THE FLATS – Georgia Tech golf, ranked No. 17 in the latest Scorecard NCAA Golf Ranking, begins its spring slate and quest for an NCAA Championship berth at season’s end, this week at the Amer Ari Intercollegiate. The tournament, which runs Feb. 5-7, will be played on the Big Island of Hawai’i.
Twenty teams have made their way to Hawai’i for the three-day tournament (Thursday-Saturday) at the Mauna Lani Golf Club for the 35th edition of the tournament. A competitive field, the tournament features eight programs ranked in the nation’s top-25. Joining the Nol. 17 Yellow Jackets will be No. 4 Pepperdine, No. 5 Auburn, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Arizona State, No. 11 Oklahoma State, No. 15 North Carolina, No. 16 Texas Tech and No. 17 Georgia Tech. Also joining the field are host Hawaii-Hilo, Hawaii, Oregon, Oregon State, Osaka Gakuin (Japan), Pacific, San Jose State, Stanford, UCLA, UC Davis, UT Arlington and Washington.
Georgia Tech opens the spring slate off a competitive fall campaign that featured a pair of top-5 team finishes, tying for fourth at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate and concluding the season with a fourth-place tie at its home event, the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational. A major highlight of the fall campaign was Albert Hansson winning the individual title at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational.
The tournament will utilize a shotgun start format each day, with competition beginning at 7:30 a.m. local time (12:30 p.m. Eastern Time). The Yellow Jackets will begin on holes 8-10 in foursomes with Auburn, Hawaii and Oregon State.
TECH LINEUP – Georgia Tech will put together a lineup this week featuring Benjamin Reuter, Hiroshi Tai, Aidan Tran, Albert Hansson and Kale Fontenot. Rawson Hardy will compete as an individual.
Reuter capped the fall slate with a pair of top-30 finishes (Visit Knoxville Collegiate and Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational), while Tai, who is ranked No. 58 in the NCAA Scorecard rankings, posted two top-25 fall finishes, including a fourth-place performance at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational.
Tai tied for fourth at Tech’s final fall tournament alongside teammate Tran, who falls right behind in the NCAA Scorecard rankings at No. 60. Along with his title at Ben Hogan, Hansson opened the fall season with a top-10 finish at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate, tying for eighth. Hansson enters the spring ranked No. 77 in the NCAA Scorecard rankings.
EVENT DETAILS
Amer Ari Intercollegiate
- Dates: 5-7 (stroke play, 54 holes)
- Format: 18 holes Thursday, Friday and Saturday (shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. local time each day)
- Venue: Mauna Lani Golf Club (par 72, 6,900 yards)
- Participating teams (20): Arizona State, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Hawaii-Hilo, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Osaka Gakuin, Pacific, Pepperdine, San Jose State, Stanford, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, UC Davis, UT Arlington, Washington
- Tech appearances (last year): 27 (Tech finished in 10th place of 20 teams, Benjamin Reuter finished 13th)
- Championships: 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006
- Individual titles: Carlton Forrester (1999), Matt Kuchar (1999, 2000), Bryce Molder (2000), Troy Matteson (2002), Cameron Tringale (2006)
- History: The event began in 1991 as the Taylor Made Big Island Intercollegiate before being renamed the Amer Ari Intercollegiate in 2010 after a longtime UH-Hilo supporter.
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.
