Sports Page Atlanta

Stewart Cink shot an even par in the final round to finish 3rd at The Masters. That was the former Yellow Jacket’s best Masters finish ever (T-10th in 2006.) Only 4 players shot better on Sunday than the former Georgia Tech star. Paired with Tiger Woods, Cink birdied the first 2 holes, then struggled and then finished strong, shooting 2 under down the stretch over the last 7 holes. Overall he finished 4 under par 4 strokes away from the winner, Trevor Immelman.

The former Georgia Bulldog did alright as well. Bubba Watson finished +1 and in a tie for 20th place. After playing well on the front nine (34), his luck ended coming back in (39), but it was a solid effort in his first of many Masters tournaments.
photo credit: shareski

And then there were two…. after the 3rd round of The Masters, Larry Mize failed to make the cut and now we are keeping track of just 2 guys.

Former Georgia Tech star Stewart Cink is looking sharp and has moved up to 6th place after shooting a 71. He will most likely be paired with Tiger Woods (no pressure.)

And the former Bulldog, Bubba Watson is making the University of Georgia proud in his Masters debut. After 3 rounds his is currently 1 over par. The good part of his day (4 birdies) the bad part (5 bogeys.)
photo credit: dareneilert

Trevor Immelman is your halfway leader at The Masters. He matched his 68 in round one with a 68 in round two.

Locally, Georgia Tech’s Stewart Cink moved up 11 spots and is now tied for 8th after shooting a 69 in the 2nd round. He had just one bogey in the round.

The other Yellow Jacket in the field was not so lucky. Larry Mize shot a 81 and finished +14 and you guessed it missed the cut. Only Fuzzy Zoeller and Gary Player finished worse.

Former Georgia Bulldog Bubba Watson is looking good in his Masters debut. The long hitter is now tied for 21st after his 2nd round score of 71. He had 4 birdies and 3 bogeys in the round.
photo credit: dareneilert

There is a tie at 4 under after the first round of the Masters between Justin Rose and Trevor Immelman.

But…………….

Here is how the 3 locals are doing after the 1st round of The Masters…

Georgia Tech’s Stewart Cink is at even par and tied for 19th. He had two birdies on the front 9 and two bogeys on the back nine and everything else par par par.

Georgia alum Bubba Watson is at +2 in his Masters debut. He had birdies at 11 and 13 but scattered four bogeys throughout the course.

1987 Champion and former Georgia Tech standout Larry Mize is sitting at +5 and tied for 75th. He had 6 bogeys on the day, but did manage to get a birdie on hole number 13.

A tradition like no other… OK we have all heard Jim Nantz say those words over and over again, but if you are a golf fan (or this week patron) you watch and get excited about every swing and putt.

This year, 2 Georgia Tech golfers and 1 Georgia golfer are in the field. The most notable is former Yellow Jacket, Larry Mize. Also Tech’s Stewart Cink and Georgia’s Bubba Watson will compete.

Larry Mize was the 1987 champion after he chipped in his incredible birdie from 140 feet to defeat Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros in the 2nd hole of the playoff. Mize also finished 3rd in the 1994 event. Last year he shot a dismal 83 first round and followed it up with a 78 and missed the cut. He made the cut the year before and shot 2 rounds at even par.

Stewart Cink has played in 10 Masters and made the cut 8 times. Last year he finished tied-for-17th and his best finish happened in 2006 when he finished 10th (which was his only career-finish under par.)

Bubba Watson is making his Masters debut this season. The long hitter leads the PGA Tour in driving distance (he led last year and the year before that, too.) This year he has made the cut in 7 of 10 tournaments. He has never won a PGA Tour event and his best ever finish happened in the 2007 Shell Houston Open where he was the runner-up to Adam Scott.
photo credit: pocketwiley

The PODS Championship was help this past weekend in Tampa, Florida and three golfers from the area finished near the top.

• Ryuji Imada shot a final round 68 to finish two under for the tournament and grab a share of the second place prize pool. This marks twice that he’s finished second in a 2008 tournament. Imada turned pro in 1999 after leading the Georgia Bulldogs to a NCAA title.
• Troy Matteson shot a final round 69 to finish two under and also tie for second place. This is his best finish of the young 2008 schedule. Matteson was a 2003 graduate from the Georgia Tech golf team.
• Stewart Cink came into Sunday’s final round with the lead, but shot a 74 and finished tied for second. This also marks twice for Cink to finish in second place in 2008. Cink is a 1995 graduate of the Georgia Tech golf team.

Each of these three golfers took home $294,591 and change for their second place finish.