week. Foley, a 2010 Penn State grad, was a Monday qualifier last week at the South Georgia Classic. His T7 in Valdosta put him into this week’s event. His T7 here puts him into the field at the BMW tournament.
* Four of the top-10 and 12 of the top-25 money winners made the cut this week.
$ position Finished $ currently
2. Luke List T2 1
3. Paul Haley T27 3
4. Andrew Svoboda T16 4
7. Paul Claxton T7 6
13. Joseph Bramlett T45 14
14. Justin Hicks T24 15
15. Brian Smock T42 17
16. Fabian Gomez T61 18
17. Woody Austin T7 13
18. Cameron Percy 55 19
22. Robert Streb T21 23
25. Adam Hadwin T48 32
* Scoring averages for the week:
Front 9 (35) Back 9 (36) Total (71) Cumulative
R1 35.083 35.744 70.827
R2 34.929 35.735 70.665
R3 34.651 35.492 70.143
R4 34.603 35.365 69.968 70.547
The Nationwide Tour will take next week off before resuming play at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation in Greenville, SC. The tournament will be staged at three different courses in the greater Greenville area – Thornblade Club (host), Greenville CC and Carolina CC – May 14-20.
For the latest information and updates on the Nationwide Tour visit www.pgatourmedia.com
Scores available at www.pgatour.com or on the Associated Press wire
Follow the Nationwide Tour on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NationwideTour
and Facebook (www.Facebook.com/NationwideTour)
HERMAN, HORSCHEL SHARE LEAD AT STADION CLASSIC AT UGA
Athens, GA – Friday was Billy Horschel’s turn. After watching playing partner Kent Jones shoot a course-record 63 in Thursday’s opening round of the Stadion Classic at UGA, Horschel popped eight birdies on the board and posted his own 63 Friday to move into a share of the 36-hole lead.
Horschel’s bogey-free effort put him at 10-under 132 after two days at the University of Georgia Golf Course and tied for first place with Jim Herman, who quietly carved out his second straight 5-under 66.
Horschel and Herman were both in the first groups off the tee Thursday morning and Friday afternoon and finished up within minutes of each other on the huge double-green that looks like a giant horseshoe. Horschel got up-and-down for par at No. 9 while Herman tapped in for birdie at No. 18.
Luke List, winner of last week’s South Georgia Classic in Valdosta, shot a 4-under 67 in the morning and held the clubhouse lead at 9-under 133 for half the day. List is tied for third with cross-handed Josh Broadaway of Albany, GA, Australia’s Aron Price, who reeled off six consecutive birdies at one point and shot a 5-under 67 and Californian Jason Gore, who opened with four straight birdies to move into contention.
Monday qualifier Brandon Brown (69) and Cliff Kresge (66) share seventh place at 8-under 136, two back.
Horschel, a former Florida Gator, admitted he would have liked to shoot 62 and own the outright record on the rival Bulldogs’ home course but it just wasn’t to be. The former All-American also admitted he was in his own little zone toward the end of his front nine and wasn’t paying attention to what Jones or Doug LaBelle, the third member of the group, was doing.
“Your mind just shuts down, which is the greatest thing in the world,” said Horschel about his zoning out. “You don’t think much. You see the shot, you see the line on the green and you just go ahead and hit it. You don’t worry about the speed.”
Horschel’s putting has been much improved the last few weeks following a session with his coach at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio.
“I’ve always been a bit of a ‘pop’ putter. I don’t take it back far enough, I accelerate really fast and have too much follow through,” he said. “Now I try to make sure it goes back only as far as it needs to go. You don’t worry about adding any ‘hit’ to it at all. My speed has been good since then.”
Horschel had a lot of opportunities to work on his putting Friday because he hit 17 greens in regulation.
“I birdied my 10th hole to go to six-under and my goal today was to shoot 6-under. I had eight holes left,” he said. “When you meet your goal midway through the round you’ve got to raise the bar again to keep yourself going.”
