By Mike Blum

On the PGA Tour, an entire season of unproductive play can be erased by one good week.

Or in the case of Troy Matteson, by three exceptional days.

Matteson, a former Georgia Tech star who has settled in the Atlanta area, was outside the top 125 on the money list with just three tournaments to play, and needed a strong finish in at least one of them to retain his exempt status for next year.

After a nondescript opening round of 2-over 72 in the Frys.com Open in Scottsdale, Ariz., Matteson was looking at his 12^th missed cut of the 2009 season and a loss of several more spots on the money list.

But Matteson rebounded the next day with a career best 61, and followed that up with another 61 to take the lead going to the final round. A pair of late bogeys sent Matteson into a playoff, his first in six years as a tour player. But with one more superlative shot, he emerged with a victory and a happy end to a season that had not produced many smiles for the 30-year-old ex-Yellow Jacket.

“It’s just been unbelievable,” Matteson said after his victory. “On Thursday, if you told me that I could get into a playoff to try to win this tournament, I would have said you’re absolutely out of your mind.

“I know I stumbled going down the stretch there, but I’m still beside myself. I can’t believe I’m sitting here and the golf tournament is over.”

A late season surge is nothing new to Matteson, who has made a habit of it during his four years on the PGA Tour. But unlike his previous fast finishes, this one came totally out of the blue.

As a rookie in 2006, Matteson closed out his season with five consecutive top 10 finishes, including a win in Las Vegas to vault from 172^nd on the money list to 36^th. (That tournament was also known as the Frys.com Open, with the company shifting its sponsorship to the Scottsdale event in 2008.) Last year, Matteson closed with back-to-back finishes of 7^th and 6^th in his final two starts of the year, but those were the last two times he had ended a week in the top 10.

Coming into the Scottsdale tournament, Matteson had not placed higher than 14^th in a tournament in 2009, and had managed just two finishes in the top 20. He began the week 132 on the money list and things were not looking up after his opening 72, which included just one birdie on a course where scores in the 60s were rampant.

“I just didn’t hit anything really close,” Matteson said of his first round. “Just didn’t have good looks at it. Nothing would go in.

“All of a sudden, I come out here the next day and it’s like, ‘Voila, there it is’. You start hitting it close and you start making putts.”

After an eagle on the drivable, par-4 15^th, Matteson was 6-under after six holes in his second round, and wound up with a 7-under 28 for the nine. Two more birdies on his final nine resulted in a 61, but he was still four shots off the lead after 36 holes.

Ten birdies and a lone bogey produced another 61, with Matteson requiring only 58 strokes on the back nine at Grayhawk GC on consecutive days.

“I’ve not even shot a 61 prior to this week,” Matteson said. “To shoot two of them, I don’t even know what to say. A lot close opportunities, and that’s really the key out here. We had a lot of good looks at it over the last two days. If you get easy putts and you’re stroking it well, you’re gonna make a lot of putts.”

Putting had not been Matteson’s strong suit for most of the 2009 season. Even after his 21-birdie, 2-eagle showing in Scottsdale, he ranked 131, 134 and 136 in the three main putting categories.

Matteson is also ranked in the bottom half of the scrambling stats, and that caught up with him on the final two holes of regulation. He came up short with his second shot on the par-4 17^th and was unable to get up and for par.

Still leading by one going to the final hole, Matteson put his tee shot in the fairway but found a greenside bunker with his short iron approach. Matteson, who is ranked in the bottom 10 percent on tour in sand saves, made another bogey, sending him into a three-way playoff with youngsters Rickie Fowler and Jamie Lovemark, both of whom only recently turned pro and are not yet PGA Tour members.

Fowler had briefly wrested the lead from Matteson when he aced the par-3 fifth hole, getting him to 5-under par on his round at that point. But Matteson quickly regained the lead when he knocked it on the par-5 fourth in two and holed the putt for eagle.

Consecutive birdies at holes 10, 11 and 12 enabled Fowler to again take the lead, but Matteson answered with birdies at 11 and 12. When Fowler bogeyed the 18^th, the lead went back to two shots. But Matteson’s bogey-bogey finish left him with a 68 on the day and an 18-under 262 total, matching that of Fowler and Lovemark, who earned his spot in the playoff with a birdie at 18.

All three players parred the 18^th, the first playoff hole, with Lovemark getting up and down after his approach shot splashed out of the water and onto the bank just below the green. The playoff continued on the 17^th, and this time Matteson did not leave his second shot short.

From 197 yards, Matteson rifled what he described as “a bullet low 6iron that never left the flag. I thought, ‘Gosh, that’s a really good shot. I’m going to put some pressure on those guys’.”

Matteson did not realize how close he was. His ball came to rest less than two feet from the cup. Fowler and Lovemark both had to work hard to make par on the hole, leaving Matteson to hole his short putt for the victory.

“It’s pretty sweet when you have to hit the shot and you’re able to get it done,” Matteson said. “It’s pretty special for me.”

That wasn’t the only special feeling that week for Matteson.

“The two 61s are probably something that I’ll never do again. That’s as good as I can play. I don’t have to worry about playing better than that, because that’s it.”

Since his win in Las Vegas as a rookie, Matteson has struggled at times when in or near the lead in the final round. But that was not the case in Scottsdale, at least not until the 17^th and 18^th holes.

“To come in today and shoot under par meant a lot. When you have the lead, it’s difficult to play. It’s very, very difficult to push that out of your mind and just concentrate on hitting shot after shot, and just not putting a lot of emphasis on any one shot.

“That’s why it’s easier to win if you’re second or third going into the last round than it is if you’re first.”

Matteson’s victory was worth $900,000 and moved him from 132 on the money list to 55 with earnings of $1.466 million on the season. After placing 36^th on the money list as a rookie, Matteson dipped to 73^rd and 89^th the last two seasons, but his win in Scottsdale reversed his downward slide.

Like former teammate Matt Kuchar, who also scored a Fall Series victory, Matteson enjoyed a stellar career at Georgia Tech. He won six times as a collegian, including the 2002 NCAA Championship and the ’03 East Regional.

Matteson qualified for the Nationwide Tour in his first attempt, and after a respectable rookie season as a pro, led the Nationwide Tour in earnings in 2005, recording 12 top-10 finishes including two wins and three runner-up showings.

After graduating from Tech in 2003 with a degree in Civil Engineering, Matteson settled in the Atlanta area and has played out of the Golf Club of Georgia. Matteson is a native Floridian and attended high school in Austin, Tex., where he twice led his team to state titles, earning medalist honors both times.

By Mike Blum

Georgians advanced from each of seven first stage PGA Tour qualifiers which concluded the weekend of Oct. 23-24.

Among them was former Georgia Bulldog Erik Compton, who earned medalist honors by seven strokes at PGA GC in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Compton, who has undergone two heart transplants and has made occasional appearances in PGA Tour events, shot 22-under 266 with three eagles and 21 birdies for the week. He was 16-under on the par 5s.

