Pauma Valley, Calif. – Three Yellow Jackets carded sub-par rounds on Monday at the Pauma Valley Invitational. Making its second appearance in the tournament, No. 20 Georgia Tech stands in fourth-place after 18 holes with a team total of 4-under-par 280, seven strokes off the leader.
Leading Tech on Monday, senior Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.) carded the best round by the Yellow Jackets with a 5-under-par 66. Albert Hansson (Fiskebäckskil, Sweden) and Hiroshi Tai (Singapore) both posted 1-under-par 70s to help Tech become one of only seven teams in the clubhouse under-par after round one.
No. 15 Tennessee finished strong on the day to extend its lead to 11-under-par 273 and holds a three-stroke lead over second-place No. 13 Ole Miss (276, -8). One of three Atlantic Coast Conferences teams competing in the tournament, Tech currently leads both SMU and No. 2 Virginia in fifth and 11th-place, respectively.
In its third edition, the tournament features an 18-team competitive field that includes 11 teams ranked in the Scoreboard Powered by Clippd Top-50 rankings. Of the 11 teams in the top-50, nine are ranked in the top-25 – No. 2 Virginia, No. 3 Florida, No. 6 LSU, No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 9 Illinois, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 15 Tennessee and No. 20 Georgia Tech. Completing the field are Colorado State, East Tennessee State, host LMU, Princeton, Toledo, No. 42 San Diego, No. 28 San Diego State, SMU and Toledo.
Round 2 begins at 11 a.m. EST on Tuesday.
Hiroshi Tai recorded the only hole-in-one on the day, coming on hole 16.
TECH LINEUP – In a three-way tie for third on the individual leaderboard, Tran opened the morning with back-to-back birdies and finished with six on the day to one bogey for his 66. Tran is just one stroke off the individual leaders that entered the clubhouse at 6-under-par 65.
Hansson and Tai are two of eight golfers tied for 19th after posting 1-under-par rounds of 70 on Monday. Hansson made the turn at 1-over before picking up steam on the back nine with three birdies and a bogey. Meanwhile, Tai had one of the best highlights of the day, recording the only hole-in-one by any of the 92 golfers in the field, coming on hole 16.
Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.) posted a 3-over-par 74 to stand in a tie for 64th, while Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) finished at 7-over-par 78 and did not count towards Tech’s team score.
Competing as an individual, Brady Rackley IV (Atlanta, Ga.) carded a 2-over-par 73 and is tied for 49th.
TEAM LEADERBOARD – No. 15 Tennessee also had three golfers in the red after the opening day and currently holds the lead after round one with a team total of 273 (-11). No. 13 Ole Miss sits in second-place at 8-under-par 276, while No. 7 Oklahoma State holds third place (279, -5).
Tech sits in fourth, holding a one stroke lead over SMU (281, -3) in fifth place. No. 10 Texas Tech and No. 6 LSU are tied for sixth and round out the programs under-par in round one at 1-under 283.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Two players share the lead after 18 holes as Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout and LSU’s Jay Mendell logged the best individual days at 6-under-par 65. But several golfers are in contention for the lead as Sout and Mendell hold only a one-stroke lead over three golfers tied for third at 5-under par 66 – Tran, Lance Simpson (Tennessee) and Cameron Tankersley (Ole Miss).
Just another stroke back, Williams Sides (SMU) and Chase Kyes (Tennessee) are tied for sixth at 4-under-par 67. Four golfers round out the top-10, sitting in a tie for 8th (68, -3).
After round one, only 26 players were able to break par, including Tran, Hansson and Tai.
EVENT DETAILS
Pauma Valley Invitational
- Dates: March 16-18 (stroke play, 54 holes, low 4 of 5 scores count for team score each round)
- Format: 18 holes Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, begins 8 a.m. PT
- Venue: Pauma Valley Country Club (par 71, 7,311 yards)
- Participating teams (18): Colorado State, East Tennessee State, Florida (3), Georgia Tech (20), Illinois (9), LMU, LSU (6), Oklahoma State (7), Ole Miss (13), Princeton, Toledo, San Diego (42), San Diego State (28), SMU, Texas Tech (10), Tennessee (15), Toledo, Virginia (2)
- Tech appearances (last appearance): Second (2025)
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.
