Scottsdale, Ariz. – Connor Howe shot a weekend-low 5-under-par 65, and Christo Lamprecht fired a 4-under 66 Sunday, enabling 17th-ranked Georgia Tech to fend off a back-nine rally by Clemson and capture a one-stroke victory over the Tigers at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate.
The Yellow Jackets led the tournament wire-to-wire posted a 54-hole team score of 796, which bettered the team’s all-time scoring mark by 12 strokes. The previous low score was 808 at the 2005 Waikoloa Intercollegiate. In relation to par (-44), the Jackets set an all-time best for a par-70 golf course. In the end, Tech needed every shot to outlast a Tiger team that also set a program scoring mark (797, 43-under-par) by 14 strokes.
The tournament victory was the 66th for Tech under head coach Bruce Heppler in 26-plus seasons at the helm of the Jackets’ program, and it was Tech’s second win in four appearances at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate.
Sitting well ahead of the rest of the field after 36 holes, Georgia Tech led Clemson by four strokes entering the final round. The Yellow Jackets got to 10-under-par for the round at the turn and built a cushion, but the Tigers rallied to within two strokes coming to the final two holes. On 17, a par 5, each team collected three birdies and a par from their counting players, and on 18, the Tigers got a birdie and three pars while the Jackets posted four pars, leaving Tech in victory circle by one shot.
Christo Lamprecht posted a tournament score of 194 (-16) to finish as the individual runner-up and set a Tech 54-hole scoring record. (photo by Todd Drexler/SESPORTSMEDIA.com)
TECH LINEUP – Connor Howe, Ross Steelman and Benjamin Reuter carded the critical birdies for the Yellow Jackets on the 17th hole. Howe, a junior from Ogden, Utah, closed with his best round of the tournament, a 5-under-par 65, while Reuter, a freshman from Naarden, The Netherlands, posted his second straight 69, and Steelman, a junior from Columbia, Mo., shot even-par 70.
Christo Lamprecht, who held the 36-hole individual lead, birdied four of his first six holes Sunday, but parred out from there and finished as the runner-up, a career-high finish for the sophomore from George, South Africa. He posted a tournament total of 194, which broke Bryce Molder’s 54-hole scoring record at Tech by two. Molder twice shot 196, once on a par-72 course at the 2000 Jerry Pate National Collegiate, and once on a par-71 course at the 2000 Golf World Invitational.
Steelman, who led after the opening round Friday with a 62, finished tied for ninth at 11-under-par 199, while Howe tied for 19th at 6-under-par 204.
Even the Jackets’ two individual competitors played big Sunday, with junior Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) carding a 7-under-par 63, which was Tech’s fourth round of 63 or better on the weekend, and sophomore Aidan Kramer (Oviedo, Fla.) shot 3-under 67. They had one bogey between them. Forrester tied for sixth place individually at 13-under-par 197 for his second career top-10 finish and a career low score.
Stats that matter – Tech played the par-5 holes in 21-under-par for the weekend, the par-4 holes 11-under and the par-3 holes 3-under … Connor Howe was 7-under-par on the six par-5 holes for the tournament, best in the field … Tech’s 79 birdies were one shy of Clemson’s tournament best 80.
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Tech, with a 34-under-par total of 526, and Clemson at 30-under-par 530, are head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the field after 36 holes. The Tigers posted a 16-under-par round of 264 Saturday, bettered only by the Yellow Jackets’ 18-under-par 262 on a day when 13 of the 14 teams broke par.
Louisville, Auburn and Washington are tied for third place at 15-under-par 545, followed by San Diego State at 14-under-par 546. California and Arizona are tied for seventh at 8-under-par 552, followed by Oregon at 7-under 553 and Utah at 6-under 554.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Tech’s Christo Lamprecht took over the individual lead after 36 holes, following his opening 65 with a 63 to post a two-round total of 128 (-12). He is one stroke ahead of four players tied at 11-under-par 129, including the Yellow Jackets’ Ross Steelman, the first-round leader who shot 67 on Saturday. That group also includes Arizona’s Sam Sommerhauser, Clemson’s Kyle Cottam and Arizona State’s David Puig.
Tech’s Ben Smith is in a three-way tie for sixth at 10-under-par 130 with Auburn’s J.M. Butler and Clemson’s Jacob Bridgman, who fired one of two 62s that were posted on Saturday, the low round of the day.
Taehoon Song (131, -9) and R.J. Manke (132, -8) of Washington hold ninth and 10th place individually. Manke also shot 62 on Saturday.
"We had a nice stretch from five through 13 or so to give us a cushion. Clemson is really good. They should have made match play and should have won the conference last year. So it’s a tremendous win for us, a total team win. This was a tournament where you needed to make a lot of birdies, and we got some big birdies at the 17th hole. Connor made a big one after making bogey at 16, Benjamin made one after a double-bogey, and Ross made one after he had bogeyed a couple of holes earlier on the back. We had a different guy lead us every day, which means we have some depth."
Head coach Bruce Heppler
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Yellow Jackets has won the Maui Jim Intercollegiate twice in four appearances, having also won the tournament in 2018 following finishes of sixth and second the two years prior. Georgia State hosted the 14-team event, which was 54 holes over three days at Mirabel Golf Club, a 7,081-yard, par-70 layout in Scottsdale, Ariz., in the same vicinity as Grayhawk Golf Club, site of the NCAA Championship last spring and in each of the next two years.
Participating teams included Georgia State, Arizona, Augusta, Clemson, Auburn, Alabama, Cal, Colorado State, Denver, Georgia Tech, Louisville, New Mexico, Oregon, San Diego State, Utah, and Washington. Four of the 16 teams competed in the NCAA Championship last year, while another eight competed in NCAA Regional play. Auburn, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest are ranked in the Bushnell/Golfweek Preseason Coaches top 25.
Senior Connor Howe fired a 5-under-par 65 Sunday to pace the Yellow Jackets in the closing round. (photo by Todd Drexler/SESPORTSMEDIA.com)
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 27th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 65 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.