Atlanta’s Nick Cassini, a teammate of Compton on the UGA golf team, failed to advance from the qualifier after returning to competitive golf following an absence of several years. Kevin Durkin, who played at Valdosta State and lived for several years in the Atlanta area, shot par or better in each of his four rounds, but missed advancing by two strokes with a 3-under 285 total.

In other first stage qualifiers:

In St. Augustine, Fla.:

Woodstock’s Chris Kirk, a member of Georgia’s 2005 NCAA Championship team and a Nationwide Tour player the past two seasons, shot 12-under 276 to take second, three strokes behind the medalist. After an opening round 73, Kirk shot 66-68-69.

Also advancing was Clarkesville’s Major Manning, who played on the Augusta State golf team. Manning tied for 18^th at 283, qualifying on the number. He was 30^th after three rounds, but shot a final round 68 to advance. Manning’s rookie year on the Nationwide Tour was hampered by an injury that kept him out for most of the second half of the season.

Among those failing to advance was Alpharetta’s Roberto Castro, who came into the tournament off back-to-back finishes of 6^th and 11^th on the Nationwide Tour. The recent Georgia Tech standout also won the Georgia Open and two lucrative events on the eGolf Professional Tour, but missed advancing by four strokes.

After scores of 72-70-72, Castro was one shot over the cutoff line for advancing, and was 2-under for his final round and still one shot off the cutoff line with six holes to play. But two double bogeys and one bogey over the final six holes offset two birdies and left Castro with a 73 and a 287 total.

Former UGA golfers Richard Scott (287), David Denham (289) and David Miller (289) also came up short, as did Warner Robins’ Chris Wolfe (291). Denham shot 40 on his first nine of the qualifier and never recovered. Wolfe shot himself out of contention with an opening 78 and was 3-under over his last 54 holes.

In Florence, S.C.:

Two South Carolina golfers from just outside Augusta posted top-5 finishes, with several rookie pros and one Nationwide Tour player among those failing to advance.

Scott Brown of North Augusta, S.C., tied for third at 11-under 269, highlighted by a third round 61. Kevin Kisner of Aiken, S.C., who played his college golf at Georgia, put together four rounds in the 60s and tied for fifth at 271.

A third South Carolinian, former Alpharetta resident Brent Delahoussaye, also advanced. Delahoussaye tied for 13^th at 275, opening with scores of 68-67. He scored a hole-in-one on his fourth hole in the first round, playing his first six holes in 4-under, and shot 5-under on his first nine the next day.

David Robinson of Sandersville, who made a limited number of starts on the Nationwide Tour this year, tied for 11^th at 274. He was tied for seventh after opening scores of 65-67, but after slipping to a third round 74, got off to a fast start in the final round to shoot 68.

Also advancing was Derek Oakey of LaGrange, who shot 67-69 the last two days to move up from 38^th to 20^th, advancing on the number at 3-under 277. After carding 17 straight pars in the final round, Oakey birdied the 18^th to just make it.

Failing to advance were rookie pros Brian Harman and Mark Silvers of Savannah and Michael Green of Augusta, along with Nationwide Tour player Jonathan Fricke of Covington.

Silvers, who recently completed his college career at South Carolina, missed by one shot at 278, posting scores of 69-70-69-70. Fricke was second after each of the first two rounds with  scores of 63 and 67, but shot 78-71 the final two days and missed by two strokes at 279. Fricke birdied three of his final five holes, but four bogeys on his first eight holes the last day kept him from advancing.

Other than a third round 68, two-time Walker Cup team member Harman never got anything going and missed by seven shots at 284. Green, Harman’s teammate in Athens, shot 66 the second day, but struggled late in his next two rounds and closed with scores of 70-75 to miss by six shots at 283.

Drew Bowen of Monroe shot a final round 67, but did not come close to advancing after opening with a pair of 75s. John Saari of Lilburn also did not advance.

In Auburn, Ala.:

Six Georgians were among 25 players to advance, including Georgia PGA member Sonny Skinner of Sylvester, a veteran tour player.

Mini-tour player Hank Kim of Jonesboro led the Georgia contingent, tying for sixth at 8-under 280. Kim was in the top 10 after each round, beginning with a 69, and made just six bogeys in 72 holes.

Will Claxton of Swainsboro tied for 13^th at 285, falling out of the top 10 with a final round 75. Taylor Hall of LaGrange, who recently completed his college career at Georgia Tech, shot 3-under 33 on his final nine for a 70 that enabled him to narrowly advance. Hall recovered from shooting a 40 on his first nine holes of the qualifier.

Skinner, an instructor at Rover Pointe in Albany, shared the lead after an opening 67, and advanced despite not breaking par in any of the last three rounds. He was one shot over the cutoff line with three holes to play in the final round, but birdied two of the three holes to shoot 73 for a 287 total.

Also shooting 287 to advance was former Augusta State golfer Emmett Turner, whose final round 71 moved him up from 27^th to 19^th.

The best clutch showing by any Georgian in the first week of first stage qualifiers was turned in by Hawkinsville’s Jon Kennedy. Going to the final round, Kennedy was six strokes over the cutoff line in a tie for 43^rd, but birdies on his 16^th and 17^th holes gave him a 68 and an even par total of 288, advancing on the number. The top 21 and ties advanced, and Kennedy tied for 21^st.

David Skinns of Atlanta was 13^th after 36 holes, but shot 74-77 the final two rounds and missed by five shots at 293. Josh Bunch of Murrayville and Matt Hughes of Dalton also failed to advance.

In Dayton, Nev.:

Michael Pearson of Alpharetta, a former Georgia Tech golfer, carded four scores in the 60s and tied for 7^th at 14-under 274. For the week, Pearson had three eagles and 16 birdies and made only one bogey in the final round to move into the top 10.

David Dragoo, who recently completed his college career at Tech, suffered through a wrenching mood swing in his first visit to Q school. After a third round 68, Dragoo was still three shots above the cutoff line in a tie for 35^th at 210. With the help of a hole-in-one on his fourth hole of the final round, Dragoo was 6-under after 15 holes and one shot under the eventual cutoff line. But a bogey on his 16^th hole and a double at the last left him with a 69 and a 279 total, two shots too high.

In Houston:

Christian Ries of Atlanta was in the top 10 from start to finish, shooting 67 the final day to finish second at 11-under 277, one shot behind the medalist. Jason Flowers of Albany birdied two of his last four holes for a final round 72 and a 287 total, advancing with one stroke to spare.

Veteran mini-tour player Steve Gilley of Newnan was 42^nd after two rounds, but a 67 jumped him to a tie for 19^th, barely under the cutoff line after 54 holes. Gilley was 2-under after 13 holes the final day, but made three bogeys coming in for a 73 and an even par total of 288, tying for 23^rd to advance on the number. The top 23 and ties moved on to the second stage.

