Classic brings in the best

The Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic returns to The Farm Golf Club in Rocky Face this week, with some of the nation’s top programs and golfers teeing it up at the prestigious three-day tournament that begins on Friday.

If you’re curious about how good some of the competitors will be this weekend, you only need glance over the roster of past players at The Farm’s website, the farmgolfclub.org. The tourney’s alumni list includes names those who follow the PGA Tour closely will recognize, as well as some names recognizable even to those who wouldn’t know a birdie from a bogey. Tiger Woods, anyone?

Woods played the Classic as part of Stanford’s long trip east in 1995, when he was already known to some for his achievements in the junior and amateur ranks, but neither the superstar he would become nor the household name.

The tournament isn’t as big as it once was, in terms of sheer volume of teams, but the field is still talented, and this is an important event as they begin their fall schedules.

Here’s a fact (or two) about each of the dozen programs coming to town for the Classic:

• Alabama ... will benefit this year from the addition of freshman Bobby Wyatt. A four-time winner of Alabama’s Boys State Junior Championship, Wyatt scorched the Country Club of Mobile this past July during the second day of the tournament with a 57 that ranks as one of the lowest rounds ever recorded in competitive golf. The Crimson Tide haven’t exactly been embarrassed at past Classics, though, winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007, with former Dalton High golfer Matt Hughes helping them claim the latter in a playoff.

• Auburn ... like its in-state rival, is a former champion at the Classic. But the Tigers have to go back a lot further to remember their title victory, which came in 1997. Blayne Barber, who will be a redshirt sophomore this fall, could help the Tigers make a push — he showed up nicely during last month’s U.S. Amateur Championship in Tacoma, Wash., advancing to the round of 32.

• Chattanooga ... has youth all over its roster this season as just two starters return for the Mocs. But one of them is junior Stephan Jaeger of Munich, Germany, who earned 2010 Southern Conference Player of the Year honors and finished tied for third at last year’s Classic, where the Mocs took second among the dozen squads present. Jaeger’s hole-in-one on No. 8 during the third round in 2008 was the last ace scored at the tourney. Chattanooga, which will have the shortest drive of anyone in this year’s field, won it all that year.

• Clemson ... is one of three Atlantic Coast Conference teams in the field. But like the Mocs, the Tigers will have to look for leadership from players who aren’t yet seniors — because they don’t have any. According to Clemson’s official athletic website, it’s the first time since the 1991-92 season that’s been the case, and just the second time in Larry Penley’s 28 years leading the program. The Tigers have four Classic titles, winning in 1993, 1996, 1998 and 2002.

• East Tennessee State ... is one of three teams from the Volunteer State entered this year, but the Bucs are making the longest trip out of that group. If he’s in the lineup for this tournament, the Bucs’ Peter Wilson, at 6-foot-5, will no doubt be one of the taller players in the field. No word if there’s a pickup basketball game planned for this week, but Wilson might be a good first selection.

• Georgia ... has twice won the Classic’s team title, most recently in 2004. The Bulldogs’ 1999 win came during the lone year the tournament occurred twice, with Georgia taking the spring edition and rival Georgia Tech claiming the crown that fall. Georgia junior Russell Henley finished 16th at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach this summer and should be a leader for a largely inexperienced lineup. Just the same, the Bulldogs are fourth in the GolfWorld/Nike college coaches preseason poll.

• Georgia Tech ... has acted as host of the Classic since it began in 1989 and has made itself at home in Rocky Face more than a few times, leading the way with six tournament championships. But it’s been a while since the Yellow Jackets hoisted the big trophy — their last victory at the tourney came in 2001. Their Classic alumni list includes nationally known names such as Stewart Cink, David Duval and Matt Kuchar, plus Dalton’s own Michael Clark II. The Jackets are 10th in the GolfWorld/Nike rankings.

• Mississippi ... is one of six Southeastern Conference programs in this year’s field — the SEC is by far the most represented conference in the event for 2010. Rebels senior Jonathan Randolph, who was an All-American during his junior season while winning three tourneys, was recently named one of the top 10 “Players to Watch” for this season by GolfWorld. Mississippi is making its third straight trip to Rocky Face, having tied for sixth each of the past two years.

• South Carolina ... is making is fifth consecutive appearance in the Classic. Its coach is Bill McDonald, who’s in his third season leading the Gamecocks. McDonald might have had some good performances himself at The Farm had he been born just a bit later. A 1989 graduate of Georgia Tech, he finished second at the 1988 NCAA championships and was a two-time All-American for the Jackets.

• Tennessee ... is the 2009 champion, and the Volunteers would join select company if they claim a second straight title. Georgia Tech won back-to-back crowns in 1994-95, then took three straight trophies from 1999-2001, but Alabama is the only other repeat winner at the tourney. The Vols’ 274 in the final round last year set a Classic record and put them a dozen shots ahead of second-place Chattanooga.

• Texas Tech ... is the only team west of the Mississippi entered in this year’s tourney, which is stocked with teams from the Southeast. The Red Raiders are also the only program competing in the Classic that rated a top-10 spot in the final Golfweek/Sagarin ratings for 2010. (They were 10th, behind in-state rivals Texas A&M, at No. 3, and Texas, at No. 7.) This year’s preseason rankings won’t be released until Wednesday.

• Wake Forest ... has been a frequent competitor at the tourney, but is still looking for its first team title in Rocky Face. The Demon Deacons have had two individual winners — Oscar Sanchez in 1989 and Bill Haas in 2002, when he shared honors with Georgia Tech’s Troy Matteson — and one of the only two players to score a double eagle in tourney play. In 2001, Brent Wanner needed just two shots to find the hole on No. 15. Alabama’s Matthew Swan had a double eagle in third round in 2006 on No. 12.

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