THE FLATS – Luke Schniederjans, Seth Reeves lead seven Yellow Jackets in Korn Ferry Tour event … Cameron Tringale makes good on late invite to the Open Championship … Vincent Whaley solid at Barbasol Championship … Tyler Strafaci runner-up at Florida Open … More details below in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.
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LUKE SCHNIEDERJANS HAS STELLAR KORN FERRY TOUR START
All six of Georgia Tech’s regular members of the Korn Ferry Tour were in action last weekend at the Memorial Health Championship, but it was non-member Luke Schniederjans who shone the brightest, turning in a tie for 11th place along with Seth Reeves.
With the Forme Tour taking the week off, Luke got a chance to play a Korn Ferry Tour event and shot rounds of 69-66-65-64 to post a 20-under-par total of 264. Schniederjans played well in his first two Forme Tour events, tying for third and eighth.
Reeves, meanwhile matched Schniederjans’ score with rounds of 68-65-67-64 and sits No. 20 in Korn Ferry Tour points as the tour comes down to its last three regular season events.
Ollie Schniederjans, Luke’s older brother, was the only other Yellow Jacket to make the cut, tying for 58th place at 12-under-par 272 in an event where the winning score was 27-under-par. Ollie maintained his position on the Korn Ferry Tour points list at No. 33.
Among those who missed the cut were Paul Haley II, who slipped to No. 25 in points after taking the previous week off, Anders Albertson, who sits at No. 69, and J.T. Griffin, who stands No. 80. The top 25 in points at the end of the regular season receive PGA Tour cards, while the top 75 qualify for the playoffs and maintain their status for 2022.
Three events remain in the regular season, interrupted by a break for the Olympics, including this week’s Price Cutter Charity Championship, the Utah Championship Aug. 5-8, and the Pinnacle Bank Championship Aug. 12-15.
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TRINGALE MAKES GOOD ON LATE OPEN INVITATION
Cameron Tringale earned a late invitation to the Open Championship based in his Official World Golf Ranking on June 30, and wound up being the only one of three Yellow Jackets to make the cut at Royal St. George’s.
The 2009 Tech graduate and Hall of Famer was solid all weekend, putting himself in contention (T12) after 36 holes with rounds of 69-66 before settling back to a tie for 26th place with weekend rounds of 71-71. Tringale continues to battle up the FedEx Cup points list, now at No. 39.
Stewart Cink, the 2009 Open champion, missed the cut after following his opening 66 with a 77, and Matt Kuchar also failed to advance after rounds of 74-72.
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WHALEY ONLY JACKET TO FINISH AT BARBASOL CHAMPIONSHIP
Similar results awaited the three Yellow Jackets who teed it up in Kentucky with the other PGA Tour pros for the Barbasol Championship. Vincent Whaley was solid with four rounds in the 60s (69-67-69-69) for a 14-under-par total of 274, but was far away from the leaders (-21). At No 138 in Fed Ex Cup points, Whaley faces an uphill battle to finish in the top 25 and make the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Richy Werenski (No. 107) and Chesson Hadley (No. 123) remain inside the top 125 despite missing the cut at the Barbasol.
Three regular season events remain on the PGA Tour schedule, beginning with the 3M Open this week in the Minneapolis, Minn., area, where Stewart Cink (No. 17), Matt Kuchar (No. 112), Cameron Tringale (No. 39), Hadley, Werenski and Whaley are all competing.
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STRAFACI RUNNER-UP AT FLORIDA OPEN
First-year pro Tyler Strafaci came within a stroke of winning his home state’s open championship last weekend. The Davie, Fla., native needed an eagle at the final hole to tie 31-year-old Connor Arendell, but his approach went to the back of the green and he made only birdie to finish at 14-under-par 201. First prize in the $100,000 purse was $15,000.
Strafaci, 22, has played three PGA Tour events since turning professional, missing the cut in the AT&T Byron Nelson and the U.S. Open, and tying for 57th at the Memorial. He said he was unsure when he was going to play again and wanted to work on his health, describing it as personal.
Strafaci, who graduated in the fall from Georgia Tech, displaced a few ribs and sprained his SC joint, where the collarbone and sternum meet, at the Genesis Invitational in February. He tied for 21st in the Terra Cotta Invitational amateur tournament at Naples National back in April after playing in the Masters.
Felt good this week- nice to have 3 solid rounds. Thanks for hosting a great event! https://t.co/swALSXScHQ
— Ty Strafaci (@TyStrafaci) July 18, 2021
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CINK CONSULTS WITH TECH UNDERGRADUATE ON PUTTER DESIGN
For the last year and a half, Caroline Means, an undergraduate in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, has been designing an adjustable putter using an advanced metal-depositing 3D printer that is usually used to make aircraft parts. Working with Jud Ready, principal research engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, the idea was to be able to adjust the putter’s key characteristics, toe hang and loft, and explore new kinds of face materials. She consulted with golf pros at Bobby Jones Golf Course and eight-time PGA Tour winner Stewart Cink on the design.
“I come from a unique perspective on things like product development and innovation,” said Stewart Cink, a former Tech golfer and eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, including two wins in 2021. “I’ve got the on-course experience and knowledge, and I’ve been through a lot of product innovation with companies that I’ve worked with in the past. Jud had no way of knowing that it would be something that I would like really like, but this is part of my job that I really enjoy doing.”
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