In Dallas:

Nationwide Tour player Josh Broadaway of Albany tied for 10^th at 1-under 287 to advance. Stuart Moore of Gainesville, Michael Saari of Lilburn and James Jones of Marietta all came up short.

Six more first stage qualifiers will be played Oct. 27-30, with most of the Georgians playing at either Kinderlou Forest in Valdosta or in Pinehurst, N.C.

Among those playing in the second week of first stage qualifiers are Luke List, Cortland Lowe, Jay McLuen, Scott Parel, Brent Witcher and New Michaels.

By Mike Blum

The GSGA made it four straight wins in the biennial Peters Cup, defeating the Georgia PGA 13 ½ – 10 ½ at the Capital City Club Crabapple Course.

The Georgia PGA had won the event, formerly known as the Challenge Cup, three of the previous four times the matches were held from 1995-2001, but the GSGA has taken control of the matches in recent years.

The most recent competition was all but decided in the team matches the first day, with the GSGA going 6-1-1 in the best ball format to build a commanding lead. The Georgia PGA came back the next day to go 8-6-2 in singles, but the deficit the club professionals had to make up was too great.

Four matches in the four-ball competition went down to the final hole, and the GSGA won all four of them. Greg Kennedy and Dave Womack won the opening match 1-up over Jeff Hull and Matt Peterson, with recently reinstated amateurs Adam Cooper and Kris Mikkelsen taking the second match 2-up against Tim Weinhart and Brian Dixon.

Trailing 4 ½ – 1 ½ late in the day with two tight matches still on the course, the Georgia PGA had a chance to keep it close going to singles, but the amateurs eked out a pair of wins to take a commanding lead.

Former PGA member Chris Dietzel teamed with John Walker to win 1-up over Stephen Keppler and Winston Trively, and David Noll and Josh Gregory closed out the big day for the GSGA with a 1-up victory over Clark Spratlin and Greg Lee.

The most impressive effort was turned in by the GSGA’s Jeff Belk and Mark Strickland, who won 7&6 against Sonny Skinner and Craig Stevens.

The Georgia PGA needed a fast start in singles to have any chance, but Cooper hit Spratlin, a three-time Georgia PGA Match Play champion, with a barrage of birdies and an eagle, and won the opening match 4&3.

On a day when close matches were the exception, the Georgia PGA scored four straight decisive victories, as Shawn Koch, Skinner, Peterson and Hull all closed out their opponents at either the 15^th or 16^th hole.

As has frequently been the case in recent years, the matches turned on large part on the play of the GSGA’s senior participants. The teams split the two senior four-ball matches, but the GSGA went 3-1 in senior singles, with none of the four going past the 16^th hole.

Chris Hall and Doug Hanzel, who teamed up for a 5&4 victory in best ball, won by scores of 4&3 and 4&2 in singles, with Spencer Sappington defeating former Champions Tour player DeWitt Weaver 5&3.

Mike Schlueter, who teamed with Weaver for a 4&3 win in four-ball, won his singles match 5&4, and was the only member of the Georgia PGA squad to post a 2-0 record.

After the senior matches, the GSGA needed only one more point to secure a tie and retain the cup. With Walker holding a commanding lead at the turn in his match (he went on to win 7&5 over David Potts), the best the Georgia PGA team could do was a tie.

For a short while, that appeared to be within reach, as the club professionals led in the remainder of the matches still on the course. But Womack, a former USGA Mid-Amateur champion, finished strong to defeat Trively 3&2, and Bob Royak rallied from 4-down after 13 holes to earn a half against Keppler.

Only three of the singles matches made it to the 18^th hole. Mikkelsen birdied the 16^th to pull even in his match with Lee, with Lee holing a pair of clutch par putts on 17 and 18 to earn a half point. In perhaps the best match of the day, Weinhart dug his way out of an early 4-down hole against a fast starting Strickland, and held on to win 1-up with a gritty par at the final hole.

The GSGA had five players go 2-0 in the matches – Cooper, Walker, Womack, Hall and Hanzel. Mikkelsen was 1-0-1 and Royak halved both his matches. Koch was the only other Georgia PGA competitor to go undefeated, posting a 1-0-1 mark.

The Georgia PGA’s other two points in singles came from Dixon and Stevens, with Stevens earning a little satisfaction with a 6&5 win over Belk.

Four-Ball results:

Kennedy-Womack def. Hull-Peterson 1-up

Cooper-Mikkelsen def. Weinhart-Dixon 2-up

Royak-Billy Mitchell halved with Koch-Potts

Hanzel-Hall def. Wyatt Detmer-Steve Ridge 5&4

Schlueter-Weaver def. Sappington-Jimmy Thomas 4&3

Bell-Strickland def. Skinner-Stevens 7&6

Dietzel-Walker def. Keppler-Trively 1-up

Noll-Gregory def. Spratlin-Lee 1-up

(GSGA wins team matches, 6 ½ – 1 ½)

Singles results

Cooper def. Spratlin 4&3

Koch def. Dietzel 4&3

Skinner def. Noll 4&2

Peterson def. Gregory 4&3

Hull def. Mitchell 5&3

Mikkelsen and Lee halved

Hall def, Ridge 4&3

Hanzel def. Detmer 4&2

Sappington def. Weaver 5&3

Schlueter def. Thomas 5&4

Weinhart def. Strickland 1-up

Royak and Keppler halved

Walker def. Potts 7&5

Womack def. Trively 3&2

Dixon def. Kennedy 2&1

Stevens def. Belk 6&5

(GPGA wins singles 9-7; GSGA wins match 13 ½ – 10 ½)

By Mike Blum

Matt Kuchar began the Fall Series hoping to play well enough to move into the top 30 on the final PGA Tour money list for 2009 to earn a spot in the 2010 Masters.

Vaughn Taylor began the Fall Series simply hoping to improve his standing on the money list and finish in the top 125 to retain his exempt status for next year.

Both players achieved those aims in the Turning Stone Resort Championship, the first of five Fall Series events that wrapped up the PGA Tour schedule for 2009.

The two Georgians finished 72 holes tied for the lead at 17-under 271, and needed six holes and two days to break their deadlock. Kuchar finally won the next morning on the sixth playoff hole when Taylor hit his tee shot on the par-4 13^th into a hazard and made double bogey.

It was the first PGA Tour victory for Kuchar, the former Georgia Tech standout who now lives in Atlanta, in more than seven years. He won the 2002 Honda Classic in his first full season on Tour, but did not crack the top 100 on the money list again until last year.

After losing his exempt status, Kuchar spent most of the 2006 season on the Nationwide Tour, winning an event in Virginia to finish the year 10^th in earnings and regain his PGA Tour playing privileges. He enjoyed a solid season in 2008, and this was already his most consistently successful season prior to his victory, which vaulted him from 59 to 25 on the money list. He finished the year 25^th with almost $2.5 million.

