#GTGOLF – Schniederjans, Ogletree Qualify for U.S. Amateur

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THE FLATS – Georgia Tech golfers Andy Ogletree and Luke Schniederjans have qualified for next month’s United States Amateur Championship, each having grabbed one of the five spots available at the Capital City Club-Crabapple Course in Woodstock, Ga.

Schniederjans, a senior from Powder Springs, Ga., tied for second place in the 36-hole qualifier with rounds of 65-67 for an 8-under-par total of 132, while Ogletree, a senior from Little Rock, Miss., finished alone in fourth place after rounds of 68-65 for a 7-under-par score of 133. A field of 132 players competed for five qualifying spots at Crabapple Tuesday and Wednesday

They join rising junior Noah Norton (Chico, Calif.) in the field for the 119^th U.S. Amateur, which will be conducted Aug. 12-18 at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, N.C. Norton is exempt into the field by virtue of his qualifying for the U.S. Open in June.

The trio helped Georgia Tech win six tournaments in 2018-19, including the program’s 18^th all-time Atlantic Coast Conference championship, and reach the NCAA Championship for the 28^th time since 1985. In the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Norton is ranked No. 87, Schniederjans No. 114 and Ogletree No. 117.

The trip to Pinehurst will represent the third U.S. Amateur appearance for each of the three. Norton and Ogletree each made it in 2017 and 2018. Schniederjans did not qualify last summer but did so in 2016 and 2017.

Incoming freshman Andy Mao (Johns Creek, Ga.) also was in the field at Crabapple but fell short, tying for 11^th place at even-par 140. Ben Carr, a sophomore at Georgia Southern, took medalist honors at 9-under-par 131.

JACKETS IN AMATEUR GOLF LAST WEEK

All five of Georgia Tech’s starters from the spring – Noah Norton, Andy Ogletree, Luke Schniederjans, Tyler Strafaci and Connor Howe – as well as redshirt freshman Ben Smith and redshirt freshman Bartley Forrester, competed last weekend in the 20^th annual Players Amateur at Berkeley Hall Golf Club in Bluffton, S.C.

Strafaci (Davie, Fla.), Tech’s highest ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at No. 95, paced the Yellow Jackets with a fifth-place finish and a 16-under-par score of 272. Norton, a junior from Chico, Calif., the runner-up at the North & South Amateur (details below), tied for eighth place at 14-under-par 274. Schniederjans, a senior from Powder Springs, Ga., who tied for sixth at the Northeast Amateur and 19^th at the Dogwood Invitational, tied for 13^th at 12-under-par 276, while Ogletree, who won the Monroe Invitational in June, tied for 17^th place at 11-under-par 277.

Meanwhile, Incoming freshman Andy Mao (Johns Creek, Ga.), the reigning class 6A high school golf champion, tied for 10^th place in the Georgia Amateur Championship at Ansley Golf Club-Settindown Creek in Roswell, Ga., finishing 72 holes at 291 (+3) after opening with a 66. Alumnus Kris Mikkelsen, a 2002 All-American at Tech, also competed and finished 67^th.

NORTON ADVANCES TO FINALS OF NORTH & SOUTH AMATEUR

Georgia Tech’s top four golfers from 2018-19 all competed in the North & South amateur the weekend prior to July 4, with junior Noah Norton advancing all the way to the championship match before falling to Cooper Dossey of Texas, 5&4.

Norton and Andy Ogletree each advanced to match play, finishing tied for 18^th and 11, respectively. Ogletree won his first match against Jack Rhea but lost to Rocky Castillo in the round of 16. Norton won three tight matches to reach the semifinals, where he routed Tennessee’s Hunter Wolcott, 5&3.

Said Norton, who is exempt into the U.S. Amateur: “I played really solid until that last 18, and I’ve got a lot of positive things to take away from the week. It’s hard to find a better venue than Pinehurst No. 2. The (U.S.) Amateur’s here and that’s a big reason I came. And I got in as many rounds as possible.”

ACC NETWORK – COMING AUG. 22

The ACC Network is a linear and digital platform dedicated to 24/7 coverage of ACC sports. It will exclusively televise approximately 450 live events each year, including approximately 40 football games (beginning with Georgia Tech’s 2019 season opener at Clemson on Aug. 29), as well as 150 men’s and women’s basketball contests.

Don’t get shut out! For more information and to learn if your cable/satellite/digital provider is committed to carrying the ACC Network, visit GetACCN.com. Georgia Tech fans whose cable/satellite/digital providers aren’t already committed to carrying the ACC Network are urged to contact their providers and ask for the ACC Network to be a part of their subscription.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF

Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 25^th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 59 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.