Meantime, Herman was quietly plugging along on the opposite side of the course. The former Cincinnati resident opened with a bogey on No. 1 but then added a trio of paired-up birdies. Herman birdied Nos. 4 & 5, Nos. 11 & 12 and then Nos. 17 &18.
His final birdie at the 488-yard 18th came after a whopping 344-yard drive left him with only a pitching wedge to the green.
“I don’t know if I hit a sprinkler head or what but I was able to get it way down the fairway,” said Herman, who averages about 300 yards off the tee but has bulked up his stats and is averaging 327.5 yards in driving distance this week. “It was a big advantage to be able to stop the ball and play it off the slope.”
Herman’s wedge nestled in tight and left him an easy putt to tie Horschel for the lead.
Second-Round Notes –
* Friday’s weather: Cloudy in the morning with periods of light rain. Mostly sunny in the afternoon. Wind light and variable. High of 85.
* A total of 63 players made the 36-hole cut, which came at 2-under 140.
* This is the third year the tournament has been held at the UGA course and the first time the cut has been under par. The cut was 1-over in 2010 and 2-over par last year.
* Zack Miller withdrew prior to the start of the second round.
* Defending champion Russell Henley missed the cut after posting scores of 69-74—143.
* Billy Horschel’s 8-under 63 tied the course record set on Thursday morning by playing partner Kent Jones.
* Billy Horschel’s 63 today was a career-best for the former Gator. Horschel’s previous low was a 64 in the second round of The McGladrey Classic last year on the PGA TOUR.
* Tyrone Van Aswegen (67-68) is seven under par after two rounds despite hitting only 13 of 28 fairways the first two days. Van Aswegen found the short grass only four times in 14 tries on Friday but still managed to shoot a 3-under 68.
* David Skinns hit 16 of 18 greens on Friday and shot a 1-under 70 but had 34 putts. Skinns was a Monday qualifier at last week’s South Georgia Classic and finished T18, which earned him a spot in this week’s field.
* Fabian Gomez tied the tournament record with five consecutive birdies. Gomez had his run on holes 7-11. He countered those five birdies with five bogeys on the day and shot an even-par 71.
* Aron Price set a tournament record with six straight birdies. Price had his streak on holes 4-9.
* Corey Nagy and Aron Price both tied the tournament record of 5-under 30 on the front nine today. Both players had six birdies and one bogey.
* Georgia grad Paul Claxton continues to roll along in 2012. Claxton posted scores of 68-71—139 (-3) and hasmade the cut in all eight of his starts this season. The eight in a row matches Claxton’s career-best run of consecutive cuts. He made eight straight in 1995 but did not have a top-10 finish. He also made eight straight last year but, again, did not have a top-10 finish. This year, Claxton has a pair of top-3 finishes and came into the week No. 7 on the money list. Claxton has made a combined 481 career starts since 1994 – 375 on the Nationwide Tour and 106 on the PGA TOUR. He is No. 2 on the Tour’s All-Time money list behind Darron Stiles.
* First-round lead Kent Jones shot a 2-over 73 and is 6-under through two days. Jones is T13.
* Corey Nagy had eight birdies in round two and shot a 1-under 70. Nagy also penciled in four bogeys and one triple-bogey on his card. He missed the cut. Nagy opened with a 5-over 76 Thursday but had seven birdies in his first 10 holes and was 1-under for the tournament. He then went bogey/triple/bogey. Nagy had 9-hole scores of 30-40 today.
