Bulldogs To Play For SEC Championship

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. --- The Georgia men's golf team will join its fellow league members this week in the Southeastern Conference Championship at the Sea Island Golf Club.

The SEC Championship will run Wednesday through Sunday on the par-70, 6,898-yard layout on the Seaside Course.

Georgia will use a lineup of juniors Trevor Phillips and Spencer Ralston, sophomore Davis Thompson, and freshmen Will Kalhstorf and Trent Phillips. The Bulldogs also will have junior Will Chandler available as the SEC is allowing for substitutes for the first time this postseason.

Trent Phillips ranks second and Ralston stands third in the SEC with scoring averages of 69.52 and 70.00, respectively.

The Bulldogs and their conference counterparts will log 18 holes of stroke play each day Wednesday through Friday. The top eight teams after 54 holes will advance to match play, with the quarterfinals and the semifinals slated for Saturday, followed by the finals on Sunday. SEC Network + will have digital coverage of the semifinal, while the championship match will air on the SEC Network.

"If you can't get excited this time of the year, check your pulse," Georgia head coach Chris Haack said. "There's a great deal of pride attached to this one. The expectation, as always, is to win. And with this format, you just never know. Match play gives everybody a chance to be the champion. It's anybody's ballgame, anything can happen. Anybody can win it, so why not us? … "I think this tournament is as wide open as I've ever seen it, so anything can happen. Our league is really tough, top to bottom, and I don't know that there's a clear-cut favorite. I think it's going to be an exciting championship. It's anybody's ballgame and that really shows the strength of our conference."

Georgia is the No. 16 squad per Golfstat and as the fifth-highest team in the league heads into the tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Bulldogs will be paired with South Carolina and Alabama on Wednesday.

Georgia has been a dominant force at the SECs, winning a league-best 29 conference titles. Under Haack, the Bulldogs have secured eight SEC titles, including six of the tournaments held at Sea Island. Georgia boasts 16 SEC medalists, including Haack protégés Bryant Odom (2001), Brendon Todd (2004), Russell Henley (2010) and Lee McCoy (2016).

The SEC has conducted its annual championship on St. Simons Island since 2001 (Seaside Course 2001-2007, 2010-present; Frederica Golf Club 2008-2009).

The SEC currently has six schools ranked in the top 25.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Wednesday, April 24
7:30 a.m. – 9:50 a.m. TEE TIMES FOR FIRST ROUND OF COMPETITION

Thursday, April 25
7:30 a.m. – 9:50 a.m. TEE TIMES FOR SECOND ROUND OF COMPETITION

Friday, April 26
7:30 a.m. – 9:50 a.m. TEE TIMES FOR THIRD ROUND OF COMPETITION
Following Competition PRESENTATION OF INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST, RUNNER-UP AND SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Saturday, April 27
7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. TEE TIMES FOR QUARTERFINALS
1:00 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. (approximate) TEE TIMES FOR SEMIFINALS

Sunday, April 28
7:30 a.m. – 8:10 a.m. CHAMPIONSHIP

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Will Chandler

Trent Phillips

Trevor Phillips

Spencer Ralston

Davis Thompson