The Linger Longer Invitational (LLI) debuted at Reynolds Lake Oconee in 2006 and featured a three-way tie for tenth place in the individual category. With total scores of 217, the University of Georgia held two of those spots with golfers Chris Kirk and Brian Harman. What was a struggle to make a top-10 finish then is now a combined earnings of $31.5 million on the PGA TOUR.
Entering its 18th year in 2023, the Linger Longer Invitational has seen some of the greatest and youngest golfers compete before they were household names. Current PGA Tour players like Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, and Jonas Blixt were just college kids hoping for their chance to claim an individual title at Reynolds Lake Oconee.
They make up an elite group of Linger Longer Invitational alumni, which also includes Clemson’s Kyle Stanley, Georgia’s Harris English, and Florida State’s Brooks Koepka. The legacy of that featured talent can be summed up with a combined 58 PGA Tour victories and $250,000,000 in total money earned.
University of Georgia - 2007 LLI Champions (from left to right): Ryan Frisch - Reynolds Professional; Brendon Todd; Chris Kirk; Chris Haack - Head Coach, UGA; Hudson Swafford; Adam Mitchell; Brain Harman; Ryan Hybl - UGA Asst. (current University of Oklahoma Head Coach); Kevin Childers - Reynolds Professional
Let’s take a closer look at some of the top Linger Longer Invitational alumni and their current earnings and number of PGA Tour victories (college and LLI Top-10 finishes in parenthesis):
Justin Thomas (Alabama; 2009: 5th place): 15 victories; $52 million
Listen to Steve Smyers for any length of time and at some point he’ll most likely refer to a “journey.” His 50-year career as a golf course d...
Listen to Steve Smyers for any length of time and at some point he’ll most likely refer to a “journey.” His 50-year career as a golf course designer has taken him around the world and now that "journey" has brought him to Reynolds as part of his newest project: Fenmoor Golf Club.
Reynolds Lake Oconee earned major recognition with multiple courses ranked among Golfweek's Best in 2025. From award-winning layouts to luxur...
Reynolds Lake Oconee earned major recognition with multiple courses ranked among Golfweek's Best in 2025. From award-winning layouts to luxury lakeside living, Reynolds continues to deliver a world-class experience.