While Kuchar’s career has been moving in a positive direction the past few seasons, Taylor has been heading in the opposite direction. After playing well enough early in his career to earn a spot on the 2006 Ryder Cup team, the Augusta resident has been dropping down the money list in each subsequent season. He slipped from 36 to 70 to 98 to 131 prior to his playoff loss at Turning Stone, which moved up back up to 72^nd in earnings and locked up his Tour card for 2010. He ended up 79^th in earnings.

Both players were contenders in the tournament from the opening round, when both shot 67 to end the day just one stroke off the lead. Another 67 gave Taylor a 1-stroke lead over Kuchar at the midway point, with Kuchar taking the lead after 54 holes with a third round 67.

Taylor began the final day three in back of Kuchar’s lead, but fired a 66 that included six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 12^th, which gave him the lead for the first time in the final round. A nervous bogey at the 15^th dropped Taylor out of the top spot, but he responded with birdies at 16 and 17 to reclaim the lead as he finished his round.

Kuchar birdied five of his first 10 holes the final day to remain in the lead, but also made three bogeys. A birdie at the par-3 16^th gained him a tie for the lead with Taylor, but his hopes of winning in regulation were dashed when he dumped a wedge from 65 yards on the par-5 18^th into a front bunker.

The bunker did not pose much of a problem for Kuchar, who ranks sixth on the PGA Tour in sand save percentage. He barely missed holing the shot, tapping in for par to force the playoff.

Taylor nearly holed his third shot on 18, the first playoff hole, but Kuchar matched his birdie. After both players parred the par-5 12^th, darkness halted play for the day, and the two returned the next morning.

The two matched bogeys on the par-4 13^th, birdies on the 18^th and pars on the 12^th before Taylor’s errant tee shot on the 13th decided matters.

“Just made a bad swing,” Taylor said after the playoff. “Nothing more than that. It’s very disappointing. I had a good chance to win a couple times and Matt made some awesome putts in the playoff and got a good up-and-down.”

As for Kuchar, his normally beaming smile was even broader than usual.

“It’s hard to describe what a great feeling it is to win a PGA Tour event. It’s so difficult to win.”

Kuchar admitted to a few nerves along the way, including the first playoff hole Monday morning, when he missed a short par putt that would have ended things after three holes.

“I can’t remember being so nervous. I missed a short putt and it was straight nerves. I putted great all week and don’t think I missed by maybe one of those all week and happened to miss it when it was for the win.”

For the week, Kuchar placed first and third in the two putting categories, and it’s been his short game that has carried him into a spot in the top 30 on the money list.

For the season, Kuchar ranked 29^th in one putting stat and 11^th in another. He was only 128 in ball striking, but finished 3^rd on Tour in scrambling, which enabled him to place 21^st in scoring average.

“My putting was fantastic this week. I made what felt like miles of putts. Seemed like everything inside of ten feet, I felt very confident, very comfortable with. Putting is the great equalizer. If you’re making those putts, you just have to get it within a certain zone, and I had that going this week.”

Prior to his victory, Kuchar had been enjoying his best season on the PGA Tour, posting seven top-15 finishes highlighted by a tie for sixth in Phoenix and a tie for fifth in the Memorial. He also played well in the final two FedExCup Playoffs events, but was not able to make it to East Lake, ending up 40^th on the points list.

Kuchar contended again in the next Fall Series event in Las Vegas, trailing by only one shot after 36 holes before finishing in a tie for 7^th.

Things have not gone nearly as well for Taylor, who had just one other top 10 this season. His stats are slightly better than Kuchar in most categories, with one notable exception.

While Kuchar placed 3^rd in scrambling, Taylor finished 156^th, even though he ranked 13^th and 41^st in the two putting categories and was 36^th in birdies. As a result, his scoring average is .7 strokes per round higher than Kuchar, which amounts to about 3 strokes per tournament.

Despite the disappointment of his near miss, Taylor left upstate New York with a nice consolation prize – a check for $648,000 that more than doubled his earnings for the season.

“It was a good week. I was trying to keep my card this Fall Series, and I think I locked it up. One goal accomplished. I would like to have gotten in the winner’s circle. Maybe next week.”

Unlike Kuchar, who has been something of a golf celebrity dating back to his stellar career at Georgia Tech, his U.S. Amateur title and strong showings as an amateur in both the Masters and U.S. Open, Taylor has been an under-the-radar kind of guy dating back to his junior days in Augusta, when he was overshadowed by a younger Charles Howell.

Taylor played his college golf in his hometown with little fanfare, and took a few years to make his mark as a professional. Taylor spent his early years as a tour pro jumping back and forth between the Hooters and Nationwide Tours before enjoying a breakthrough season in 2003, which began with Taylor having absolutely no status on the Nationwide Tour.

He played his way into the field in a tournament in Virginia Beach in a Monday qualifier and finished second. Taylor was second again the next week in Raleigh, and a month after that won in Knoxville, ending up 11^th on the money list after making his first start of the season on the tour in mid-May.

Taylor’s first two seasons on the PGA Tour were highlighted by back-to-back wins in the Reno-Tahoe Open. A string of strong showings in his third season earned him a spot on the 2006 Ryder Cup team, but U.S. captain Tom Lehman played him in only one of four team sessions, with Taylor earning a half with teammate Chad Campbell against the powerhouse team of Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood.

Since then, Taylor has contended for victory a handful of times, among them the Bay Hill Classic and Masters in 2007, where he played with eventual winner Zach Johnson in the final round.

Taylor entered last year’s Fall Series in a similar situation to this year, but a tie for second in a now-defunct Florida tournament the next to last week of the season lifted him from outside the top 125 into the top 100.

n the Fall Series hoping to play well enough to move into the top 30 on the final PGA Tour money list for 2009 to earn a spot in the 2010 Masters.

Vaughn Taylor began the Fall Series simply hoping to improve his standing on the money list and finish in the top 125 to retain his exempt status for next year.

Both players achieved those aims in the recent Turning Stone Resort Championship, the first of five Fall Series events that wrap up the PGA Tour schedule for 2009.

The two Georgians finished 72 holes tied for the lead at 17-under 271, and needed six holes and two days to break their deadlock. Kuchar finally won the next morning on the sixth playoff hole when Taylor hit his tee shot on the par-4 13^th into a hazard and made double bogey.

It was the first PGA Tour victory for Kuchar, the former Georgia Tech standout who now lives in Atlanta, in more than seven years. He won the 2002 Honda Classic in his first full season on Tour, but did not crack the top 100 on the money list again until last year.

After losing his exempt status, Kuchar spent most of the 2006 season on the Nationwide Tour, winning an event in Virginia to finish the year 10^th in earnings and regain his PGA Tour playing privileges. He enjoyed a solid season in 2008, and this was already his most consistently successful season prior to his victory, which vaulted him from 59 to 25 on the money list, likely assuring him of a top 30 finish.

