Pinehurst, N.C. – Freshman Hiroshi Tai fired rounds of 67-72 Friday and sits in third place, while Ross Steelman, Christo Lamprecht and Connor Howe all are among the top 12 individuals as 12th-ranked Georgia Tech grabbed a two-shot lead after 36 holes of the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Golf Championship.
Tech posted the best round in the field the morning 18 (14-under-par 284) and the second-lowest afternoon round (1-over-par 289) of the 36-hole day for a 13-under-par total of 563. The Yellow Jackets are two shots ahead of defending champion Wake Forest (11-under-par 565), while No. 6 Florida State (572, -4) and Duke (573, -3) are in third and fourth places entering the final round of stroke play, which begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
The final round tee times were moved up 90 minutes in anticipation of inclement weather expected in the area Saturday. The Yellow Jackets are paired with Wake Forest and Florida State, beginning play from the first hole at 8:30 a.m. The top four teams on the leaderboard following Saturday’s round will advance to match play, which begins Sunday morning. The individual ACC champion will be crowned following the completion of play Saturday.
Under the stroke-play/match-play format, Tech has finished fifth and second, respectively, the last two years. The Jackets won their semifinal match over Florida state last year and lost, 3-2, to Wake Forest in the championship match.
Hiroshi Tai is in third place, five strokes off the lead, after 36 holes. (photo by Andy Mead)
ROUND 1 – Hiroshi Tai led a stellar effort from Tech in the morning round, posting a 5-under-par 67 as all five Yellow Jackets broke par at the 7,301-yard Country Club of North Carolina and took a one-stroke lead over Wake Forest. Tai, a freshman from Singapore, made six birdies against one bogey in posting his best round since a closing 67 at the Watersound Invitational in early February.
Meanwhile Christo Lamprecht, Ross Steelman and Bartley Forrester each shot 3-under-par 69 to complete Tech’s 14-under-par total of 284 for the morning round. Connor Howe provided the fifth subpar round with a 1-under-71, but it didn’t count toward the team total.
ROUND 2 – With strong winds and more difficult pin placements, scored were elevated for all the teams in the afternoon, but Tech’s 1-over-par 289 was second only to North Carolina’s even-par 288 for the round. Tai, Steelman and Howe each carded even-par 72s, while Lamprecht posted a 1-over 73.
Tai is in third place after 36 holes with a 5-under-par total of 139, while Steelman holds sixth place alone at 3-under-par 141 and Lamprecht is tied for seventh at 142 (-2). Howe is tied for 12th at 143 (-1).
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Georgia Tech (564, -13), Wake Forest (565, -11), Florida State (572, -4) and Duke (574, -3) hold the top four spots on the leaderboard entering Saturday’s final round. No. 16 Virginia (576, even), No. 27 Louisville (577, +1) and No. 2 North Carolina (578, +2) are all within five strokes of fourth place.
NC State (582 +6), Notre Dame (585, +9), Clemson (589, +13), Boston College (592, +16) and Virginia Tech (594, +18) round out the field.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Michael Brennan of Wake Forest fired rounds of 66-69 to take the 36-hole lead in the medal race at 9-under-par 135, followed by Louisville’s Jiri Zuska (138, -6) and Tech’s Tai (139, -5).
Louisville’s Max Kennedy and Virginia’s Ben James are tied for fourth place at 140 (-4), followed by Tech’s Steelman at 141 (-3) in sixth.
Lamprecht is in a group of five players tied for seventh at 142 (-2), while Howe is in a five-player tie for 12th at 143 (-1).
Rounds 1 and 2
Photos by Andy Mead
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The ACC Championship is back in the state of North Carolina for the first time since 2019, when Georgia Tech won its most recent title at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C., which has hosted the championship 22 times. This is the eighth time that Pinehurst has played host to the ACC Men’s Golf Championship and the second time at the Country Club of North Carolina, which first hosted in 1966. Last year’s event was held at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course at Watersound Club in Panama City, Fla., preceded by the 2021 championship at the Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course in Milton, Ga. Next year’s championship will be held at the Charlotte (N.C.) Country Club.
The course plays to a par of 72 and measures 7,301 yards for the ACC Championship, which is being conducted for the third time under a combination stroke play/match play format Friday through Monday. The championship used the traditional 54-hole, stroke-play format from 1980 to 2019 (the championship was not held in 2020 due to COVID-19). All 12 competing teams (Miami, Pittsburgh and Syracuse do not sponsor men’s golf) will play 54 holes of stroke play, 36 holes Friday and 18 holes Saturday, with the standard low four individual rounds counting toward the team’s daily score each round. The top four teams after 54 holes are seeded in a match play bracket, with the semi-final matches to take place Sunday, and the championship match Monday. Each match will be 18 holes and involve all five players from each team. The format is similar to the way the NCAA Championship has been conducted every year since 2009.
BROADCAST INFORMATION – Sunday’s semifinal matches and Monday’s championship match will be streamed live on the ACC Network Extra platform, available on the ESPN app, beginning at 9 a.m. each day.
Saturday, April 22, 2023
- 9:00 a.m. – 10:48 a.m. Third Round Stroke Play Tee Times (Split Tees)
- Individual Champion Awards Ceremony at Conclusion of Play
- Semifinal Team Match Play Lineup Announcements
Sunday, April 23, 2023
- 9:00 a.m. – 10:48 a.m. Semifinal Match Play Tee Times (All off #1)
- Championship Team Match Play Lineup Announcements at Conclusion of Play
Monday, April 24, 2022
- 9:00 a.m. – 9:48 a.m. Championship Match Play Tee Times (All off #1)
- Team Champion Awards Ceremony at Conclusion of Play
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 28th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 70 tournaments in his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 18 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 29 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.
