UGA Alumni Watson, Mitchell and Kisner to play in 2019 Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament is one of the four major championships held every year in professional golf. In fact, many would say the Masters is the most significant professional golf tournament of the year. With the 83rd tournament just days away, we wanted to highlight some of our notable alumni who are playing in the tournament this year.
photo by Golf News Net
Bubba Watson (BSFCS ’08) is not a new name in the Masters Tournament roster. Bubba, a native of Bagdad, Florida, has played in every Masters since 2008 and is a two-time champion of the tournament. Bubba was a member of the UGA Men’s Golf team in 2000 and 2001. During his time at UGA, Bubba earned many honors including: 2000 All-America and All- SEC recognition and he won the Schenkel Invitational. He later returned to UGA to complete his degree in 2008. As a professional golfer, Bubba has 12 PGA Tour victories and additional victories in the 2008 CVS/Caremark Charity Classic and the 2015 Hero World Challenge. He was also a member of the 2016 Men’s Golf Summer Olympic team in Rio de Janeiro. So far in 2019, Bubba tied the low score of the day to finish T4 at the Valspar Championship, finished 6-under and T15 in the Genesis Open and finished T4 in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Follow Bubba on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook or check out his website for more updates on his career.
photo by golfchannel
Kevin Kisner (BBA ’06), is another talented alumnus who is playing in the Masters this year. Kisner is from Aiken, South Carolina, and was a member of the UGA Men’s Golf team from 2003-2006, including the NCAA Division I Championship team. As a golfer at UGA, he earned many honors including:14 top-10 finishes in his career, four-time All-American, three-time All-SEC, SEC Academic Honor Roll, and team captain After earning his degree from UGA, Kisner started his professional career. Kisner has three PGA Tour victories, including the 2019 World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, and additional victories in the 2010 Mylan Classic presented by CONSOL Energy and the 2013 Chile Classic. In 2017, Kevin and his wife Brittany founded The Kevin and Brittany Kisner Foundation. A scholarship of $2500 is awarded to a senior from Aiken County High School from the foundation. Follow Kevin on Twitter or check out his website for more updates on his career.
photo by Golf Digest
Keith Mitchell (BBA ’14) is playing in the Masters for the first time this year. Mitchell is from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was a member of UGA Men’s Golf team from 2011-2014. In 2013, he won the 2013 Bulldog Battle for Georgia. Recently, Mitchell won The Honda Classic, which earned him an invitation to this year’s Masters. Although this is his first PGA Tour victory, he gained experience playing in many PGA Tour tournaments such as the CIMB Classic, Sony Open in Hawaii, The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges and the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Follow Keith on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more updates on his career.
More notable UGA Men’s Golf Alumni
Although these UGA Alumni are not playing in the Masters Tournament this year, both have had successful UGA and professional careers that have earned a large amount of recognition.
photo by golf.com
Brian Harman (BBA ’11) is a former UGA Men’s golf member from Savannah, Georgia. During his time at UGA, Harman was named to the 2007 SEC Academic Honor Roll, 2006-2007 First-Team All –SEC, 2006 All-American, 2006 Freshman of the year and more. Harman has two PGA tour victories in his professional career. His 2019 achievements include finishing T8 in The Players Championship. Follow Brian on Twitter and Instagram for more updates on his career.
photo by Racing Post
Russell Henley (BSFCS ’11) is a professional golfer from Macon, Georgia. During his collegiate career at UGA, Henley received honors including: 2009 All-SEC ,2009 All-American and the 2010 Haskins Award for outstanding collegiate golfer. Henley began his professional career in 2011 and has three PGA tour victories. His 2019 professional achievements include finishing T15 in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Follow Russell on Twitter or check out his website for more updates on his career.
The Masters pre-tournament begins Monday, April 8. Round 1 of the tournament begins on Thursday, April 11. Live coverage of the Masters Tournament can be viewed on CBS and ESPN. For more information, visit masters.com.