While Kuchar’s career has been moving in a positive direction the past few seasons, Taylor has been heading in the opposite direction. After playing well enough early in his career to earn a spot on the 2006 Ryder Cup team, the Augusta resident has been dropping down the money list in each subsequent season. He slipped from 36 to 70 to 98 to 131 prior to his playoff loss at Turning Stone, which moved up back up to 72^nd in earnings and locked up his Tour card for 2010.

Both players were contenders in the tournament from the opening round, when both shot 67 to end the day just one stroke off the lead. Another 67 gave Taylor a 1-stroke lead over Kuchar at the midway point, with Kuchar taking the lead after 54 holes with a third round 67.

Taylor began the final day three in back of Kuchar’s lead, but fired a 66 that included six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 12^th, which gave him the lead for the first time in the final round. A nervous bogey at the 15^th dropped Taylor out of the top spot, but he responded with birdies at 16 and 17 to reclaim the lead as he finished his round.

Kuchar birdied five of his first 10 holes the final day to remain in the lead, but also made three bogeys. A birdie at the par-3 16^th gained him a tie for the lead with Taylor, but his hopes of winning in regulation were dashed when he dumped a wedge from 65 yards on the par-5 18^th into a front bunker.

The bunker did not pose much of a problem for Kuchar, who ranks sixth on the PGA Tour in sand save percentage. He barely missed holing the shot, tapping in for par to force the playoff.

Taylor nearly holed his third shot on 18, the first playoff hole, but Kuchar matched his birdie. After both players parred the par-5 12^th, darkness halted play for the day, and the two returned the next morning.

The two matched bogeys on the par-4 13^th, birdies on the 18^th and pars on the 12^th before Taylor’s errant tee shot on the 13th decided matters.

“Just made a bad swing,” Taylor said after the playoff. “Nothing more than that. It’s very disappointing. I had a good chance to win a couple times and Matt made some awesome putts in the playoff and got a good up-and-down.”

As for Kuchar, his normally beaming smile was even broader than usual.

“It’s hard to describe what a great feeling it is to win a PGA Tour event. It’s so difficult to win.”

Kuchar admitted to a few nerves along the way, including the first playoff hole Monday morning, when he missed a short par putt that would have ended things after three holes.

“I can’t remember being so nervous. I missed a short putt and it was straight nerves. I putted great all week and don’t think I missed by maybe one of those all week and happened to miss it when it was for the win.”

For the week, Kuchar placed first and third in the two putting categories, and it’s been his short game that has carried him into a spot in the top 30 on the money list with more than $2.375 million.

Kuchar stands 30^th in one putting stat and 16^th in another, and is 7^th in the Tour’s total putting category. He ranks only 135 in ball striking, but is 3rd on Tour in scrambling, which has him in the top 25 in scoring average.

“My putting was fantastic this week. I made what felt like miles of putts. Seemed like everything inside of ten feet, I felt very confident, very comfortable with. Putting is the great equalizer. If you’re making those putts, you just have to get it within a certain zone, and I had that going this week.”

Prior to his victory, Kuchar had been enjoying his best season on the PGA Tour, posting seven top-15 finishes highlighted by a tie for sixth in Phoenix and a tie for fifth in the Memorial. He also played well in the final two FedExCup Playoffs events, but was not able to make it to East Lake, ending up 40^th on the points list.

Kuchar contended again in the next Fall Series event in Las Vegas, traioling by only one shot after 36 holes before finishing in a tie for 7^th.

Things have not gone nearly as well for Taylor, who had just one other top 10 this season. His stats are slightly better than Kuchar in most categories, with one notable exception.

While Kuchar is third in scrambling, Taylor is 162^nd, even though he ranks 8^th and 37^th in the two putting categories and is in the top 30 in birdies. As a result, his scoring average is .6 strokes per round higher than Kuchar, which amounts to about 2 ½ strokes per tournament.

Despite the disappointment of his near miss, Taylor left upstate New York with a nice consolation prize – a check for $648,000 that more than doubled his earnings for the season.

“It was a good week. I was trying to keep my card this Fall Series, and I think I locked it up. One goal accomplished. I would like to have gotten in the winner’s circle. Maybe next week.”

Unlike Kuchar, who has been something of a golf celebrity dating back to his stellar career at Georgia Tech, his U.S. Amateur title and strong showings as an amateur in both the Masters and U.S. Open, Taylor has been an under-the-radar kind of guy dating back to his junior days in Augusta, when he was overshadowed by a younger Charles Howell.

Taylor played his college golf in his hometown with little fanfare, and took a few years to make his mark as a professional. Taylor spent his early years as a tour pro jumping back and forth between the Hooters and Nationwide Tours before enjoying a breakthrough season in 2003, which began with Taylor having absolutely no status on the Nationwide Tour.

He played his way into the field in a tournament in Virginia Beach in a Monday qualifier and finished second. Taylor was second again the next week in Raleigh, and a month after that won in Knoxville, ending up 11^th on the money list after making his first start of the season on the tour in mid-May.

Taylor’s first two seasons on the PGA Tour were highlighted by back-to-back wins in the Reno-Tahoe Open. A string of strong showings in his third season earned him a spot on the 2006 Ryder Cup team, but U.S. captain Tom Lehman played him in only one of four team sessions, with Taylor earning a half with teammate Chad Campbell against the powerhouse team of Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood.

Since then, Taylor has contended for victory a handful of times, among them the Bay Hill Classic and Masters in 2007, where he played with eventual winner Zach Johnson in the final round.

Taylor entered last year’s Fall Series in a similar situation to this year, but a tie for second in a now-defunct Florida tournament the next to last week of the season lifted him from outside the top 125 into the top 100.

By Mike Blum

At the midway point of seven first stage PGA Tour qualifiers, a number of Georgians were in excellent position to advance to the second of three stages.

Approximately 70 players were competing in each of the seven sites, with about one-third of those in each qualifier moving on to the second stage.

In Dallas:

Nationwide Tour player Josh Broadaway of Albany was tied for 15^th after two rounds at 146. Stuart Moore of Gainesville, Michael Saari of Lilburn and James Moore of Marietta were all outside the top 50 after 36 holes.

In Houston:

Christian Ries of Atlanta was tied for 9^th after two rounds with a 140 total, with Albany’s Jason Flowers 19^th at 144 after a second round 69. Steve Gilley of Newnan was four shots above the cutoff for advancing at 148, with John Saari of Lilburn outside the top 60.

In Florence, S.C.:

Nationwide Tour player Jonathan Fricke of Covington opened with a 63 and followed with a 67 to take a firm grip on second place after 36 holes. David Robinson of Sandersville, also a Nationwide Tour player, shot 65-67 and was tied for fourth, with ex-UGA golfer Kevin Kisner of Aiken, S.C., 7^th at 133.

Others inside the top 21 cutoff line were Nationwide Tour player Brent Delahoussaye, who grew up in Alpharetta (T13, 135); Scott Brown of N. Augusta, S.C., (T17, 137); and recent SEC rivals Michael Green of Augusta (UGA) and Mark Harrell of Hazlehurst (Alabama), who were tied for 20^th at 138.

