Posted by Traci Buch on Fri, Apr 09, 2010 @ 10:35 AM
Greensboro, Ga. (March 30, 2010) - The No. 1-ranked Oklahoma State men's golf team lived up to its billing, as did Alabama sophomore Bud Cauley, as they captured the team and individual titles of the 5th annual Linger Longer Invitational at The Landing at Reynolds Plantation.
Cauley, who opened the 54-hole tournament with an electrifying 8-under-par 64, finished just as strong, playing the final five holes 3-under, including a key eagle on the par-5 14th hole, for a 67. That gave the all-American from Jacksonville, Fla., a total of 204, a career-low for 54 holes and a six-shot victory.
Oklahoma State teammates Kevin Tway, a junior from Edmond, Okla., and Sean Einhaus, a freshman from Germany, were second and third, respectively, at 210 and 214. Tway also closed with a 67.
"When he is on - and he was at this tournament - he is really hard to beat," Alabama coach Jay Seawell said of Cauley, who went 3-0-1 last summer in the Walker Cup and in the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship knocked off Ricky Fowler, who at the time ranked No. 1 in the amateur world rankings. "He came out and almost put it away on the first day," Seawell said, "and then, as always, he finished strong."
Leading by three shots going into the final round, Cauley saw Tway (in the group ahead of him) play the first six holes 6-under to pull within two shots. Later, again up by three with five holes to play, Cauley's eagle on the 14th put him back up by five, as he wrapped up his third collegiate win and the second this spring. Cauley also climbed to No. 2 in the national rankings, behind Georgia's Russell Henley, who finished tied for 10th.
Like Cauley, the Cowboys led from wire-to-wire, holding off a final-round charge by Alabama to win by only two strokes overall, with a total of 865 (best 4 of 5 scoring). As the Crimson Tide shot 283, 5-under-par for the final round, Oklahoma State closed with a solid, 2-under-par 286. Texas A&M placed third at 874, with Georgia Tech and defending champion Georgia tied for fourth at 879.
Co-hosted by Kennesaw State and Mercer University, the Linger Longer Invitational featured six of the nation's top-25 ranked teams competing over three days on the first golf course built on Georgia's Lake Oconee. The Bob Cupp design, a par 72 set up to 7,005 yards for the tournament, played to a scoring average of 76.19 for 54 holes.
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Posted by Traci Buch on Thu, Feb 18, 2010 @ 09:26 AM
Greensboro, Ga. (February 16, 2010) - Six of the top 25 college golf teams in the nation, led by No. 1-ranked Oklaho ma State University, return to The Landing at Reynolds Plantation for the fifth annual Linger Longer Invitational, March 26-28.
One of the premier spring tournaments of the collegiate season, the Linger Longer Invitational features 16 teams competing for 54 holes in both team and individual stroke-play format on the award-winning Landing layout which will play to 7,051 yards (par 72) and was designed by golf course architect Bob Cupp.
Hosted by Mercer University and Kennesaw State University, the Linger Longer Invitational is a showcase for teams from coast to coast, with the University of Georgia returning to defend a championship it has won three times (2006, 2007, 2009).
"We continue to enjoy the participation of a great field every year, on a golf course that is in great shape and provides an ideal test," said Coach Andrew Tredway of Mercer University, which finished a solid fourth last year. "The support of the participating coaches, their schools and Reynolds Plantation is outstanding."
Last year the top-ranked Bulldogs captured a showdown of No. 1 vs. No. 2 by finishing two strokes ahead Oklahoma State, with a winning total of 867, only 3 over par. Individually, OSU's Trent Whitekiller, then a junior, earned his first career victory by only one shot, finishing at 208, 8 under par.
This year, joining Golfweek magazine's top-ranked Cowboys and No. 21-ranked Bulldogs as leading contenders are No. 5 Florida State, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 12 Alabama and No. 22 Georgia Tech. The field is rounded out by Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Furman, Louisville, Oklahoma, San Jose State, South Alabama and South Carolina-Aiken.
Since its inception, the Linger Longer Invitational has been played on courses that are part of the Reynolds Plantation collection - The Oconee Course the first two years, and The Landing the past two.
Individually, the tournament will showcase a field full of all-Americans, with nine of the Top 20 players in the 2010 season rankings scheduled to compete, including No. 1 Peter Uihlein, an Oklahoma State sophomore from Orlando, Fla.; No. 2 Bud Cauley, an Alabama sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla., No. 3 Russell Henley, a Georgia juni0r from Macon; No. 5 Hunter Hamrick, an Alabama sophomore from Montgomery; and No. 6 Morgan Hoffman, an Oklahoma State sophomore from Wyckoff, N.J.
The first golf course built on popular Lake Oconee in 1986, The Landing features a Scottish-style variety of holes that wind through naturally wooded areas and rolling hills, with three holes that wrap dramatically along the lakeshore.
Spectators are welcome to walk the course with the teams. Admission to the Invitational is free.
Photo caption: The University of Georgia men's golf team, winners of the 2009 Linger Longer Invitational, receive their trophy from The Landing head professional Scott Justman.
About Reynolds Plantation
Named the "Best of the Best" Golf Community by Robb Report and the community with the "Best Golf" in America by the editors of GOLF Magazine, Reynolds Plantation, located between Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia, is situated along 374 miles of shoreline on Lake Oconee. Reynolds Plantation features 117 holes of championship golf from designers Bob Cupp, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Rees Jones and Jim Engh. Reynolds Plantation is also home to The Reynolds Golf Academy, as well as the exclusive TaylorMade Kingdom. The community offers members a variety of dining options, swimming pools, pedestrian trails, four full-service marinas and The Lake Club Wellness Campus with its award-winning Tennis Center. Reynolds Plantation is also home to The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, a 251-room lakefront resort and spa ranked No. 5 in the "Top 100 Golf Resorts" worldwide by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine. For more information or real estate inquiries, call 800-800-5250 or visit http://www.reynoldsplantation.com/.
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