THE FLATS – In search of the 19th conference championship in program history, Georgia Tech’s golf team begins post-season competition this weekend with the 69th Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Golf Championship, which will be conducted Friday through Monday (April 21-24) at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst, N.C.
The Yellow Jackets have captured 10 of the last 16 championships, most recently winning the 2019 title at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C. It was the 18th in program history, tying Wake Forest for the most in conference annals. The Demon Deacons won their 19th all-time title last year, edging the Jackets, 3-2, in the championship match in Panama City, Fla.
At No. 12 in the current Golfstat national rankings, Georgia Tech sits behind North Carolina (No. 2) and Florida State (No. 6) and is the No. 3 seed in the championship, which begins with 36 holes of stroke play on Friday. Virginia (No. 16) is the only other ACC team in the top 25 of the current Golfstat rankings, while defending champion Wake Forest (No. 29), Louisville (No. 30) and Duke (No. 35) reside inside the top 50. NC State (No. 53), Clemson (No. 54) and Notre Dame (No. 56) are just outside the top 50.
The Yellow Jackets are paired with the Tar Heels and Seminoles for the first two rounds on Friday, which begins at 7:30 a.m., utilizing split tees with continuous play through 36 holes of golf. The groups involving Tech, UNC and FSU begin play at 8:30 a.m. on the first tee. Saturday’s third round tees off at 9 a.m., with pairing based on 36-hole scores.
In last year’s ACC Championship, Tech finished second in the 54-hole stroke-play portion of the championship, then defeated Florida State, 3-1-1, to advance to the championship match. The Yellow Jackets finished second by eight strokes to North Carolina in the 54-hole stroke play portion of the championship, while Christo Lamprecht and Ross Steelman finished third and sixth, respectively, individually to lead the Jackets.
TEAM UPDATE – Tech has been ranked as high as No. 8 this spring in the Golfstat rankings, and currently sit No. 12 after logging two more runner-up finishes at the Linger Longer Invitational and The Goodwin. But the Jackets hold a season-high No. 7 spot in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index, having played the nation’s 11th-toughest schedule with an 21-23-3 mark against the nation’s top 25 teams by that measure.
Statistically, Tech ranks ninth nationally in average individual score, No. 2 in final-round scoring average, No. 10 in par-3 scoring, and No. 14 in par-4 and No. 17 in par-5 scoring.
Heppler will field the same starting lineup that has competed in the Jackets’ first four tournaments this spring, including All-American Christo Lamprecht and fifth-year senior Connor Howe, who are the only Yellow Jackets to be a part of the starting five for every event this year.
Lamprecht, a 6-8 junior from South Africa who is a semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award, won the Inverness Invitational in the fall and has finished in the top 10 in each of Tech’s four spring events, including runner-up finishes at the Watersound Invitational, Linger Longer Invitational and The Goodwin. Howe, from Ogden, Utah, has recorded top-10 finishes in Tech’s last two events (Linger Longer Invitational, The Goodwin).
Also competing are freshman Hiroshi Tai of Singapore, a two-time winner in the fall (Maui Jim individual event, Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate), tied for ninth at Watersound for his best finish this spring; senior Ross Steelman (Columbia, Mo.), who has finished 12th or better in each of Tech’s four spring events; and senior Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.), who tied for 14th at Watersound and 11th at The Goodwin.
Sophomore Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands), who has competed in five events this year and has a pair of top-10 finishes, is the Yellow Jackets’ alternate player.
Lamprecht (No. 9) and Steelman (No. 18) and are Tech’s top two players in the Golfstat rankings, while Lamprecht rates No. 5 and Steelman 13th in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index. Howe is listed among the top 100 in both rankings (No. 60 in Golfstat, No. 71 Golfweek/Sagarin).
Christo Lamprecht has finished in the top 10 in each of Tech’s four spring events. (photo by Clyde Click)
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The ACC Championship returns to 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. The 2020 event, which was set for Old North State Club, was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Continuing a four-year rotation to different sites within the ACC footprint, this year’s championship is being held at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst, N.C. This will mark 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 will play to a par of 72 and measure 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. Play begins at 7:30 a.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. Saturday through Monday.
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.
Friday, April 21, 2023
- 7:30 a.m. – 9:18 a.m. First Round Stroke Play Tee Times (Split Tees)
- Second Round Stroke Play (Split Tees)
- Continuous play from first round. No re-pairing between rounds.
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
Ross Steelman has finished 12th or higher in all four stroke play events this spring. (photo by Clyde Click)
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.
