Team Georgia Tech outlasted Team Alabama on the fourth and final playoff hole to take a one-stroke victory in the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament today at Reynolds Lake Oconee outside Atlanta.
The Yellow Jackets’ victory is their second straight and fourth in the last five years. Head Coach Paul Johnson and former hoops star Jon Barry took home $100,000 in charity and scholarship with their win.
“Well, I rode Jon pretty hard today, but in the end, we were able to grind it out,” Johnson said after the round. “I didn’t think we had much of a chance after the front nine, but Jon hit some really good shots and we found a way.”
Georgia Tech, Alabama, South Carolina and NC State all finished the 18 holes at -9 before the four met in the playoff. NC State was eliminated on the first playoff hole with a bogey, South Carolina on the second playoff hole with a bogey. Alabama and Georgia Tech both carded a par on the third playoff hole before the Crimson Tide bowed out with a bogey on the final hole.
“We battled them, but they played well. It was great to be in the final competition,” Saban said of his round with Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. “You have to be a long hitter and Mark hit some great shots out there. It was a lot of fun.”
Johnson and Barry closed with an eagle on 17 and a birdie on 18 to get to -9 and join the playoff.
After the first nine, old nemeses Saban and Spurrier led the field at (-6) with their teammates Mark Ingram and Sterling Sharpe, respectively. Saban led the Alabama team to an eagle on the par-4, hole number three, while Spurrier and Sharpe eagled the par-4 second, to finish strong at the top of the leaderboard as they headed into the Club House at Oconee.
NC State’s Doeren and Harvey birdied their final five holes to pull within one stroke of the leaders and forcing a three-way tie for second place at (-5) with Maryland’s Edsall and McBrien and Arizona’s Rodriguez and Lofton, with only nine holes left to play. All together, the 13-team field combined for six eagles and 27 birdies in the first nine holes.
Final official results from the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge including total charity and scholarship winnings:
RESULTS
PLACE
TEAM
SCORE
WINNINGS
1
Georgia Tech (Paul Johnson, Jon Barry)
-9 (playoff)
$100,000
2 (T)
Alabama (Nick Saban, Mark Ingram)
-9 (playoff)
$65,000
2 (T)
South Carolina (Steve Spurrier, Sterling Sharpe)
-9 (playoff)
$50,000
2 (T)
N.C. State (Dave Doeren, Terry Harvey)
-9 (playoff)
$45,000
5 (T)
Arizona (Rich Rodriguez, Kenny Lofton)
-8
$40,000
5 (T)
Maryland (Randy Edsall, Scott McBrien)
-8
$40,000
7 (T)
Ohio State (Urban Meyer, Jeff Logan)
-7
$30,000
7 (T)
Ole Miss (Hugh Freeze, Sean Tuohy
-7
$30,000
9
Mississippi State (Dan Mulled, Fred McCrary)
-5
$20,000
10
Auburn (Gus Malzahn, Bo Jackson)
-3
$20,000
11
Clemson (Dabo Swinney, Steve Fuller)
-1
$20,000
12 (T)
Cincinnati (Tommy Tuberville, Kevin Huber)
+2
$20,000
12 (T)
North Carolina (Larry Fedora, Roy Williams
+2
$20,000
SKILLS COMPETITION RESULTS
COMPETITION
WINNER
DISTANCE
WINNINGS
Long Drive (Coach Division)
Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss
287 Yards
$5,000
Long Drive (Celeb Division)
Bo Jackson, Auburn
331.5 yards
$5,000
Closest to the Pin (Coach Division)
Gus Malzahn, Auburn
7’8?
$5,000
Closest to the Pin (Celeb Division)
Scott McBrien, Maryland
8’2?
$5,000
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge is the country’s premier head coach and celebrity charity golf event featuring NCAA head coaches and former athletes and celebrities from the same school competing against their rivals for a share of a $520,000 scholarship purse.
In addition to the $520,000 charity and scholarship purse, another $113,305 was generated for charitable organizations including the American Diabetes Association. Over the last nine years, the event has contributed a total of $5.3 million in scholarship and charity, helping make the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl college football’s most charitable bowl game.
PAST CHAMPIONS
YEAR
TEAM
SCORE
MARGIN
2014
Georgia Tech (Paul Johnson / Jon Barry)
-13
4 strokes
2013
Miami (Al Golden / Gino Torretta)
-11
1 stroke
2012
Georgia Tech (Paul Johnson / Jon Barry)
-10
1 stroke
2011
Georgia Tech (Paul Johnson / Jon Barry)
-11
3 strokes
2010
Florida State (Jimbo Fisher / Terrell Buckley)
-7
1 stroke
2009
South Carolina (Steve Spurrier / Sterling Sharpe)
-12
1 (playoff)
2008
South Carolina (Steve Spurrier / Sterling Sharpe)
-12
5 strokes
2007
Virginia Tech (Frank Beamer / Dell Curry)
-10
