University of Georgia Wins Team and Individual Honors at 14th Annual Linger Longer Invitational
Greensboro, GA – In a tournament known for featuring top collegiate golf programs and future PGA Tour stars, this year’s Linger Longer Invitational (LLI) provided a thrilling display of talent that finally resulted in victory for the nationally ranked (no. 12) University of Georgia Bulldogs, capturing the title for a record-tying fifth time.
It was a close race to the finish for four teams, including first-round leader Louisville along with second-round leader and last year’s LLI champion, Alabama. Sunday began with Georgia tied for second with Liberty, but ultimately the Bulldogs were able to pull ahead with a final 54-hole score of 845, 19-under par.
Liberty finished just six strokes behind to take second place at 851 (best 4-of-5 scoring). Louisville took third place at 854, 10-under par, while five-time champion Alabama was fourth at 259. All four teams came into the LLI ranked among the Top 25 collegiate programs in the country.
Not only did Georgia stand out in the tournament, but it also dominated on the individual, claiming the top two spots. First-time collegiate medalist Spencer Ralston won the individual title at 11-under-par 205, followed by fellow junior teammate Trevor Phillips, at 208, 8-under, tied with Liberty sophomore Alexandre Fuchs. Ralston and Phillips both shot 6-under-par 66 in the final round.
“Georgia comes to the Linger Longer Invitational every year and this is my third time participating,” said Ralston, the fifth Bulldog to capture the individual title at Reynolds Lake Oconee. “This win is huge and it was such a great feeling to get a sweep for our whole team. I think the rest of our season holds a lot of promise.”
This was Georgia’s second tournament win for the spring season. The Bulldogs also claimed victory at the 27th annual Puerto Rico Classic in February.
Co-hosted by Kennesaw State University and Mercer University, the Linger Longer Invitational has been an annual showcase for college golf teams since 2006. From inception, the Invitational has been played at three of the six courses at Reynolds Lake Oconee – The Oconee, Great Waters, and this year’s location, The Landing. For full results from the 2019 Linger Longer Invitational go to http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=15986&x=0.943379983946.
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About Reynolds Lake Oconee
Surrounded by more than 350 miles of majestic shoreline on Georgia’s historic Lake Oconee, the golf destination resort community of Reynolds Lake Oconee features six championship golf courses and is home to The Reynolds Kingdom of Golf presented by TaylorMade, a world-class instructional and club fitting facility. Located between Atlanta and golf’s legendary grounds in Augusta, Reynolds Lake Oconee is an outdoor recreation paradise that includes the Sandy Creek Sporting Grounds, award-winning tennis center, swimming pools, pedestrian trails, wellness campus, and full-service marinas to facilitate watersports. Guests can choose private accommodations that include luxury resort condominiums and cottages, or The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee, a 251-room lakefront resort and spa named a 2016 AAA Five Diamond Lodging and 2015 Forbes Four-Star resort. Dining is available at ten distinctive culinary venues. Reynolds Lake Oconee, originally established in 1988, is located roughly 90 miles from Atlanta’s Hartsfield -Jackson International Airport. For more information, visit reynoldslakeoconee.com.
Media Contacts
Karen Moraghan
Hunter Public Relations
kmoraghan@hunter-pr.com
(908) 963-6013
Lauren Bassett
Reynolds Lake Oconee
lbassett@reynoldslakeoconee.com
(706) 467-1460