* There are nine current or former Georgia Bulldogs in the field this week:
Justin Bolli 70-69-139 -3 T36
Brian Carter (am) 72-72-144 +2 MC
Paul Claxton 68-71-139 -3 T36
Russell Henley 69-74-143 +1 MC
Matt McQuillan 71-71-142 E MC
Scott Parel 73-69-142 E MC
Nicholas Reach (am) 75-72-147 +5 MC
Richard Scott 75-70-145 +3 MC
Hudson Swafford 66-70-136 -6 T13
* Players who were bogey-free in round two:
63 – Billy Horschel
65 – James Hahn
66 – David May, Cliff Kresge, Joseph Bramlett
68 – Shawn Stefani, Michael Sim, Steven Alker
69 – Erik Flores, Scott Parel
* Players who were bogey-free in round one:
63 – Kent Jones
66 – Hudson Swafford
67 – Steve LeBrun, Aron Price, Woody Austin
68 – Tim Wilkinson, Alex Coe, Alex Prugh
69 – Jerod Turner
70 – Brenden Pappas
* Eight of the top-10 money winners were entered this week but only four advanced to the final two days:
1. Andres Gonzales 69-73—142 Even MC
2. Luke List 66-67—133 -9 T3
3. Paul Haley 71-69—140 -2 T52
4. Andrew Svoboda 69-69—138 -4 T27
5. Alex Aragon 71-72—143 +1 MC
6. Skip Kendall - dnp -
7. Paul Claxton 68-71—139 -3 T36
8. Brian Stuard 72-69—141 -1 MC
9. Edward Loar - dnp -
10. Casey Wittenberg 73-68—141 -1 MC
* Two current University of Georgia golfers were given sponsor exemptions into the field this week. Sophomore Brian Carter (72-72—144) and freshman Nicholas Reach (75-72) both missed the 36-hole cut.
* Scoring averages for the week:
Front 9 (35) Back 9 (36) Total (71) Cumulative
R1 35.083 35.744 70.827
R2 34.929 35.735 70.665
The Nationwide Tour will take next week off before resuming play at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation in Greenville, SC. The tournament will be staged at three different courses in the greater Greenville area – Thornblade Club (host), Greenville CC and Carolina CC – May 14-20.
For the latest information and updates on the Nationwide Tour visit www.pgatourmedia.com
Scores available at www.pgatour.com or on the Associated Press wire
Follow the Nationwide Tour on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NationwideTour
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Kent Jones Sets New Course Record, Takes First-Round Lead at Stadion Classic at UGA
Athens, GA – Kent Jones made birdies from everywhere in Thursday’s opening round of the Stadion Classic at UGA. Jones made birdies from the fairway, from the rough and even from the trees. He holed long putts for birdies, tapped in for birdies and salvaged pars from odd places.
“Everywhere,” he said. “I didn’t chip in but that’s about it. It was a fun day. I made a lot of putts obviously and when I hit it in trouble I found a way to get out and was making birdies from trouble spots.”
Jones hit only six fairways but one-putted 14 times en route to a course-record 8-under 63 and the first-round lead. Two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen carded a 6-under 65 and shares second place in the Nationwide Tour event at the University of Georgia Golf Course. Joining Janzen are Monday qualifier Brandon Brown and David Skinns, a Monday qualifier at last week’s South Georgia Classic in Valdosta, where he finished T18 to get into this week’s event.
Doug LaBelle played with the leader and fired a 5-under 66 on his own for a tie for fifth place. Joining him are Jim Herman, Chris Nallen, last week’s winner Luke List and UGA rookie Hudson Swafford.
Jones was in the first group off the first tee in the morning and got off to a rocking start by holing a 40-foot birdie putt at the first hole.
“It went up, then over a hump and then down,” laughed Jones. “I’m in the lower bowl and the pin is back right. It’s dewy and it’s the first green. I was thinking it would be a nice two-putt.”
It was a better one-putt.
Jones added five more birdies quickly and was 6-under through his first 11 holes.
“It seems that when you get off to a good start and get under par early and when you get a 10- of 20-footer you don’t really have to try hard to make the putt,” he said. “You just relax and let it happen and you putt better that way. I did that today. It’s not easy to do every day.”
The 43-year old Jones went from journeyman to magic man at the 356-yard, 11th hole. His tee shot nestled in the trees to the right. He had a small tree above him and a big tree in front.