Recent South Carolina golfer Mark Silvers of Savannah was one shot above the cutoff line at 139, with Derek Oakey of LaGrange in contention at 141. Brian Harman of Savannah, Green’s teammate in Athens, was tied for 52^nd at 144, with Monroe’s Drew Bowen well off the pace at 150.

In St. Augustine, Fla.:

Nationwide Tour player Chris Kirk of Woodstock, a recent UGA standout, shot a second round 66 and was tied for 6^th at 139. Alpharetta’s Roberto Castro, who has won three times this year including the Georgia Open, was tied for 22^nd at 142, with the top 22 advancing to the second stage.

Recent Augusta State golfer Major Manning and ex-Georgia Bulldog David Miller were three shots over the cutoff line at 145, with ex-Bulldog David Denham of Tifton next at 146, and fellow UGA golfer Richard Scott and Chris Wolfe of Warner Robins at 147.

In Port St. Lucie, Fla.:

Former Georgia golfer Erik Compton, who has been in the news several times in recent years after undergoing multiple heart transplants, shot 68-67—135 and was tied for third after 36 holes. Former Alpharetta resident and ex-Valdosta State golfer Kevin Durkin was tied for 36^th at 143, with Atlanta’s Nick Cassini, a member of Georgia’s 1999 NCAA Championship team, well back at 153.

In Auburn, Ala.:

Hank Kim of Jonesboro was tied for 7^th at 141 after rounds of 69-72, with veteran Nationwide Tour player and current Georgia PGA member Sonny Skinner of Sylvester tied for 13^th at 142. Skinner, an instructor at River Pointe in Albany, shared the first round lead with a 67.

Also tied for 13^th were Will Claxton of Swainsboro and David Skinns of Atlanta, with recent Georgia Tech golfer Taylor Hall of LaGrange 20^th at 143 after a second round 69. Emmett Turner of Augusta was one shot above the cutoff line at 144, followed by Jon Kennedy of Hawkinsville at 147 and Josh Bunch of Murrayville at 149. Matt Hughes of Dalton was out of contention after 36 holes.

In Dayton, Nev.:

Alpharetta’s Mike Pearson, who played on the Georgia Tech golf team, was tied for 16^th at the midway point with scores of 69-68—137. Recent Tech golfer David Dragoo was within range of a top 22 finish at 142.

All seven qualifiers will conclude play over the weekend. The other seven first stage qualifiers will be played Oct. 27-30. Most of the Georgians in those fields will be playing in either Pinehurst, N.C., or at Kinderlou Forest in Valdosta.

Luke List, Augusta’s Cortland Lowe and recent college players Adam Mitchell (Georgia) and Cameron Tringale (Georgia Tech) are playing at Pinehurst. Among those in the field in Valdosta are Nationwide Tour player Scott Parel of Augusta, Lawrenceville’s Brent Witcher, Jay McLuen of Athens and Drew Nelson of Marietta.

Atlanta native Ned Michaels is playing in California, as is recent Georgia Tech golfer Kevin Larsen.

GolfforeGeorgia.com will have a complete wrap-up of this week’s first stage qualifiers on Monday, followed by updates and a wrap-up of the second week of qualifiers.

Sensational final round effort earns 3-shot win over Woods

By Mike Blum

With the exception of a few tournaments early in the season, 2009 seemed destined to be a year Phil Mickelson would just as soon forget.

Both his wife and mother were diagnosed with breast cancer, with Mickelson taking two breaks from the PGA Tour as a result. When he returned to the course, Mickelson was clearly off his game with the one week exception of the U.S. Open.

In his eight most recent starts prior to the PGA Tour Championship at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club, Mickelson finished outside the top 50 five times, barely cracked the top 30 twice and suffered his second near miss in a major championship this year, tying for second at Bethpage Black after a dramatic back nine charge stalled at the end.

Mickelson has a history of not playing especially well towards the end of the PGA Tour schedule, particularly when the about-to-conclude season has not been one of his more successful ones.

After an opening round 73, which included a quadruple bogey 8 on a par 4 when he was just a few yards off the green in two, it appeared that Mickelson’s season to forget would end on a somewhat predictable note.

But he rebounded with an excellent 67 in the second round, notching three birdies on the first six holes and six for the day to get back to even par, five strokes off the lead held by Tiger Woods.

Mickelson came back with another outstanding effort Saturday, firing a 66 to move up even farther on the leader board. He began the final round tied for third, four strokes behind leader Kenny Perry and two in back if Woods.

On a day when the next best score was 67 and only two other players shot lower than 69, Mickelson produced a flawless 65 and a 9-under 271 total to score what turned out to a surprisingly easy 3-stroke victory over Woods, whose runner-up finish earned him the $10 million bonus for winning the season long FedExCup.

With his victory, Mickelson became the first player to win the Tour Championship at East Lake twice. He also won in 2000, shooting 66 the final day to overcome a 2-stroke deficit to Woods after 54 holes.

“It means a lot to finish the year off on such a good note,” Mickelson said. “We’ve been through a lot and I’m very proud of my wife and my mom on the fight they’ve been through, and we’re fortunate that our long-term outlook looks good.”

While there has been good news on the health front for the Mickelson women, Phil’s game had been ailing since early May, about the time the news broke about his wife and mother.

Mickelson was off to a strong start to the ’09 season, winning at Riviera in LA and Doral in Miami and making a memorable final day charge at a Masters title before his stirring comeback fizzled. He contended a few weeks later in Charlotte, but since then had not been a factor in any tournament other than the U.S. Open, when he made a valiant run at victory in only his second start after taking a break to be with his wife and mother.

With his focus not entirely on his golf game, Mickelson’s results suffered. Most notably, his once deft putting stroke had betrayed him, and his inability to get the ball in the hole prevented him from scoring as low as felt his ball striking warranted.

Caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay suggested Mickelson should see former PGA champion and renowned putting guru Dave Stockton, and Stockton’s work with Mickelson paid immediate dividends. For the week at East Lake, Mickelson was first in putts per green in regulation, second in putts per round and third in the total length of putts holed.

Add that to a fifth place finish in driving distance and a tie for first the final round in fairways hit, and you have the makings of a pretty successful week.

“I played one of the better rounds I played all year,” said Mickelson, who was particularly pleased that he was able to do it in that situation. “I’ve actually been hitting it like this for quite some time, but I just haven’t been getting the results because I haven’t been getting it done on the greens.

“Even when I was playing hockey there on 14 Thursday, slapping the ball all around the green, I still felt much better about my game.”

From that point, Mickelson was dominant, playing the final 54 holes in 12-under, by far the best total of anyone in the field over that stretch.

Perry followed a similar path for three rounds, shooting a 72 on Thursday when he felt ill and following it with sensational scores of 66 and 64 the next two days to overtake Woods for the lead.

