Manassero Wins Georgia Cup, 5 and 4

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – British Amateur Champion Matteo Manassero, 16, of Italy dominated nearly the entire match of the 13 th Annual Georgia Cup at The Golf Club of Georgia on March 30, eventually scoring a decisive 5 and 4 victory over United States Amateur Champion Byeong-Hun “Ben” An of South Korea.

Handling the Creekside Course's quick greens on a spectacular spring day, Manassero clinched the match with a 4-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole, closing out An, 18, of Bradenton , Fla.

Manassero's win gave the British Amateur Champion its first win in four years in the competition, putting the all-time series at 7-6 in favor of the U.S. Amateur Champions.

United States Golf Association Executive Director David B. Fay served as Honorary Captain for The Georgia Cup, which benefits the Georgia State Golf Foundation and was co-presented by SunTrust, Atlanta Classic Cars/Mercedes-Benz and Cisco.

Manassero, of Verona, Italy, lost only two holes in the match, including the first, and mastered the speedy greens that caused An to struggle. Manassero was 5-up in the match through eight holes.

“It's a great achievement for me,” Manassero said of his Georgia Cup victory. “I am very happy about this. I just came here to enjoy the experience and prepare for Augusta National, but I played really well. It is a wonderful event and it was an honor for me to play here.”

The match was played on Creekside for the first time since 2005, when U.S. Amateur Champion Ryan Moore defeated British Amateur Champion Stuart Wilson.

“The shape of the (Creekside) course is a little different,” Manassero said, “but the greens are pretty similar – fast – almost like Augusta.”

An, who will attend the University of California in the fall, will return to The Golf Club of Georgia Oct. 24-26 to compete with the Golden Bears in the United States Collegiate Championship.

Manassero and An both played the following week in the Masters, with Manassero making the cut and finishing as Low Amateur. It was the second consecutive year for a Georgia Cup participant to finish as Low Amateur at Augusta National, as Holland's Reinier Saxton accomplished it in 2009 after meeting Danny Lee at The Golf Club of Georgia the week before.

Less than a month after the Masters, Manassero turned pro at the Italian Open as a 17-year-old.

Georgia Cup All-Time Results

1998 (Lakeside) - Matt Kuchar (U.S.) def. Craig Watson (Brit.), 3 & 1.

1999 (Lakeside) - Sergio Garcia (Brit.) def. Hank Kuehne (U.S.), 5 & 4.

2000 (Lakeside) - David Gossett (U.S.) def. Graeme Storm (Brit.), 3 & 2.

2001 (Creekside) - Mikko Ilonen (Brit.) def. Jeff Quinney (U.S.), 6 & 4.

2002 (Creekside) - Michael Hoey (Brit.) def. Bubba Dickerson (U.S.), 4 & 2.

2003 (Lakeside) - Ricky Barnes (U.S.) def. Alejandro Larrazabal (Brit.), 4 & 2.

2004 (Creekside) - Gary Wolstenholme (Brit.) def. Nick Flanagan (U.S.), 4 & 2.

2005 (Creekside) - Ryan Moore (U.S.) def. Stuart Wilson (Brit.), 2 & 1.

2006 (Lakeside) - Brian McElhinney (Brit.) def. Edoardo Molinari (U.S.), 3 & 2.

2007 (Lakeside) – Richie Ramsay (U.S.) def. Julien Guerrier (Brit.), 2 & 1.

2008 (Lakeside) - Colt Knost (U.S.) def. Drew Weaver (Brit.), 2 & 1.

2009 (Lakeside) - Danny Lee (U.S.) def. Reinier Saxton (Brit.), 2 & 1.

2010 (Creekside) - Matteo Manassero (Brit.) def. Byeong-Hun An (U.S.), 5 & 4.