“There was a small window there,’ he said. “Under the tree and over the next one. I was hoping to get on the front of the green somewhere and two-putt for par. I hit it solid and it jumped a little. It wound up about eight feet behind the hole. That’s what happens when you shoot 8-under.”
It was pretty easy for Jones and Labelle, who could have chalked up a 13-under 58 on their best-ball score.
“I’m aware of what’s going on,” said Jones. “I think I did a good job of not dwelling on it and just continuing to play. I was playing smart and giving myself chances and all of a sudden I hit it inside of three feet the last two holes. It just kind of happens and all of a sudden you’re 8-under.”
Jones’ score matched the lowest of his pro career – which began in 1992 and spans 460 total starts. Jones previously shot a 63 in the third round of the 2005 Deutsche Bank Championship.
“It was a great putting day,” he said, racking up a meager 22 official putts. “I made pretty much all of the putts I had a chance to make.
Janzen, who has eight career wins among his 600 PGA TOUR starts, didn’t make everything but he did make some of the critical putts that he’s been focusing on – those in the four to 10-foot range.
“That has been the part that has hurt me the most,” he said. “I did very well today. I think I was five for eight. Seventy percent is the number. That’s where the top-20 players in the world are. Whoever wins, that’s where they are, 70%.”
Janzen bogeyed his next-to-last hole and then canned a 10-footer to save par on the final hole.
“I would not have been happy with bogeys on the last two holes, especially after hitting good shots,” said Janzen, who missed the cut at last week’s South Georgia Classic, his first Tour start since 1990. “You plan everything out and you execute and it just doesn’t work out. Sometimes you miss a shot and it works out great, it hits a tree and bounces back in the fairway.”
First-Round Notes –
* Sunday’s weather: Partly cloudy. Wind SE 3-8 mph. High of 87.
* Kent Jones broke the course record of 64 set by Martin Piller in the third round in 2010. Piller went on to win the tournament that year. Scott Gutschewski matched Piller’s 64 the next day.
* Defending champion Russell Henley fired a 2-under 69. Henley was just finishing up his college career with the Bulldogs last year when he won as an amateur, only the second amateur ever to win on Tour.
* Former Georgia standout Hudson Swafford got off to a nice start with his 5-under 66. Swafford is making his first start in this event after missing out on getting a sponsor exemption into the field the past two years. Swafford did get in four rounds on the course in 2009, the first year the event was held at UGA, when he caddied for teammate Harris English. English went on to shoot scores of 68-73-70-71—282 for a 2-under total that put him T27.
The Nationwide Tour will take next week off before resuming play at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation in Greenville, SC. The tournament will be staged at three different courses in the greater Greenville area – Thornblade Club (host), Greenville CC and Carolina CC – May 14-20.
Northcutt, Witcher Earn Final Two Exemptions For Stadion Classic at UGA
ATHENS, Ga., April 30, 2012 – The Stadion Classic at UGA has extended its final two sponsor’s exemptions for the 2012 tournament to Glenn Northcutt and Brent Witcher.
Witcher has participated in three Nationwide Tour events this year, garnering a T30 finish at last week’s South Georgia Classic presented by First State Bank and Trust Company. A native of Atlanta, Witcher was the recipient of the 2009 Jack Nicklaus Award, which is awarded to the top collegiate golfer in Division II, during his final season at Valdosta State University.
Northcutt is a graduate of Auburn University, and this will be the first Nationwide Tour tournament of his career. He is a two-time winner of the McDonalds-Helenback Classic on the Emerald Coast Professional Golf Tour, capturing his second victory at Shalimar Pointe Golf Club last month.
Former University of Georgia golfer Richard Scott had been offered one of the two exemptions, but earned his way into the tournament with at Top 10 finish at the South Georgia Classic. Current Bulldogs Nicholas Reach and Brian Carter have the other two exemptions to the tournament.
