Bermuda Run, N.C. – No. 22 Georgia Tech carded the low round of the day behind all five Yellow Jackets breaking par on the final round of competition at the NCAA Winston-Salem Regional on Wednesday, as Tech shot a 17-under-par 267 to make the largest jump on the team leaderboard to finish in ninth place. At the conclusion of 54 holes, Georgia Tech finished with a team total 4-under-par 848 to conclude its season making its 28th-straight NCAA Regionals appearance.
As reminiscent of the season, the Jackets saved the best for last. Senior Hiroshi Tai (Singapore) played a flawless round with seven birdies for a 7-under-par 64, the lowest individual round of the day, while fellow classmates Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.) and Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) both posted 4-under-par 67s.
No. 3 Virginia and No. 15 Pepperdine finished in a tie for first at 36-under-par 816, while Virginia’s Ben James captured the individual title at 19-under-par 194.
The Winston-Salem regional included several familiar faces with No. 1 seeded Virginia (ACC champion), Wake Forest (host team) and NC State all selected to the regional. Amongst the field were eight teams ranked in the top 50 in the Scoreboard NCAA Golf rankings. In order of seed, the field included Ole Miss (10/SEC champion), Pepperdine (15/West Coast champion), Southern California (28), Wake Forest (32), Mississippi State (39), Little Rock (47/Ohio Valley champion), NC State (53), Kentucky (59), Houston (65), Richmond (121/Atlantic 10 champion), Navy (186/Patriot League champion) and Presbyterian (Big South champion).
The NCAA regional also marked the conclusion of Georgia Tech head coach Bruce Heppler’s illustrious 31-year career at the helm. Under Heppler’s tutelage, the Yellow Jackets made 28-straight NCAA regionals, 22 NCAA finals and four national runner-up finishes, while capturing 74 tournament victories.
Hiroshi Tai carded the low individual round of the day at 7-under-par 64. (Photo by Andy Mead)
TECH LINEUP – Tai led the Jackets on the final day and opened his round with a birdie on the first hole. The senior made the turn at 3-under and continued his dominate play adding another four birdies on the back nine for his 64. With the round, Tai jumped into a tie for 33rd finishing the tournament at even (213), his 11th top-50 finish of the season.
Tran recorded his best showing of the tournament on Wednesday with a 4-under-par 67. The senior also played a flawless round with three birdies on the front nine and a birdie on 15 to finish with a 54-hole total of 209 (-4) and Tech’s top finish, tying for 20th.
Reuter made an impressive finish to the tournament with a 4-under-par 67. The senior opened with a birdie on hole one and made the turn at 3-under. He carded three birdies to a pair of bogeys on the back for his 67, finishing the regional at 224 (+11) in a tie for 67th.
Albert Hansson (Fiskebäckskil, Sweden) and Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.) both carded 69s on Wednesday. Hansson recorded four birdies and two bogeys to finish with a 54-hole total 211 (-2) and in a tie for 29th, while Fontenot tied for 50th at 217 (+4).
LEADERBOARD SUMMARY – No. 3 Virginia finished in a first-place tie with No. 15 Pepperdine as the pair of programs finished with 36-under-par team totals of 816. They will be joined in Carlsbad at the NCAA Finals by No. 10 Ole Miss (821, -31), No. 28 Southern California (825, -27) and No. 39 Mississippi State (826, -26) as the five teams to advance out of the Winston-Salem regional.
Virginia’s Ben James won the individual title with a 54-hole total of 19-under-par 194. James finished with a three-stroke win over Cameron Tankersley of Ole Miss in second-place at 16-under-par 197.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and 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 31st year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 73 tournaments in his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 19 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 34 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up five times. Follow Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on X (@GTGolf) and Instagram. For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
