Spring Break
Men's golf tries to regroup before postseason
KEVIN COPP
Issue date: 5/1/07 Section: Sports
Setback was something the Georgia men's golf had not dealt with through the entirety of the spring season until a trip to Sea Island April 20-22.
Having won three of four tournaments in the spring and finishing second in the other, along with being the defending champion at the event, made the Bulldogs the unequivocal favorite heading into the SEC Championship.
Unfortunately, the team fell to 10th on day one and never got any closer than sixth all weekend.
The No. 1 ranking in the nation was stripped away as well, as Stanford regained the top spot and pushed Georgia to No. 2. The Bulldogs are left to regroup with one event remaining before the postseason.
That one event is the Linger Longer Invitational, being played in Greensboro May 13-14, where the Bulldogs won last year by a comfortable fourteen stroke margin.
"It'll be a nice way to get a little momentum going," said coach Chris Haack. "We're going to want to go down there, play well, try to win that event and see if everybody can't just start feeling confident. That's what you want, guys feeling confident about their golf game."
One hiccup in an otherwise stellar spring is not enough to undermine the confidence of this Georgia team, which boasts three First Team All-SEC players in seniors Chris Kirk and Brendon Todd and sophomore Brian Harman, as well as SEC Freshman of the Year Hudson Swafford.
Kirk emphasized the team's reaction to the disappointment in Sea Island as one of optimism rather than dejection.
"It's just going to make us really hungry to go out there and work hard and win as many tournaments as we can, especially that national championship," Kirk said.
Georgia will receive an invitation to one of three NCAA Regional Tournaments, which take place May 17-19. The East Regional would mean a trip to Alpharetta to play at the Golf Club of Georgia, where the Bulldogs captured the U.S. Collegiate Champion-ship trophy in early April.
The Central is in Sugar Grove, Illinois, and the West is in Tempe, Ariz.
Haack indicated the team has remained focused on the second of their two goals, the first being to win the SEC Championship, that they set out to accomplish before the season began.
"Our next biggest goal, which is the one that we wanted most, is to win the national championship," Haack said. "So now we just have to put ourselves in a situation to do that."
The championship is at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va. from May 30 to June 2.
Having won three of four tournaments in the spring and finishing second in the other, along with being the defending champion at the event, made the Bulldogs the unequivocal favorite heading into the SEC Championship.
Unfortunately, the team fell to 10th on day one and never got any closer than sixth all weekend.
The No. 1 ranking in the nation was stripped away as well, as Stanford regained the top spot and pushed Georgia to No. 2. The Bulldogs are left to regroup with one event remaining before the postseason.
That one event is the Linger Longer Invitational, being played in Greensboro May 13-14, where the Bulldogs won last year by a comfortable fourteen stroke margin.
"It'll be a nice way to get a little momentum going," said coach Chris Haack. "We're going to want to go down there, play well, try to win that event and see if everybody can't just start feeling confident. That's what you want, guys feeling confident about their golf game."
One hiccup in an otherwise stellar spring is not enough to undermine the confidence of this Georgia team, which boasts three First Team All-SEC players in seniors Chris Kirk and Brendon Todd and sophomore Brian Harman, as well as SEC Freshman of the Year Hudson Swafford.
Kirk emphasized the team's reaction to the disappointment in Sea Island as one of optimism rather than dejection.
"It's just going to make us really hungry to go out there and work hard and win as many tournaments as we can, especially that national championship," Kirk said.
Georgia will receive an invitation to one of three NCAA Regional Tournaments, which take place May 17-19. The East Regional would mean a trip to Alpharetta to play at the Golf Club of Georgia, where the Bulldogs captured the U.S. Collegiate Champion-ship trophy in early April.
The Central is in Sugar Grove, Illinois, and the West is in Tempe, Ariz.
Haack indicated the team has remained focused on the second of their two goals, the first being to win the SEC Championship, that they set out to accomplish before the season began.
"Our next biggest goal, which is the one that we wanted most, is to win the national championship," Haack said. "So now we just have to put ourselves in a situation to do that."
The championship is at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va. from May 30 to June 2.
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