THE FLATS – Coming to the end of its fall schedule, Georgia Tech’s golf team competes on both coasts this weekend, with one group of players participating in the prestigious East Lake Cup event Monday through Wednesday at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga., and the other half of the team competing in the Cypress Point Classic Monday and Tuesday in Monterrey, Calif.
Tech comes into its final fall events ranked No. 5 in the Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll after finishing third at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, eighth at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational in its first two events, and second in its home event, the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational.
Both of this week’s tournaments feature limited but top-flight fields. The East Lake Cup features the semifinalists from both the men’s and women’s NCAA championships from last spring – Florida, Georgia Tech, Florida State and North Carolina for the men, and Wake Forest, Southern California, Stanford and Texas A&M for the women.
The Yellow Jackets defeated the Tar Heels, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, in the semifinals, before falling to the Gators in the championship match. The four teams will compete at stroke play for 18 holes on Monday for seeding in the match play bracket, which takes place Tuesday (semifinals) and Wednesday (consolation and championship matches). Competition begins each day at 11 a.m., and Golf Channel will televise the competition live each day from 3-6 p.m.
Tech will compete in the Cypress Point Classic for the third time after winning the 2019 event and finishing second in 2016. The field includes Auburn, Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Pepperdine, Stanford, Tennessee and Texas for two days of match play competition. Monday features 36 holes, one round of foursomes (alternate shot), and one round of four-ball, with three two-man teams competing for each team. Teams will play six singles matches on Tuesday. Competition begins at 11 a.m. Eastern time each day.
Christo Lamprecht, the world’s No. 2-ranked amateur, has one tournament victory and one runner-up finish in three fall events. (photo by Clyde Click)
TECH LINEUP – After guiding the Yellow Jackets to the program’s 19th Atlantic Coast Conference championship and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championship, head coach Bruce Heppler has three starters back for his 29th season on The Flats, including seniors Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) and Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa) and sophomore Hiroshi Tai (Singapore), each of whom are ranked among the world’s top 100 amateur players. All three are in the Jackets’ East Lake Cup lineup this week along with freshmen Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.).
Lamprecht, the No. 2-ranked amateur in the world, looks to build on a fall in which he has a victory (Fighting Illini Invitational), a runner-up finish (Ben Hogan Collegiate) and a tie for 14th (Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate). Last week, he competed for his native South Africa at the World Amateur Team Championship, tying for seventh place individually.
Forrester has a tie for eighth (Fighting Illini Invitational) and 18th (Golf Club of Georgia) in three events, while Tai has tied for 25th (Ben Hogan) and 14th (Golf Club of Georgia) in his two tournaments. Kim’s top finish has been a tie for 30th at the Golf Club of Georgia, while Fontenot tied for 30th at the Fighting Illini Invitational
Heppler has sent seniors Adam Bratton (Newburgh, Ind.), Aidan Kramer (Oviedo, Fla.) and Andy Mao (Johns Creek, Ga.) and sophomores Brady Rackley IV (Atlanta, Ga.) and Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.) to Cypress Point along with freshman Colson Brown (North Augusta, S.C.).
Kramer and Mao both played well at the Golf Club of Georgia two weeks ago, Kramer posting the first top-10 finish of his career (tie for ninth) to lead the Yellow Jackets, and Mao tying for 25th place.
Brown is a non-scholarship football player who played high school golf at North Augusta High School, and because six players are required for the Cypress Point Classic, he was added to the roster specifically for this event. Junior Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) is red-shirting in 2023-24.
EAST LAKE CUP INFORMATION – The ninth annual East Lake Cup is taking place Oct. 30 – Nov. 1 at Atlanta Athletic Club. Eight of the top men’s and women’s teams will face off, including reigning men’s national champions the Florida Gators and the women’s champs, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Golf Channel and Peacock will provide live coverage of the competition, which will take place at AAC as East Lake Golf Club is undergoing a renovation (the competition will return to ELGC in ’24).
Competition Schedule
- Monday, Oct. 30 (stroke play): 10:55 a.m. | Golf Channel coverage: 3-6 p.m. (live); 8-11 p.m. (replay)
- Tuesday, Oct. 31 (match play semifinals): 11 a.m. | Golf Channel coverage: 3-6 p.m. (live); 8-11 p.m. (replay)
- Wednesday, Nov. 1 (match play finals and consolation): 11 a.m. | Golf Channel coverage: 3-6 p.m. (live); 8-11 p.m. (replay)
Field – The eight semifinalists from this year’s Division I men’s and women’s national championships are scheduled to compete:
- Men’s teams: Florida, Georgia Tech, Florida State, North Carolina
- Women’s teams: Wake Forest, Southern California, Stanford, Texas A&M
Format – The tournament format features 18 holes of stroke play to determine an individual male and female champion, and to set seedings for team match play. There will then be two rounds of match play to determine a team champion, along with a consolation match to determine third place.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 29th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, having won 72 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. 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.
