The Linger Longer Invitational, now established as one of the premier collegiate golf tournaments in the nation, returned for its seventh year at Reynolds Lake Oconee, March 23-25, at the award-winning Great Waters Course. The second-ranked University of Alabama men’s golf team captured their second straight Linger Longer Invitational title.
The Crimson Tide bested second-place University of Georgia (-12, 852) by shooting 14-under 274 for a 54-hole total of 26-under-par 838 on the par-72, 7,073-yard Great Waters Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee. The Tide has won its last two events by a combined 36 shots and three of the four events they have played this spring.
Alabama sophomore Cory Whitsett shot a stellar round on Sunday, tying a school record of 8-under par he shared with Bud Cauley and Chip Deason. Whitsett entered the day at even par but stormed back to tie for first and defeat University of Georgia's Nick Reach in a playoff for his third career medalist honor.
One of the premier spring tournaments of the collegiate season, The Linger Longer Invitational featured 12 teams competing for 54 holes in both team and individual stroke-play format. Great Waters is a Jack Nicklaus design that challenges players with some of the most dramatic golf scenery in the Southeast, as Lake Oconee comes in to play on nine holes.
Attracting many of the nation’s best teams year after year, the Linger Longer Invitational combines award-winning golf courses, a resort destination setting and a welcoming, supportive community that together make the Reynolds Lake Oconee event one of the most respected in college golf. Among the special experiences of the tournament is the housing, provided by families throughout Reynolds Lake Oconee. Each year teams and their host families create a connection that lasts a lifetime, truly setting this event apart from others.
Co-hosted by Kennesaw State University and Mercer University, the Linger Longer Invitational is a showcase for teams from coast to coast. Since its inception, the Invitational has been played on courses that are part of the Reynolds Lake Oconee collection- The Oconee Course the first two years, The Landing for two, and Great Waters for the past two. 2012 participating teams included University of Alabama, Charleston Southern University, University of Georgia, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Liberty University, Mercer University, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, University of Notre Dame, University of Oklahoma, University of Tennessee- Chattanooga and University of South Alabama