But the 49-year-old Perry simply didn’t have it the final day, slumping to a 74 that included only one birdie after the second hole. Mickelson pulled even with him after almost holing his approach on the par-4 eighth hole, and birdied the par-5 ninth to Perry’s bogey to take a lead that was never less than two shots throughout the back nine.

Woods failed to mount a serious charge, scoring his first birdie at 15 and adding another at 16 to finish second in the tournament and preserve his lead in the FedExCup. Woods’ score went up one stroke each day, as he shot 67-68-69-70.

Sean O’Hair closed with 69 to take third at 5-under, with a bogey at 17 his lone one of the day and knocking him out of a tie for second. He played the hole 4-over par for the week, including a bogey on Thursday when he shot 66 to take the first round lead.

Perry tied for fourth at 276 with Padraig Harrington, a contender throughout the tournament. Steve Stricker was sixth at 277, shooting 66 Saturday and standing 3-under after 15 holes Friday to challenge Woods for the FedExCup title before back-to-back bogeys at 16 and 17.

The victory was the eighth for Mickelson in Atlanta dating back to his days as a junior. He won the Rolex Tournament of Champions, one of the most prestigious events in junior golf, three straight times at Horseshoe Bend in the 1980s and claimed three BellSouth Classic titles at Sugarloaf in addition to his two victories at East Lake.

With his two Masters green jackets, Mickelson has 10 career wins in Georgia. He also has the distinction of posting the lowest non-winning 72-hole score in major championship history in the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club in 2001.

Mickelson finished the year second in the final FedExCup standings, and moved up to second on the money list and in the World Rankings, both behind Woods. His FedExCup runner-up bonus check was $3 million, adding to the $1.35 million winner’s purse.

Not making nearly as much but deserving to be richly compensated were East Lake superintendent Ralph Kettle and his staff, who managed to get the course into outstanding condition despite the volume of rain that fell in the Atlanta area prior to tournament.

Thanks to the newly-installed sub-air system and the mini-verde Bermuda grass greens that were installed last year, the putting surfaces amazingly firm and smooth, and were exuberantly praised by the players all week. The fairways and rough displayed little evidence of the amount of rainfall on the course, and there were only a few muddy spots off the fairways for the spectators to navigate.

Largely thanks to the return of Woods after his absence due to knee surgery last year, attendance was up and TV ratings were consistently higher, even with Saturday’s third round broadcast on tape delay when tee times were moved up 3 ½ hours to get the round in before a heavy afternoon shower arrived.

MARIETTA, Ga. – The Georgia State Golf Association has announced the 16-member Amateur team that will participate in the 37th Billy Peters Cup Matches, to be held October 18-19 at Capital City Club-Crabapple in Woodstock.

This biennial event is a team match-play competition pitting amateurs representing the GSGA against a team of professionals from the Georgia Section PGA. The GSGA team is comprised of the state’s top amateur golfers, including four seniors, from the past two years as determined by the Association’s Championship Committee.

Reigning GSGA Men’s Player of the Year and 2008 Tommy Barnes Award winner David Noll Jr. headlines the GSGA team. Noll is appearing on the team for the fourth-consecutive time, and has never been on the losing side of the Matches. One of the most consistent performers in the annual Georgia Amateur Championship this decade, Noll won the 2003 title and has finished no worse than sixth in each of the last five Championships, including runner-up finishes in 2005 and this year.

GSGA players who have the most experience in this event are Jeff Belk of Marietta and Greg Kennedy of Duluth. Both Belk and Kennedy are making their fifth appearance in 2009; Belk in his fifth-straight.

The 2007 Tommy Barnes Award winner, Mark Strickland of Woodstock, returns to the team for the third-straight time. Billy Mitchell of Roswell, Dave Womack of McDonough and Bob Royak of Alpharetta are all making their second appearance. Mitchell and Royak were on the victorious 2007 team, while Womack was a member of the winning 2005 squad.

GSGA welcomes six new players to the team in 2009, including Rob Butler of Atlanta, Adam Cooper of Columbus, Josh Gregory of Augusta, Kris Mikkelsen of Atlanta and John Walker of Macon.

Heading up the GSGA’s senior contingent is another new face to the Billy Peters Cup squad, Jimmy Thomas of Johns Creek, who captured the Georgia Senior Championship this past August. Four-time Senior Champion Spencer Sappington of Milton, who finished runner-up to Thomas at this year’s Championship, makes his fourth-straight appearance on the team. Chris Hall of Kennesaw and Doug Hanzel of Savannah will also be playing as seniors on this year’s team. Both Hall (1989, 2005, ’07) and Hanzel (2005, ’07) have previous Billy Peters Cup experience.

The Billy Peters Cup Matches, formerly known as the GSGA-GPGA Challenge Cup, had its name changed in 2007 to honor Peters’ contributions to the game.

Peters, a former president of the Georgia State Golf Association and honorary vice president of the Georgia Section PGA, was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 1993.

In 2007, the Georgia State Golf Association amateurs won 10 of 16 singles matches on the final day of competition to claim victory over the professionals for their third-consecutive win in this event. The Georgia Section PGA leads the all-time series 19 ½ – 15 ½ in an event that dates back to 1962. The Matches were held annually until 1987, then became a biennial event in 1989.

Founded in 1916, the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) received its official charter on June 24, 1924. Since that date, the GSGA has grown to one of the largest state amateur golf associations in the country, with over 355 member clubs and 85,000 individual members. With a mission to promote and preserve amateur golf in the state of Georgia, GSGA offers a computerized handicapping service, course rating and measuring, and annually conducts a full schedule of statewide competitions for men and women of all age groups. Other services include a summer-long junior sectional program, award-winning Golf Georgia magazine, membership recognition and rewards programs and a charitable foundation administering two college scholarship programs.

International squad seems to be weaker than usual

By Mike Blum

While the U.S, Ryder Cup team was consistently losing to its European counterparts from the mid-1990s on, the American squad was winning on an equally frequent basis in the Presidents Cup.

Not that a whole lot of people noticed.

The Presidents Cup was played for the first time in 1994, about the time the U.S. began its run of losing efforts in the Ryder Cup.

For most of the last 15 years, the International side in the Presidents Cup has sported teams that were more impressive than the European squads that won five of six Ryder Cups from 1995 to 2006.

Why the U.S. teams consistently beat International teams that included Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Mike Weir, Nick Price and Stuart Appleby, but lost to European squads with the likes of Andrew Coltart, Ignacio Garrido, Per Ulrik Johansson Thomas Levet, Jarmo Sandelin and Jean Van de Velde is an unanswerable question.

Part has to do with the differing formats for the two events. The Ryder Cup allows the two captains to keep their lesser players on the sidelines as much as they want in the team matches, which has benefited the European side, which almost always has a weak link or two.

In the Presidents Cup, players sit for no more than one of the four team matches, and a sizeable number of the participants compete in each session. Europe would likely not fare as well in that format, but that still doesn’t explain why the talented International teams have fared so poorly.

