Photos by Grant Halvorsen/USGA
Paramus, N.J. – Georgia Tech’s Bartley Forrester and Christo Lamprecht both survived their first-round matches Wednesday at the 122nd U.S. Amateur Championship and have advanced to the round of 32 set for Thursday at Ridgewood Country Club.
Forrester, a senior from Gainesville, Ga., took control of his match against Blain Turner of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., early on the back nine and came away with a 3&2 victory. He will face 18-year-old Luke Potter of Encinitas, Calif., at 8:20 a.m. Thursday. Potter needed 19 holes to defeat Nicolas Cassidy of Johns Creek, Ga. Lamprecht, a junior from George, South Africa, survived a back-and-forth affair with Garrett Wood of Mason, Ohio, to capture a 1-up win and a round of 32 tee time against Alex Price of Hillsboro, Va., at 9:40 a.m. Thursday. Price eliminated Wenyi Ding of China in 23 holes.
Tech senior Ross Steelman was eliminated Wednesday in a 3&2 decision to Ben James of Milford, Conn.
Ranked No. 75 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Forrester never trailed after the third hole of his match against Turner, a sophomore at Trevecca Nazarene College. The Tech senior took the lead for good when Turner bogeyed the long par-3 11th hole, then birdied 13 and 14 to move ahead by three holes with four to play. Turner got one hole back with a birdie at the par-3 15th before Forrester secured the win with a birdie 3 at the 16th.
Lamprecht, who tied for sixth place in the 36-hole stroke play portion of the championship, went back and forth with Wood through the first eight holes before the University of Kentucky senior won 9, 10 and 11 with pars to take a 2-hole lead. The 6-foot-8 Yellow Jacket, ranked No. 42 in the world, birdied the 12th to slice the deficit in half, then squared the match with a par 4 at the 14th.
After both players made par 15 and 16, Lamprecht came up with the shot of the day. He bombed his drive 352 yards down the middle at the par-5 17th, then landed his 224-yard approach two feet from the pin for a certain eagle. Wood took three shots to reach the green and conceded the putt. Both players made bogey at the last, and Lamprecht emerged victorious.
Ranked No. 25 in the world, Steelman found himself down four holes midway through his match against James, the nation’s top-ranked junior player. The Columbia, Mo., senior battled back and sliced the deficit in half, winning the par-4 10th with a par and the par-5 13th with a birdie. A bogey at the par-4 15th gave James a 3-hole lead, and the match ended when both players birdied the par-4 16th.
Forrester and Lamprecht are looking to become the fifth Yellow Jacket to win the U.S. Amateur. Andy Ogletree and Tyler Strafaci lifted the Havemeyer Trophy in back-to-back years at Pinehurst, N.C. (2019), and Bandon, Ore. (2020), respectively. Matt Kuchar won the championship in 1997 at Lemont, Ill., and Bobby Jones was crowned five times between 1924 and 1930.
Matches in the 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.
“JUST BE GOOD!”
Christo Lamprecht of @GTGolf showing his skills at 17. #USAmateur pic.twitter.com/iIbOHkcOO1
— USGA (@USGA) August 17, 2022
.@GTGolf‘s Bartley Forrester beats Blaine Turner, 3 and 2.
“The Subaru” on to the Round of 32!#ConfidenceInMotion pic.twitter.com/Az0sVclAJF
— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) August 17, 2022
YELLOW JACKETS REMAINING IN MATCH PLAY
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 … Tied for 39th place in stroke play at the U.S. Amateur (145, +4) and won is round of 64 match, 3&2, over Blain Turner of Mt. Juliet, Tenn. … 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) … Tied for sixth in the 360hole stroke play qualifier at the U.S. Amateur and won his round of 64 match against Garrett Wood, 1-up … 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.
Five days of LIVE coverage from our oldest championship!
Don’t miss the 122nd #USAmateur from The Ridgewood Country Club, Wednesday thru Sunday on @GolfChannel and @PeacockTV. pic.twitter.com/5P2H8L95i1
— USGA (@USGA) August 16, 2022
U.S. AMATEUR SCHEDULE OF COMPETITION
- 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
- 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)
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
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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.