Individual 18th Hole Skybox Tickets Now Available
Watch the Stadion Classic at UGA from the best seat in the house! Daily tickets to the 18th hole skybox are now available for $75.00 each. Tickets may be purchased for any of the four tournament days and include heavy hors d'oeuvres and beverages (beer, wine, soft drinks, sports drinks, bottled water). Please click here to purchase your Stadion Classic at UGA skybox tickets.
UGA Alumnus Earns Sponsor's Exemption
Richard Scott Has Local Connection, Professional Success ATHENS, Ga., April 16, 2012 –Richard Scott, a member of the University of Georgia’s 2005 national championship golf team, has been awarded a sponsor’s exemption to the Stadion Classic at UGA. The tournament will be held April 30 through May 6 at the University of Georgia Golf Course; Scott’s home course during his days with the Bulldogs. Scott will receive one of four sponsor’s exemptions, while two current student-athletes on Georgia’s golf team will earn reserved spots in the tournament field. The final sponsor’s exemption will be announced closer to the tournament. The UGA exemptions will go to the two players with the lowest season stroke average through the SEC Tournament later this month. If a UGA player wins individual medalist honors at the SEC Tournament, he will automatically earn one of the two exemptions, regardless of his stroke average. “One of the enjoyable aspects of hosting an event like this is that we have the opportunity to help a player with limited or no status on the Tour jump-start his year,” said George Stafford, the chairman of the Stadion Classic at UGA and the associate vice president for auxiliary and administrative services at UGA. “We are honored to have the opportunity to help a guy like Richard with limited status this year get another start for the season. Richard helped bring a National Championship trophy to UGA and now we are excited to be able to help him.” A native Canadian, Scott has played on the eGolf and Canadian Tours since he graduated from UGA in 2006. He has made six starts on the PGA TOUR, five of them coming at the RBC Canadian Open and has competed in four of the seven Nationwide Tour events this season. In addition to helping the Bulldogs to a national championship, Scott is a three-time Canadian Amateur Champion and has two professional wins. Scott now lives on St. Simons Island and trains at Sea Island Golf Club. “I’m excited to be able to come back to Athens for the Stadion Classic at UGA,” Scott said. “I have a lot of great memories at UGA and especially on that golf course; I hope to make a few more next month.” The current college players will try to keep making history at the Stadion Classic at UGA when they tee it up with the pros next month. Amateur Russell Henley earned one of the UGA golf team’s exemptions last year and made the most of his opportunity, becoming only the second golfer in history to win a Nationwide Tour event. A few months later, teammate Harris English won the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational and later made it through Q-school to earn his PGA TOUR card for 2012. “I have high hopes for the current UGA players,” said Dave Cousart, the tournament director. “Coach Chris Haack has built one of the strongest collegiate programs in the country, and his golfers can compete with any player in the world. Many University of Georgia golfers experience immediate success once they turn pro, if not sooner, as we saw last year.” The Athens stop on the Nationwide Tour is entering its seventh year. It is one of only two Nationwide Tour stops in Georgia and the only professional golf event in Athens. ABOUT THE STADION CLASSIC AT UGA The Stadion Classic at UGA will be held at the University of Georgia Golf Course from April 30-May 6, 2012. The event will be operated by the University’s Auxiliary Services Department. The Stadion Classic at UGA is the only event on the Nationwide Tour that is owned and operated by an institution of higher education. All net proceeds from the event will support need-based scholarships for UGA students through the Arch Foundation. In addition, 100 percent of proceeds from ticket sales will go to local non-profit organizations through the Regional FirstCare TICKETS Fore CHARITY program. For more on the event, visit www.stadionclassic.uga.edu <http://www.stadionclassic.uga.edu> . ABOUT STADION Since 1991, Stadion Money Management has been managing investors' "serious money"-the money that absolutely must be there for important long-term goals like retirement, education and future family legacy. Stadion Money Management offers separate account