The U.S. leads the Presidents Cup 5-1-1, with the lone International win coming in 1998 in Australia in December, neither a site nor date that was very conducive to American hopes.

The Presidents Cup has been played five times in North America (four in the U.S., one in Canada). The Americans are 5-0 in those matches. The two times the Americans have had to travel considerable distances, they are 0-1-1, managing a tie in South Africa in 2003.

This week’s matches will be played at Harding Park in San Francisco, and the combination of home country advantage and a weaker-than-usual International team would appear to point towards another U.S. victory.

On paper, this appears to be one of the stronger American teams. The team has talent and experience, with only one player on the squad who has not competed in either the Presidents/Ryder Cup.

The International side has three rookies, two of whom may encounter come communications issues with their teammates.

While all but one of the 12 U.S. players were in the field for the Tour Championship (Anthony Kim the lone exception), the International squad has several players who are not exactly in top form, surprise wild card pick Adam Scott chief among them.

International captain Greg Norman will have some interesting pairings decisions to make, beginning with rookies Ryo Ishikawa, Y.E. Yang and Camilo Villegas, who was in a prolonged slump until a recent strong showing at Cog Hill.

Very few of the International players come into the Presidents Cup on much of a roll, and if some of the team’s key veterans (Els, Singh, Goosen, Weir, Geoff Ogilvy) don’t find their form in the matches, things could get ugly, which is not what the PGA Tour wants.

On the other hand, the American team runs the risk of being (A) overconfident and (B) over-golfed in the wake of the hectic run-up to the Tour Championship. Last year’s U.S. Ryder Cup victory was in large part a product of the frustration resulting from the series of beatdowns applied by the Euros.

Four of the five American wins in the Presidents Cup have come by margins of three points or higher, including a decisive victory in Canada two years ago.

There are, however, a few questions regarding the U.S. squad, beginning with the return of Tiger Woods, who was sidelined during last year’s impressive U.S. showing inn the Ryder Cup.

Over the course of his 10 appearances in the two team events, Woods has an overall losing record (23-24-3), even with a 6-3-1 mark in singles. He has been surprisingly unsuccessful in best ball matches (3-7 in the Presidents Cup), with the U.S. team as a whole not so great in the four-ball format.

Jim Furyk is 5-4 in the Presidents Cup in best ball, but just 1-7 in the Ryder Cup. He and Woods are likely to pair together, with youngsters Lucas Glover and team event rookie Sean O’Hair other possible partners for Tiger, whose alternate shot record (7-2-1) is excellent.

Woods has never been the strongest advocate of team competitions, with Phil Mickelson for team events in spirit but not so much when it comes to the actual physical act of competing.

Mickelson has typically been less than his best in the late stages of the golf season, and his team event record (21-27-15) is testament to that fact, including a 4-7-3 mark in singles (1-3-3 in the Presidents Cup).

Judging by his exceptional effort at East Lake in his Tour Championship victory, that does not appear to be the case this time around. However, of Mickelson’s favorite partners, one is absent (David Toms) and the other (Kim) is on the team, but hasn’t done much of late,

If Kim’s not up to a prime time pairing with Phil, look for Hunter Mahan to partner with Mickelson.

Given the make-up of the U.S. team, the Americans should do quite well in alternate with the likes of Furyk, Zach Johnson, Steve Stricker and Stewart Cink, who is 4-1 in that format. Without a large number of birdie machines on the squad, best ball matches are a little less promising, with no American having a particular stellar record in four-ball.

Cink is the lone American with a winning record in best ball in the two team events, and has accomplished that by halving more matches (4) than he’s won (3) or lost (2).

Like Norman, U.S. captain Fred Couples has some interesting decisions to make regarding who pairs with who, and the ability of the two captains to determine most of the match-ups make the Presidents Cup a more entertaining event in that regard than the Ryder Cup, where all the matches are blind draws.

Without the history or good old fashioned nationalism of the Ryder Cup (what exactly are the connections between Fiji, Canada, South Africa, Korea and Colombia?), the Presidents Cup has been overshadowed by the U.S.-European battle, with little pre-tournament buzz preceding this week’s event.

A down-to-the-wire finish hinging on a singles match between Woods and Yang or Mickelson and Els might help to elevate the status of the Presidents Cup, but it’s more likely that Stricker will plod his way to a win over Tim Clark in a minimally exciting U.S. win by a fairly comfortable margin.

Merge Creates Unified Golf and Lake Community

Greensboro, Ga. (September 28, 2009) – Reynolds Plantation is pleased to announce that Reynolds Landing has merged with the award-winning golf and lake community on Lake Oconee in Georgia.  The merging of the two clubs and their amenities will provide more lifestyle opportunities for members of Reynolds.

“We believe this change will add value for our members and property owners,” says Rabun Neal, Reynolds Plantation president.  “At the same time it will allow us to be more efficient in how we provide services to our members and guests, enhancing their experience with us each and every day.”

Members of Reynolds Plantation will now enjoy up to 117 holes of golf by legendary designers Bob Cupp, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Rees Jones and Jim Engh, four marinas on Lake Oconee, four full-service restaurants, 16 tennis courts and two fitness centers, including The Lake Club Wellness Campus.

The merge was effective on September 17, 2009.  Reynolds Landing will now be called The Landing at Reynolds Plantation and the golf course will be The Landing Course at Reynolds Plantation.

For those interested in joining the enhanced lifestyle at Reynolds Plantation, the community has just announced a new release of a limited number of premium homesites at Angel Pond. This highly-anticipated release includes a selection of lake-front, pond view and golf view homesites.  For more information please contact a sales executive at 800.800.5250 or visit www.reynoldsplantation.com.

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 a gated community with more than 80 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; Pete Dye has begun work on the community’s 7^th golf course.  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, under the direction of Peter Burwash International.  GOLF Magazine, Golf Digest and TRAVEL + LEISURE Golf all debuted their first-ever “ultimate golf homes” at Reynolds Plantation, with LINKS Magazine joining the “sweep” with the opening of its first-ever “GreenHouse” on Earth Day 2009.  Reynolds Plantation is also home to the AAA Five Diamond Award-winning 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, call 800-800-5250 or visit www.reynoldsplantation.com.

Please see the link below regarding final results from the USGA Men’s State Team Championship, taking place September 23-25 at The Country Club of St.
Albans (Lewis and Clark Course) in St. Louis, Mo. The Peach State finished tied for sixth, 11 strokes back of champion Pennsylvania, whose three members combined for 9-under-par over 54 holes of rainy conditions. Kansas (6-under), Illinois (4-under), and Rhode Island and South Carolina (both at
2-under) also finished ahead of Georgia.

Woodstock’s Mark Strickland, competing in his second-straight USGA Men’s State Team, led the Georgia contingent with an opening-round 66 and an even-par 213 for the Championship, good enough for an eighth-place individual finish. Teammates Jeff Knox of Augusta and David Noll Jr. of Dalton turned in totals of 219 and 221, respectively.

http://www.stateteam.org