Tech, four other Ga. teams competing at Lake Oconee

Jackets hoping to follow up on Palm Springs victory.

Georgia Tech, fresh from its first win of the spring, is one of five Georgia teams competing in the 16th Linger Longer Invitational at Reynolds Lake Oconee, a 54-hole event that concludes Sunday at the Great Waters course.

The Yellow Jackets will be joined by Georgia State, Kennesaw State, Augusta and Mercer, as well as Florida Gulf Coast, Virginia, North Alabama, Toledo, Chattanooga, Louisiana Tech, Charlotte, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Troy and High Point.

The tournament has sentimental value for Tech coach Bruce Heppler, who took his first team to Great Waters for its first qualifier, and for Georgia State coach Chad Wilson, who competed in the Linger Longer when he played at Kennesaw State.

“I enjoyed playing in this event when I was in college, and I’m glad they now to get compete in it,” Wilson said. “It’s a great field, as always, at a great course.”

Georgia Tech won the Wyoming Desert Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., two weeks ago and is ranked No. 42 by Golfstat. Senior Noah Norton was runner-up at that event, giving him 10 career top 10s. Bartley Forrester played his way into the starting lineup when he prevailed in a six-for-one qualifier.

One of the hottest players entering the Linger Longer may be Mercer’s Tyler Copp, who was named Southern Conference Golfer of the Week after placing third in the Southern Invitational. He won the Invitational at

Savannah Harbor in February.

Around the campus

Georgia Southern tied for second at the Spartan Collegiate at Sea Island. The Eagles and Notre Dame finished 12 under, one shot behind Iowa. Georgia Southern’s Jake Maple’s tied for fourth at 5-under 210. … Cameron Starr of Lagrange finished second at the D3 Savannah Invitational at Savannah Harbor. Starr finished at 12-under 204, one shot off the lead. … The University of Georgia men are participating in the Tiger Invitational, Monday through Wednesday, at the RTJ Grand National Course in Opelika, Ala.

Hedges a new hazard?

Most people will never get a chance to play football Between the Hedges, but a new venture by Topgolf will open the door for fans to play golf there. Topgolf is taking its fun experience to numerous college football stadiums this summer, including the University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium.

Topgolf Live will convert the Home of the Dogs into a temporary golf setting, where participants will be able to hit into giant targets on the field while the company’s Toptracer technology follows the shots and shows instant replays on the game screen of your hitting bay.

The popularity of the Topgolf experience has led to additional dates for the event. The Sanford Stadium event will be June 18-27, with June 23 set aside for students only. Tickets are $80 and good for a one-hour window of play.

COVID-19 protocols require groups of six to avoid mixing parties. Premium tickets, which include additional perks, are also available. Ticket information is available at Topgolflive.com.

Club Championship

Club champions will have a chance to earn some national respect this week at the PGA National Club Championship in Pinehurst, N.C. The event will bring together 208 men and 104 women who won their club championships to determine a national champion.

The spots were filled on a first-come basis, and Georgia was able to get 10 representatives from around the state into the field. The 54-hole event, which concludes Monday, will be played at Pinehurst No. 6, No. 8 and famed No. 2.

Competing in the men’s division are Jack Roberts of Osprey Cove in St. Marys, Matt Bernstein of the Standard Club in Johns Creek, Samuel Wells of Browns Mill in Atlanta, Stephen Behr of The Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta, and Ty Hampel of Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw.

Competing in the senior men’s division are Bob Young of the Sea Island Golf Club, Coleman Tidwell and Craig Entwistle of Idle Hour in Macon, and Trey Freeman of Brunswick Country Club.

The only Georgia woman participant is Megan Heberle of Savannah Country Club.

Miscellaneous

The team of Russ Bell, Matthew Bell, Dale Sjeffield and Sean Page shot an 11-under 61 to win the Georgia State Park Cup qualifier at the Brazels Creek Golf Course in Reidsville. The quartet earned a spot in the championship weekend at Arrowhead Pointe on May 7-8 . ... World Golf Hall of Famer Larry Nelson will be on hand to present trophies to the winners Monday at the Larry Nelson Invitational at the Atlanta Country Club. Nine of the state’s top high school teams will compete.

A piece of personal pandemic history belonging to the nation’s top infectious disease expert has found a new home at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, presented his three-dimensional model of the coronavirus to the museum’s national medicine and science collections Tuesday at a ceremony that was conducted by videoconference.

“I wanted to pick something that was really meaningful to me and important because I used it so often,” Fauci said Wednesday about his decision to give the model to the museum.

The model, which he said was made with a 3D printer at the National Institutes of Health, is a blue sphere studded with spikes replicating the spiked proteins that can latch onto cells in our airways, allowing the virus to slip inside. Fauci said he used it as a visual aid when briefing members of Congress and former President Donald Trump.

“It’s a really phenomenally graphic way to get people to understand,” he said.