Jackets Fall to 7th at Amer Ari Intercollegiate

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Waikoloa, Hawai’i  – Luke Schniederjans fired a 3-under-par 69, and Andy Ogletree shot 1-under-par 71 Friday to pace Georgia Tech, and the No. 2-ranked Yellow Jackets fell to seventh place after posting a 4-under-par team total of 284 at the Amer Ari Intercollegiate at the Waikoloa Resort.

The final round of the tournament begins at 7:30 a.m. local time Saturday with a shotgun start.

TECH LINEUP – On a day when five teams posted double-digit under-par scores, the Yellow Jackets failed to keep up. Schniederjans (Jr., Powder Springs, Ga.), with an eagle and two birdies on his card, and Ogletree (Jr., Little Rock, Miss.), who had five birdies to offset a quadruple-bogey at No. 9, were the only Tech players to break par. Ogletree is tied for 12^th place individually at 6-under-par 138, while Schniederjans is tied for 20^th at 5-under 139.

Junior Tyler Strafaci (Davie, Fla.) and fifth-year senior James Clark (Columbus, Ga.) each shot even-par 72 for the second straight day, while sophomore Noah Norton (Chico, Calif.) came in at 73.

Freshman Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah), competing as a non-counting individual, shot 2-under-par 70 and is tied for 44th.

TEAM LEADERBOARD – Top-ranked Oklahoma State (15-under-par 273), No. 8 Southern California (20-under 268) and No. 14 Texas (23-under 265) blistered the par-72 Kings Course on Friday. The Cowboys, led by Matthew Wolff’s 64, held onto first place at 540 (-36), five shots ahead of the Trojans (545, -31), who counted a 64 from Justin Suh and a 65 from Kyle Suppa. The Longhorns (546, -30) counted four rounds in the 60s, led by Cole Hammer’s 64.

No. 24 Texas Tech (-5 Friday) and No. 45 Oregon (-7 Friday) are tied for fourth place at 552 (552, -24), followed by No. 16 Auburn (553, -23), who shot 14-under-par 274 Friday. The Yellow Jackets are in seventh at 561 (-15).

Fourteen of the 18 teams in the field are under par through 36 holes.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Texas’ Cole Hammer, with rounds of 67-64, took over the 36-hole lead at 13-under-par 131, one stroke ahead of USC’s Justin Suh and Oregon’s Edwin Yi (132, -12). First round leader Zach Bachou of Oklahoma State and teammates Viktor Kovland and Matthew Wolff are tied for fourth place at 133 (-11), while Kyle Suppa of USC is along in eighth place at 136 (-8).

A total of 55 of the 109 competitors in the field are under par through 36 holes.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Georgia Tech is making its 21^st appearance in the Amer Ari Intercollegiate, which has been the traditional spring opener for the Yellow Jackets every year since 1999, with one exception. The 28^th annual event, which runs Thursday through Saturday, is a 54-hole, 5-count-4 stroke-play tournament played at the 7,074-yard, par 72 Kings Course at the Waikoloa Beach Resort on the Kona Coast of Hawai’i.

The Yellow Jackets have won this event five times, all between 2000 and 2007, and six Yellow Jackets have won or shared the individual title, including Matt Kuchar (shared title in 2000 and 2001), Carlton Forrester (shared title in 2000), Bryce Molder (shared title in 2001), Troy Matteson (2003) and Cameron Tringale (2007).

The 18-team field boasts six of the nation’s top 25 teams (No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 2 Georgia Tech, No. 8 Southern California, No. 11 Arizona State, No. 14 Texas, No. 16 Auburn), and three other top-50 teams in Texas Tech (No. 29), Stanford (No. 31) and Oregon (No. 45). No. 55 San Jose State, No. 73 Colorado, No. 74 Utah, No. 75 Oregon State and No. 76 UC Davis also are competing.