Georgia Tech One Shot Off the Lead at Calusa CupGeorgia Tech One Shot Off the Lead at Calusa Cup
Men's Golf

Georgia Tech One Shot Off the Lead at Calusa Cup

Ben Smith, Christo Lamprecht tied for fourth individually after 36 holes

Pairings and live scoring via Golfstat

Naples, Fla. – Freshman Christo Lamprecht fired a 3-under-par 69 Monday, leading three Georgia Tech players posting subpar rounds and lifting the Yellow Jackets into second place, within one stroke of the lead after 36 holes of the Calusa Cup.

Against a field in which five of the nine teams are ranked in the top 15, and seven in the top 50, Georgia Tech posted a 4-under-par round of 284 and overtook powerhouses Florida and Florida State, the top two teams after opening day, and are a shot behind No. 2 Oklahoma entering Tuesday’s final round at Calusa Pines Golf Club. The Jackets are in the final groups of the day paired with the Sooners and Texas, teeing off at 9:19 a.m.

TECH LINEUP – Lamprecht (George, South Africa) who has a pair of top-10 finishes already this spring, finds himself on contention on a strong leaderboard after a four-birdie, two-bogey round, and is tied for fourth place at 1-under-par 143 with his teammate, junior Ben Smith (Novi, Mich.), who had four birdies and three bogeys on the way to a 1-under-par 71.

Junior Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) bounced back from a first-round 77 to post a 2-under-par 70 Monday, another steady round with four birdies and two bogeys, and moved into a tie for 16th place individually. Senior Will Dickson (Providence, R.I.) provided the fourth counting score for the Jackets with a 2-over-par 74, and is tied for 20th place individually at 148 (+4).

The Yellow Jackets recorded 18 birdies Monday, seven more than they had in the first round, and had no double-bogeys or higher from counting players. Tech tops the leaderboard in scoring on par-5 holes (-11).

howeC_linger-longer-031221_4290_clickConnor Howe - Linger Longer Invitational, March 12, 2021, Great Waters Course at Reynolds Plantation, Eatonton, Ga.

Connor Howe bounced back Monday to shoot 2-under-par 70 and is tied for 16th place. (photo by Clyde Click)

 

TEAM LEADERBOARD – The top five teams on the leaderboard are spread by just seven shots. Oklahoma and Georgia Tech had the best rounds of the day at 4-under-par 284, enabling them to leapfrog over Florida and Florida State, which stood 1-2 after the opening round. The Sooners, led by a 68 from Logan McAllister Monday and with three players among the top seven individuals, have a 36-hole total of 577 (+1), one shot clear of the Yellow Jackets (578, +2).

Eighth-ranked Texas fired a 3-under-par 285 and moved into third place at 579 (+3), while the Gators fell to fourth at 581 (+5) and the Seminoles dropped to fifth at 584 (+8). Florida shot 7-over-par 295 Monday, and FSU posted a 6-over-par 294.

No. 7 Wake Forest (589, +13), Purdue (593, +17), Iowa (608, +32) and Marquette (614, +38) round out the field.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Texas’ Cole Hammer fired a 3-under-par 69 Monday and moved into a tie for the individual lead with first-round leader Joe Pagdin of Florida at 4-under-par 140. The Longhorns’ Pierceson Coody also shot 69 and moved into solo third place at 141 (-3).

Georgia Tech’s Lamprecht and Smith are tied for fourth with Oklahoma’s Jonathan Brightwell at 143 (-1). Only six of the field’s 47 players are under par through 36 holes.

rd2-calusa-cup

We hit a lot of great shots today and were up against it very few times. We managed the difficulty of the course well throughout. You can still make some birdies, but you have to be patient. It was probably our best day of the spring given the difficulty of the course, the strength of the field and the way we handled all that today. We’ve seen a little bit of growth among these guys since January. Looking forward to tomorrow, that’s why you play and practice, to be in the position we’re in.

Head coach Bruce Heppler

 

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 Support The Swarm Fund, which helps Georgia Tech athletics offset the significant financial challenges associated with Covid-19, and 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 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.