management services, proprietary mutual funds, and one of the leading retirement account investment advisory services in the nation. For more information, please visit www.stadionmoney.com <http://www.stadionmoney.com> . ABOUT THE NATIONWIDE TOUR Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Nationwide Tour identifies those players who are ready to compete and win on golf's biggest stage. As the official proving ground of the PGA TOUR, two out of three PGA TOUR members are Nationwide Tour alumni. Tour alumni have won 328 PGA TOUR titles, including 15 majors and four PLAYERS Championships. Twenty-five PGA TOUR cards will be at stake over the course of 27 events in 2012. Nationwide Insurance is the Tour’s umbrella sponsor through 2012. The PGA TOUR, through the efforts of its three tours and their tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, supports over 2,000 local charities and has surpassed $1.7 billion in charitable giving. To learn more about the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit PGATOUR.COM, Twitter and Facebook. ABOUT NATIONWIDE Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by A.M. Best. The company provides a full range of personalized insurance and financial services, including auto, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, life, farm, commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions and long-term savings plans. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com <http://www.nationwide.com> . * * * * * Media Contact: Bryan Harris Jackson Spalding (706) 354-0470 bharris@jacksonspalding.com
Individual Yamaha Golf-Car Company Pro-Am spots available for sale
Individual spots in the Yamaha Golf-Car Company Wednesday Pro-Am are now available for sale. Don't miss out on your chance to play with a Nationwide Tour professional on the beautiful University of Georgia Golf Course.
There is no other top-level professional sport in the world where you can "play with the pros" on the actual field of play. The Pro-Am package will give you the opportunity to enjoy the Tuesday night Pro-Am Pairing Party at the new Tate Student Center, which includes great food, beverages, and a chance to meet the pros. During the Pro-Am, you may possibly play with a future PGA Tour star while playing one of the finest courses in Georgia. Individual Pro-Am Package Details ($1375.00) -1 Pro-Am Playing Spot in the Official Wednesday Pro-Am -1 Pro-Am Gift Package valued at $500 retail -2 Invitations to the Pro-Am Pairings Party at the Tate Student Center -Player Pro-Am Breakfast, Lunch & Awards Reception -Unlimited on-course beverages during Pro-Am -Team prizes and Pro-Shop Gift Certificates for the Top Finishers -2 Weekly Tickets -1 Weekly VIP Parking Pass - Recognition on www.stadionclassic.uga.edu including a direct link to your company's Web Site. To purchase a pro-am spot, please click here. Please note: Only afternoon tee times remain at this time and these tee times will begin at approximately 12:30 PM.Chick-fil-A Beechwood UGA Student/Junior Golf Clinic
The Stadion Classic at UGA is proud to announce that Chick-fil-A Beechwood will once again sponsor the UGA Student/Junior Golf Clinic to be held Monday, April 30th. This participation style clinic is open to the public and will be held at the UGA Golf Course Driving Range from 4:00-5:30PM. Nationwide Tour players and the UGA men's and women's golf teams will be in attendance helping with instruction. Please register by clicking here.
Parking for the event will be located at the main tournament lot at the UGA Intramural Fields Parking Deck off of College Station Road. Free UGA Transit bus service will run from that parking deck to the golf course all day long. Please try to be at the parking deck no later than 3:40PM in order to ensure being there for the start of the clinic. For a map to the tournament parking lot, please click here.
Clinic sponsor Chick-fil-A Beechwood will have its cows handing out coupons for free chicken sandwiches to all of the attendees. Additionally, there will be raffle prizes along with one junior golfer and one University student walking away with free Chick-fil-A for a year! Don't miss out on the fun...register today!
Tournament Week Parking Sites Announced
Tournament Volunteers and general public spectators will park at the UGA Intramural Field Parking Deck and Surface Lots off of College Station Road for the 2012 Stadion Classic at UGA. Nationwide Tour Players, Staff, VIP's, Media, and Caddies will all park onsite at the University Golf Course. For more information please view the Parking Map or call the tournament office at 705-369-5841.
