Sunday, February 25
Las Vegas, Nev.
University of Georgia
at
Southern Highlands Collegiate
Photo by: Tony Walsh/UGAAA
Georgia Looks to Build on Tournament Win at Southern Highlands Collegiate
February 24, 2024 | Men's Golf
ATHENS, Ga. — The University of Georgia men's golf team will play in its second event of the spring at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, hosted by UNLV, at the Southern Highlands Golf Club in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 25.
The Bulldogs lineup will consist of graduates Beck Burnette, Connor Creasy and Ben van Wyk, senior Caleb Manuel and junior Buck Brumlow with freshman Camden Smith competing as an individual.
MEDIA INFORMATION
Dates: Sunday, Feb. 25 – 27
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Course: Southern Highlands Golf Club
Live Stats: https://gado.gs/bfq
Georgia Season Stats: https://gado.gs/bd3
BULLDOG BULLETIN
Southern Highlands Collegiate: The Georgia men's golf team will compete in the Southern Highlands Collegiate for the 12th time in the tournament's history, finishing in the top three of the event four times (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008). The Bulldogs will look to win back-to-back events for the first time since doing so in 2016 at the SEC Championships and the NCAA Regional in Tuscaloosa.
The competition will be held at the Southern Highlands Golf Club in a par 72, 7,510-yard format. Individual ties will be broken by sudden-death playoff. Play will begin at noon ET each day with tee times off No. 1 and No. 10 holes.
The 15-team tournament field includes 13 programs ranked among Spikemark's top 50 rankings and eight in the top 25. Playing alongside the No. 29 Bulldogs is host No. 50 UNLV, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 2 Auburn, No. 23 Florida, No. 17 Illinois, No. 34 Missouri, No. 16 New Mexico, No. 1 North Carolina, No. 15 Oklahoma, Pepperdine, No. 35 San Diego State, TCU, No. 30 Texas A&M and No. 21 Texas. The individual champion earns an exemption into the Shriner's Open at TPC Summerlin in October.
Last year, Georgia finished ninth in the event with a one-over, 865 total. Van Wyk led the Bulldogs as he finished t-28th at even par, 216.
Dawgs in the Polls: On Scoreboard Powered by Clippd rankings, Georgia is currently rated No. 29 as a team. In their individual player rankings, the Bulldogs have a pair of student-athletes in the top 120 – No. 87 van Wyk and No. 117 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 60. Van Wyk leads the team with a No. 30 ranking, fellow grad student Creasy comes in at No. 49 while senior Manuel rounds out the Dawgs in the rankings at No. 62.
Last Time Out: The Georgia men's golf team won the Puerto Rico Classic, carding a 42-under-par, 822 total to win its first event of the year by three strokes on Feb. 13.
This marks the first tournament the team has won since coming in first at the NCAA Bath Regional in May 2023. In 28 years leading the program, head coach Chris Haack has now led the team to at least one team win in 24 seasons. Georgia has claimed the Puerto Rico Classic for the fifth time in the event's history, the third-most of any program.\
The Bulldogs ended round three with a nine-under, 279 total, beating out No. 13 Virginia by three strokes after it surged to second place from a 21-under round. No. 6 Tennessee (38-under), No. 20 North Florida (37-under) and No. 15 Oklahoma (32-under) round out the top five. Georgia beat out eight teams ranked in the top 30 nationally to capture the win, including three ranked within the top 10. The Bulldogs' final score of 822 is tied for the sixth-best tournament score in the event's history.
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 of our 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.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men's Golf on X @UGAGolf, on Instagram @UGAGolf, or check out information online at georgiadogs.com.
The Bulldogs lineup will consist of graduates Beck Burnette, Connor Creasy and Ben van Wyk, senior Caleb Manuel and junior Buck Brumlow with freshman Camden Smith competing as an individual.
MEDIA INFORMATION
Dates: Sunday, Feb. 25 – 27
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Course: Southern Highlands Golf Club
Live Stats: https://gado.gs/bfq
Georgia Season Stats: https://gado.gs/bd3
BULLDOG BULLETIN
Southern Highlands Collegiate: The Georgia men's golf team will compete in the Southern Highlands Collegiate for the 12th time in the tournament's history, finishing in the top three of the event four times (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008). The Bulldogs will look to win back-to-back events for the first time since doing so in 2016 at the SEC Championships and the NCAA Regional in Tuscaloosa.
The competition will be held at the Southern Highlands Golf Club in a par 72, 7,510-yard format. Individual ties will be broken by sudden-death playoff. Play will begin at noon ET each day with tee times off No. 1 and No. 10 holes.
The 15-team tournament field includes 13 programs ranked among Spikemark's top 50 rankings and eight in the top 25. Playing alongside the No. 29 Bulldogs is host No. 50 UNLV, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 2 Auburn, No. 23 Florida, No. 17 Illinois, No. 34 Missouri, No. 16 New Mexico, No. 1 North Carolina, No. 15 Oklahoma, Pepperdine, No. 35 San Diego State, TCU, No. 30 Texas A&M and No. 21 Texas. The individual champion earns an exemption into the Shriner's Open at TPC Summerlin in October.
Last year, Georgia finished ninth in the event with a one-over, 865 total. Van Wyk led the Bulldogs as he finished t-28th at even par, 216.
Dawgs in the Polls: On Scoreboard Powered by Clippd rankings, Georgia is currently rated No. 29 as a team. In their individual player rankings, the Bulldogs have a pair of student-athletes in the top 120 – No. 87 van Wyk and No. 117 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 60. Van Wyk leads the team with a No. 30 ranking, fellow grad student Creasy comes in at No. 49 while senior Manuel rounds out the Dawgs in the rankings at No. 62.
Last Time Out: The Georgia men's golf team won the Puerto Rico Classic, carding a 42-under-par, 822 total to win its first event of the year by three strokes on Feb. 13.
This marks the first tournament the team has won since coming in first at the NCAA Bath Regional in May 2023. In 28 years leading the program, head coach Chris Haack has now led the team to at least one team win in 24 seasons. Georgia has claimed the Puerto Rico Classic for the fifth time in the event's history, the third-most of any program.\
The Bulldogs ended round three with a nine-under, 279 total, beating out No. 13 Virginia by three strokes after it surged to second place from a 21-under round. No. 6 Tennessee (38-under), No. 20 North Florida (37-under) and No. 15 Oklahoma (32-under) round out the top five. Georgia beat out eight teams ranked in the top 30 nationally to capture the win, including three ranked within the top 10. The Bulldogs' final score of 822 is tied for the sixth-best tournament score in the event's history.
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 of our 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.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men's Golf on X @UGAGolf, on Instagram @UGAGolf, or check out information online at georgiadogs.com.
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