San Francisco, Calif. – Georgia Tech got four subpar rounds Friday, led by a 66 from Ross Steelman and a 67 from Christo Lamprecht, and posted the low score of the day at 10-under-par 270, as the 11th-ranked Yellow Jackets took the 36-hole lead at The Goodwin.
The Jackets, who also counted a 2-under-par 68 from Connor Howe and a 1-under-par 69 from Bartley Forrester, assumed a one-stroke lead over No. 13 Oklahoma after two rounds, and are six shots ahead of third-place San Diego, who also shot 10-under-par Friday.
After finishing as a runner-up four times this year, including three this spring, Tech will contend for its first victory of 2022-23 when round 3 commences at 10 a.m. Eastern time Saturday.
TECH LINEUP – Four Yellow Jackets are in the top 10 individually through 36 holes. Steelman played a nearly clean round with just one bogey for his 66, and the senior from Columbia, Mo., sits in third place with a 36-hole total of 135 (-5), looking for his fourth top-10 finish this year. Lamprecht also had just one bogey on his card Friday en route to a 67, and the junior from George, South Africa is alone in fourth place at 4-under-par 136, bidding for his sixth top-10 finish.
Howe, a senior from Ogden, Utah, and Forrester, a senior from Gainesville, Ga., are both tied for ninth place at 2-under-par 138. Howe recorded four birdies and two bogeys on the way to his 68, while Forrester birdied three holes against two bogeys in his round of 67.
Freshman Hiroshi Tai (Singapore) shot 74 (+4) Friday and did not count for Tech, while sophomore Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) shot 73 competing as an individual. He is tied for 59th place at 145 (+5), while Tai is ted for 78th in the 155-player field at 145 (+5).
Tech made its move by playing the par-4 holes well, 1-under-par through 36 holes, four strokes better than the field.
Ross Steelman is alone in third place after 36 holes. (photo by Ross Obley)
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Georgia Tech, at 13-under-par 547, and Oklahoma, at 12-under-par 548, have some distance from the field entering Saturday’s final round. San Diego (544, -6) moved ahead five positions on the leaderboard, but remains six shots behind the Sooners in third place.
No. 8 Stanford, the host team at 4-under-par 556, fell back to fourth place after posting a 3-over-par round of 283 Friday, while San Francisco holds fifth place at 558 (-2). Oregon (559, -1), Southern California (561, +1), Washington (563, +3), California (566, +6) and Santa Clara (567, +7) round out the top 10 teams in the 28-team field.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Ben Lorenz of Oklahoma and Bo Peng of Washington share the 36-hole individual lead at 6-under-par 134 after carding a 66 and a 68, respectively, on Friday.
Tech’s Steelman is one stroke back in solo third place at 135 (-5), while Yellow Jacket teammate Lamprecht is alone in fourth place at 136 (-4). Four players are tied for fifth place at 137 (-3). Tech’s Howe and Forrester are in a seven-player tie for ninth place at 138 (-2).
Twenty-four of the 155 players in the field are under par through 36 holes.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – This is Georgia Tech’s third appearance at The Goodwin, named for legendary head coach who led the Cardinal program from 1987-2000. Stanford’s feature home tournament is being played to one of the country’s elite courses, with TPC Harding Park hosting the event for the second time in school history after serving as headquarters in 2018. TPC Harding Park has played host to numerous PGA Tour events, including the 2009 Presidents Cup and the 2020 PGA Championship. TPC Harding Park will be set up as a 6,939-yard, par-70 layout.
Tech, No. 8 Stanford and No. 13 Oklahoma are the highest ranked teams in the 28-team field, which also includes Brigham Young, California, Cal Poly, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Tech, Howard, Lipscomb, Little Rock, Mercer, Nevada, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma, Oregon, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Southern California, SMU, UC Davis, UCLA, Utah, Washington and Washington State.
The top 12 finishers this week will be given automatic invitations to the 2024 event.
Host Stanford has won the tournament 16 times since the inaugural event in 1968. Past individual winners include major golf champions Tom Watson and Corey Pavin, as well as veteran PGA Tour pros like Duffy Waldorf and Billy Mayfair, and younger pros like Nick Taylor, Patrick Rodgers, Maverick McNealy and Brandon Wu.
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.
