2021 Georgia Tech Amateur Results
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech golfer Luka Karaulic fired a 3-under-par closing round of 69 Wednesday and ran away with the title at the Golf Coaches Association Summer Series event at Tennessee National Golf Club in Loudon, Tenn. The rising junior from Dacula, Ga., posted a 17-under-par total of 199 and won the tournament by 10 strokes over Alex Easthom of Ravenswood, W.Va., a junior golfer at West Liberty University.
The winning performance by Karaulic followed a fifth-place finish in the GCAA Summer Series event last week in Raleigh, N.C. After redshirting on 2018-19 and not appearing in a tournament in 2019-20, Karaulic emerged as a solid performer for the Yellow Jackets this past spring, competing in five events. Among them were a tie for 25th place in his collegiate debut at the Camp Creek Invitational, a tie for 34th at the Southwestern Invitational and a tie 18th at the Amer Ari Intercollegiate. He counted for Tech in 10 of 15 rounds played. He finished 35th at the Dogwood Invitational in early June.
“It feels good (to win a tournament). It’s been a while for me,” said Karaulic, a three-time all-state selection who played for two Georgia state championship teams at Mill Creek High School. “I’ve come close a few times, and to finally get over the hump feels really good. I stayed steady mentally, did my best to find the fairways and greens, and got lucky and hit some putts. I wasn’t too comfortable with (teammate) Andy (Mao) right behind me, but I had a game plan, and I knew if I stuck to it, I wouldn’t make too many mistakes. I stuck to it.”
Karaulic plans to play in an upcoming U.S. Amateur qualifier, July 13-14 at Capital City Club Crabapple course and the Southeastern Amateur, July 20-23 in Columbus, Ga.
Karaulic’s teammate, rising junior Andy Mao of Johns Creek, Ga., finished solo third in the Loudon, Tenn., event with a 6-under-par score of 210.
GCAA Summer Series events are open to college age men’s and/or women’s golfers or individuals who were on a team roster in 2020-21, or who intend to be in the future.
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ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 26th 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.
