Paramus, N.J. – All three Georgia Tech entries – Christo Lamprecht, Bartley Forrester and Ross Steelman – have advanced to the 64-player bracket for match play at the 122nd U.S. Amateur Championship.
It is the sixth straight year that at least one Yellow Jacket has advanced to match play, including 2019 and 2020, when Andy Ogletree and Tyler Strafaci lifted the Havemeyer Trophy in back-to-back years at Pinehurst, N.C., and Bandon, Ore., respectively. Matt Kuchar won the championship in 1997, and Bobby Jones was crowned five times between 1924 and 1930.
Lamprecht, competing in his first U.S. Amateur, paced the Tech trio by tying for sixth place in the 36-hole qualifier. The junior from George, South Africa, posted the low round of the day Monday at Arcola Country Club, a 2-under-par 68, and followed that with a 1-over-par 72 Tuesday at Ridgewood Country Club for a 1-under-par total of 140.
Steelman has advanced for the second straight year after reaching the quarterfinals last August at Oakmont, Pa., tying for 39th place at 4-over-par 144. The senior from Columbia, Mo., posted a 2-over-par 72 Monday at Arcola and a 2-over-par 73 Tuesday at Ridgewood. Forrester, playing in his second U.S. Amateur, rallied from a 3-over-par 74 Monday at Ridgewood to fire an 1-over-par 71 Tuesday at Arcola, also tying for 39th place.
Ranked No. 25 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Steelman earned his spot in this year’s U.S. Amateur by reaching the quarterfinals last year. Forrester, No. 75 in the WAGR, made it to Paramus by winning his final qualifier in late June in Johns Creek, Ga., and Lamprecht received his spot by his position among the top 50 in the WAGR (No. 42) on Aug. 8.
Four players, Fred Biondi of Brazil, Luke Gutschewski of Elkhorn, Nebraska, Hugo Townsend of Sweden and Michael Thorbjornsen of Wellesley, Mass., shared medalist honors at 3-under-par 137. Lamprecht was one of only eight players to finish 36 holes under par.
The cut fell at 5-over-par 146, leaving 15 players to conduct a playoff for the final 11 spots in the match play bracket Wednesday morning. The round of 64 matches will follow.
Following the round of 64 Wednesday, rounds of 32 and 16 will be played Thursday, with quarterfinal matches Friday, semifinal matches Saturday and the 36-hole championship match on Sunday. All matches through the final will take place at Ridgewood Country Club. The 122nd U.S. Amateur will receive at least 15 hours of live coverage on NBC, Golf Channel and Peacock streaming service.
IN THE FIELD FOR GEORGIA TECH
Bartley Forrester, Senior, Gainesville, Ga. – Ranked No. 75 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, No. 41 in the Scratch Players Amateur Ranking on the eve of the NCAA Championship, jumping more than 150 spots over the course of the spring and summer … Won the Monroe Invitational in Pittsford, N.Y., by three strokes with an 11-under-par score of 269; holed out from 72 yards for eagle-2 at the par-4 17th hole to secure the victory … Tied for sixth at the Southern Amateur in St. Simons Island, Ga. (271, -13) … Qualified for U.S. Amateur for second time, was co-medalist at the U.S. Amateur qualifier in Johns Creek, Ga., with rounds of 67-69 (-8) at The Standard Club … Finished third at the Dogwood Invitational in Atlanta (272, -16) … Tied for 30th at the Western Amateur in Highland Park, Ill. (284, even) … GCAA honorable mention All-America, All-East Region and All-ACC performer who enjoyed the best year of his career, posting four top-10 finishes and three other top-20s in 11 events … Earned All-America status with a top-15 finish at the NCAA Championship, posting a 6-over-par 286 total with a closing 68 … No. 81 in the Golfstat ranking and No. 69 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index, the highest positions of his career … Has two collegiate victories – the 2022 Calusa Cup and the 2020 Puerto Rico Classic.
