Georgia

Tech Golf Goes West for Pauma Valley Invitational

Published

11 months ago

March 16, 2025

Tech Golf Goes West for Pauma Valley Invitational

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s 21^st-ranked golf team makes its third Western trip in four spring events this week, competing for the first time in the Pauma Valley Collegiate Invitational. The two-day, 54-hole event begins Monday at Pauma Valley Country Club in Pauma Valley, Calif.

The tournament, being conducted for just the second time, features a 15-team field, including nine teams ranked in the Scoreboard Powered by Clippd Top-25 rankings and 13 squads in the top 50. Pauma Valley is just 35 miles East of Carlsbad, where the NCAA Championship is held at the Omni LaCosta Resort and Spa.

Head coach Bruce Heppler’s team, which has one victory (Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational) from the fall on its resume this year, finished 13^th out of 15 teams at its most recent event, the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas, Calif. The Yellow Jackets also tied for fourth place in its last outing at the Watersound Invitational in Panama City Beach, Fla., after opening the spring with a 10^th-place finish (out of 20 teams) at the Amer Ari Intercollegiate in Hawai’i. Redshirt junior Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) has been the Yellow Jackets top finisher in all three events.

Hiroshi Tai (Singapore), who won the NCAA individual championship last May at LaCosta, and Reuter, who had a pair of top-10 finishes in the fall, are among five players who helped the Yellow Jackets advance to match play at the NCAA Championship each of the past two years. Also back are sophomores Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.) and Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and junior Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.).

The tournament will utilize a split-tee start format each day, playing 36 holes Monday and 18 Tuesday, with competition beginning at 10:40 a.m. Eastern time each day.

Benjamin Reuter has been Tech’s top finisher in all three spring events. (photo by Clyde Click)

TECH LINEUP – Reuter and Tai lead the five-man lineup for the Yellow Jackets in Panama City Beach, joined by Fontenot, Kim and freshman Albert Hansson (Fiskebäckskil, Sweden). Tran will compete as an individual.

Reuter has been Tech’s top player all year thus far, posting a runner-up finish at Olympia Fields and two other top-10s, including a tie for fourth at the Watersound Invitational this spring. He is ranked No. 28 in the Scoreboard NCAA rankings. Tai, listed on the Fall Watch List for the Fred Haskins Award and as a pre-season All-American by Golfweek magazine and Golf Channel, had three top-20 finishes this fall and is ranked No. 204 in the NCAA Scoreboard rankings. The junior won twice as a freshman prior to his NCAA Championship.

Hanson, ranked No. 174 nationally, finished 22^nd at Watersound for his best showing of the spring, while Fontenot (No. 139 in the Scoreboard rankings) has a top finish of 30^th place at Watersound. Kim earned the fifth spot in qualifying, also tying for 22^nd at Watersound.

Tech has a 56-44-2 head-to-head record through the Southern Highlands Collegiate, needing to be at .500 or better after the ACC Championship in April to qualify for a bid to an NCAA Regional. Following the Pauma Valley Invitational, the Yellow Jackets also have the Ford Intercollegiate April 13-14 in Richmond Hill, Ga.

EVENT DETAILS

Pauma Valley Collegiate Invitational

Dates: March 17-18 (54 holes of stroke play, low 4 of 5 scores count for team score each round)
Format: 36 hole Monday and 18 Tuesday, begins 10:40 a.m. EDT each day from No. 1 and No. 10 holes
Venue: Pauma Valley Country Club (par 72, 7,311 yards)
Participating teams (15): Loyola Marymount (host), Arizona State (2), Georgia Tech (21), Illinois (13), LSU (7), Oklahoma (6), Oklahoma State (5), Ole Miss (3), San Diego (33), San Diego State (15), San Francisco, SMU (28), Tennessee (30), Texas (4), Texas Tech (26)
Tech appearances (last appearance): first appearance

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF

Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 30^th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 73 tournaments in his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 19 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 33 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up five times. Follow Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on X (@GTGolf) and Instagram. For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.

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Georgia lawmakers seek to put ‘guardrails on’ NIL deals for high school players

Published

3 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Press Room

Georgia lawmakers seek to put ‘guardrails on’ NIL deals for high school players

Bipartisan bill aims to protect high school NIL rights

Georgia lawmakers are pushing for bipartisan legislation to safeguard high school athletes from predatory “name, image, and likeness” (NIL) contracts that can “hold them hostage” well into their professional careers.

ATLANTA – The Georgia General Assembly is tackling the issue of name, image, likeness agreements when it comes to young athletes in the Peach State.

What is an NIL deal?

The backstory:

The debate centers on name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, which allow student-athletes to earn compensation through brand endorsements, social media partnerships, and public appearances.

While collegiate athletes have utilized NIL since 2021, the Georgia High School Association recently cleared the way for high schoolers to do the same.

However, Georgia lawmakers are now moving to regulate these agreements, aiming to prevent “predatory” long-term contracts that could bind minors to agents or brands well beyond their graduation dates.

What is HB 383?

