[su_spacer size=”40″] The Bulldogs and the Tigers will resume their match on Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. Monday’s competition began two hours late after storms dropped more than three inches of rain on the East Lake Golf Club since Sunday.
[su_spacer size=”40″] “I thought we played pretty solid,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “Our guys got off to good starts, including a couple of really big starts, and that set the tone for us. We’ve still got a ways to go, but I like the way we started things today.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] The inaugural East Lake Cup is an event featuring the semifinalists – affectionately known as the “Final Fore” – from last year’s NCAA Championships. The men’s field consists of Georgia, LSU, Illinois and Southern Cal, while the women’s field is made up of Stanford, Baylor, Duke and Southern Cal.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The winners of the matches completed on Monday will vie for the championship at 11:45 a.m., while the other squads will battle in a consolation match at 10:05 a.m.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Junior Jaime Lopez Rivarola was the lone Bulldog to finish on Monday as he dispatched LSU’s Brandon Pierce 7&5. Joked Haack, “He’ll sleep well tonight.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] “I knew conditions were going to be tough with all the rain we had,” Lopez Rivarola said. “I just stuck to it regardless of whatever lies I was getting out there and it worked. I wanted to stay calm and do what I planned out for the week when I played practice rounds this weekend. I just tried to stay patient and it paid off.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] Lee McCoy, battling through a rib injury he sustained last week, built a 5-up lead over Eric Ricard through nine holes. Junior Greyson Sigg stood 2-up through 10 against Nathan Jeansonne. Sophomore Zach Healy was all square in his match with Zach Wright through 12, while senior Sepp Straka trailed Sam Burns 5-up through 12.
[su_spacer size=”40″] “In college golf, we usually play a lot in some inclement weather,” McCoy said. “I was really impressed with how good the fairways looked with the amount of rain we got. After the amount of rain we got, I didn’t we’d even play today. The Golf Channel Tweeted a picture at 8 in the morning and there were four creeks in the middle of nine.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] The Southern Cal men had built a 4-0-1 edge over Illinois when played was halted. In the women’s tournament, Stanford led Duke 4-1-0 and Baylor held a 2-1-2 advantage against Southern Cal.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The Golf Channel will have live coverage Tuesday morning beginning at 7:30 until all matches have concluded. The championship and consolation matches for both the men’s and women’s divisions will be paired at that time, tentatively scheduled to get under way at 11:30 a.m. Golf Channel’s coverage is set to begin at 1 p.m. with Golf Central Pre Game and live matches at 2 p.m.
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