Christo Lamprecht, Junior, George, South Africa – No. 42 amateur player in the world according to the World Amateur Golf Ranking and No. 50 in the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (as of August 10, 2022) … Named to compete for the International team at the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup in July, and for the South African team to compete at the 2022 World Amateur Team Championship in Augusta … Tied for ninth place at the European Amateur Championship in Valencia, Spain (287, -1) … Went 3-1 in his matches to help the International team defeat Team USA, 33-27, in the Arnold Palmer Cup in Switzerland; won both of his mixed foursomes matches with Heather Lin of Taiwan and defeated 15th-ranked Travis Vick of Texas, 3&2, in his singles match … Third-team All-American by Golfweek magazine, honorable mention by Golf Coaches Association of America … Also made the All-ACC team and earned GCAA All-East Region honors on the strength of six top-10 finishes in 12 events, including a tie for third in ACC Championship stroke play (205, -11) … Won both of his individual matches, 1-up over FSU’s Michael Sakane and 5&4 over Wake Forest’s Mark Power … Finished the spring as Tech’s highest-ranked player in the nation – No. 27 by Golfstat and No. 27 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index.
Ross Steelman, Senior, Columbia, Mo. – Ranked No. 25 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and No. 10 in the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking … Finished 10th in the Elite Amateur Series standings … Medalist in stroke play at the Western Amateur in Highland Park, Ill. (270, -14), won his round of 16 match against Adrien Dumont de Chassart, 5&4, before falling in quarterfinals to Travis Vick, 2&1 … Tied for second place in stroke play (69-66, -9) at the North & South Amateur in Pinehurst, N.C.; advanced to the round of 16 in match play after defeating Joshua Bai (2&1) in opening round … Tied for 11th at the Sunnehanna Amateur in Johnstown, Pa. (280, even) … Tied for 33rd at the Southern Amateur in St. Simons Island, Ga. (277, -7) … Recorded six top-10 finishes in 11 starts, including a runner-up finish at the NCAA Columbus Regional (206, -7) and a solo sixth-place finish in ACC Championship stroke play (207, -9) … Halved his ACC semifinal match vs. Florida State in 19 holes (unfinished when Tech clinched third point in another match) and lost his finals match 1-up to Wake Forest’s Michael Brennan … Finished spring season ranked No. 141 in Golfstat and No. 114 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index.
.@GTGolf has had a good run at recent U.S. Amateurs:
Two of the past three winners (Ogletree in 2019 and Strafaci in 2020), and today all three Yellow Jackets at Ridgewood advanced to match play – Lamprecht, Forrester and Steelman
— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) August 17, 2022
Ross Steelman is in match play at the U.S. Amateur for the second straight year. (photos by Grant Halvorsen/USGA).
U.S. AMATEUR SCHEDULE OF COMPETITION
- Wednesday, Aug. 17 (Round of 64, match play)
- Thursday, Aug. 18 (Round of 32 and 16 matches)
- Friday, Aug. 19 (Quarterfinal matches)
- Saturday, Aug. 20 (Semifinal matches)
- Sunday, Aug. 21 (36-hole championship match)
BROADCAST/STREAMING SCHEDULE
- Wednesday, Aug. 17 (Round of 64): 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. EDT (Peacock)
- Wednesday, Aug. 17 (Round of 64): 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. EDT (Golf Channel)
- Thursday, Aug. 18 (Round of 32): 11 a.m. to Noon EDT (Peacock)
- Thursday, Aug. 18 (Round of 32/16): Noon to 2 p.m. EDT (Golf Channel)
- Friday, Aug. 19 (Quarterfinals): 11 a.m. to Noon EDT (Peacock)
- Friday, Aug. 19 (Quarterfinals): Noon to 2 p.m. EDT (Golf Channel)
- Saturday, Aug. 20 (Semifinals): 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. EDT (Golf Channel)
- Sunday, Aug. 21 (Championship Match, Afternoon 18): 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT (Golf Channel)
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ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team has completed 27 years under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 70 tournaments in his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 18 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 31 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up four times. Connect with Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on Twitter (@GTGolf) and Instagram. For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