What we know:

House lawmakers have introduced the “Georgia High School NIL Protection Act.” House Bill 383 would require that NIL contracts end at graduation.

An NIL contract lets high school athletes make money by using their name, image, and likeness—such as promoting a brand or posting on social media—while they’re still in school.

If passed, it will ensure high school athletes are free to negotiate new contracts if they go on to compete at the college level.

‘The genie is too far gone’

What they’re saying:

Democratic state Rep. Dewey McClain (D-Lawrenceville) is co-sponsoring the legislation. As a former NFL player, he understands how vulnerable high school athletes can be when securing an agent for NIL deals.

“Right now, before the genie is too far gone… we need to make sure we can put some guardrails on,” McClain explained.

Republican state Rep. Brent Cox (R-Dawsonville) is sponsoring the bipartisan bill. If passed, it will ensure high school athletes are free to negotiate new contracts if they compete at the college level.

“Once they graduate high school, those contracts that they have with their agents [are] null and void,” Cox explained. “That way, they’re not held hostage in college or even at the professional level, where a cut of the money that they would make would continue to go on indefinitely without sunsets.”

The Source: Republican State Rep. Brent Cox, the bill’s sponsor, and Democratic State Rep. Dewey McClain, a former NFL player and co-sponsor, both provided quotes regarding the need for “guardrails” and “sunset clauses” to protect young athletes. Additional details regarding current NIL regulations and the scale of existing deals came from the GHSA, specifically through testimony from former executive director Dr. James R. Hines Jr.

Georgia PoliticsMoneyNewsHigh School Sports

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Georgia

Popular Connecticut bagel chain opens 1st Georgia store on the Atlanta Beltline

Published

15 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Press Room

Popular Connecticut bagel chain opens 1st Georgia store on the Atlanta Beltline

An internet-famous bagel chain that’s all about sharing and considers itself “not famous, but known,” is popping up on the Atlanta Beltline.

It’s called PopUp Bagels, and its business model is designed for offices, friend groups, and anyone who believes food is better when it’s shared.

The PopUp Bagels team, based in New York City, made its way to The A to launch Georgia’s first-ever store.

They gave CBS News Atlanta Mornings a preview of the store the day before their Friday grand opening.

“We sell community,” said founder Adam Goldberg, “Let’s grab a bag of bagels, stuff them on the table, and rip in. Maybe I’ll have a little of your schmear. You’ll have a little of my schmear, and we’ll all just schmear together.”

PopUp Bagels is officially open on the Atlanta Beltline.

CBS News Atlanta

The schmear is part of their signature selling point. It’s a bowl of cream cheese, original or flavored, that comes with your order of three, six, or 12 bagels.

The point is to rip the bagels, reveal their hot, fluffy interior, and dip them into the schmear.

There are two flavored schmears sold on a weekly rotating menu in addition to the three standard flavors of plain, salted butter, and scallion. The Atlanta store opens with a peach-flavored schmear, an exclusive temporary third option.

“It’s definitely like a social experiment,” said Janvi Patel, owner of the Atlanta shop, “It’s like so nice to just like grab like six people, get a dozen bagels, and try shmears. It’s just it’s exciting.”

PopUp managers say more stores are coming to the area, with the next set to open in Buckhead, then another in Dunwoody.

The Beltline store is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and stays open until 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

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Georgia Hosts No. 20 Duke in Home Opener Friday – University of Georgia Athletics

Published

1 day ago

February 5, 2026

Press Room

Georgia Hosts No. 20 Duke in Home Opener Friday – University of Georgia Athletics

ATHENS, Ga. — The University of Georgia men’s tennis team will host No. 20 Duke in the home opener on Friday, February 6 at 5:30 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.  The match will be played indoors at the Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Facility.

Match 4 – Georgia vs. No. 20 Duke
Friday, Feb. 6, 2026
5:30 p.m.
Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Facility
Livestreaming and scoring: https://gado.gs/91i
Instagram: @UGATennis | X: @UGATennis | Facebook: UGAMensTennis

BULLDOG BULLETIN
Fresh From the Start: Since 2000, Georgia is 24-3 in season openers. The Bulldogs defeated Georgia Tech in the 2026 season opener to extend the all-time series to 75-18, including a 15-match winning streak dating back to 2011.

Bulldogs in the rankings: One doubles pair and five singles are in the rankings this week (Feb. 4):

SINGLES
WIll Jansen- No. 28
Arda Azkara– No. 39
Santiago Giamichelle– No. 63
Noah Johnston– No. 83
Gabriele Vulpitta– No. 109

DOUBLES
Derrick Chen/Santiago Giamichelle– No. 53

Last Time Out: The Bulldogs finished second in the Fort Worth bracket of the ITA Kickoff.  The Bulldogs first beat Boise State, 5-0 and after two days of snow delays, fell to TCU, 4-1.

All Time History vs Duke: The Bulldogs hold a 9-2 record against the Blue Devils. The teams last faced off since the 2011 NCAA Tournament in Stanford, California with the Bulldogs winning, 4-1.

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