The Linger Longer Invitational (LLI) debuted at Reynolds Lake Oconee in 2006 and featured a three-way tie for tenth place in the individual category. With total scores of 217, the University of Georgia held two of those spots with golfers Chris Kirk and Brian Harman. What was a struggle to make a top-10 finish then is now a combined earnings of $31.5 million on the PGA TOUR.
Entering its 18th year in 2023, the Linger Longer Invitational has seen some of the greatest and youngest golfers compete before they were household names. Current PGA Tour players like Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, and Jonas Blixt were just college kids hoping for their chance to claim an individual title at Reynolds Lake Oconee.
They make up an elite group of Linger Longer Invitational alumni, which also includes Clemson’s Kyle Stanley, Georgia’s Harris English, and Florida State’s Brooks Koepka. The legacy of that featured talent can be summed up with a combined 58 PGA Tour victories and $250,000,000 in total money earned.
University of Georgia - 2007 LLI Champions (from left to right): Ryan Frisch - Reynolds Professional; Brendon Todd; Chris Kirk; Chris Haack - Head Coach, UGA; Hudson Swafford; Adam Mitchell; Brain Harman; Ryan Hybl - UGA Asst. (current University of Oklahoma Head Coach); Kevin Childers - Reynolds Professional
Let’s take a closer look at some of the top Linger Longer Invitational alumni and their current earnings and number of PGA Tour victories (college and LLI Top-10 finishes in parenthesis):
Justin Thomas (Alabama; 2009: 5th place): 15 victories; $52 million
Ron McWhorter is known for his toothpick, his quiet presence, and his 38-year quest to move The Landing golf course one step closer to the pe...
Ron McWhorter is known for his toothpick, his quiet presence, and his 38-year quest to move The Landing golf course one step closer to the perfection he knows he will never find.
Once again, Reynolds Lake Oconee becomes the center for collegiate golf, with the playing of tournaments for both women and men in the next f...
Once again, Reynolds Lake Oconee becomes the center for collegiate golf, with the playing of tournaments for both women and men in the next four weeks. Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational set for Feb. 23-25; 19th Annual Linger Longer Invitational on tap for March 16-19
