Tech Jumps to Tie for 12th at NCAA Championship

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Scottsdale, Ariz. –  Noah Norton and Ben Smith each shot 1-over-par 71, helping lift Georgia Tech post an 8-over-par round of 288 at demanding Grayhawk Golf Club and into a tie for 12^th place after 36 holes of the Men’s Division I Golf Championship.

Again under near-perfect weather conditions, but with firmer greens and stiffer breezes, Tech posted one of the better rounds in the afternoon wave and earned itself a morning tee time for round 3 Saturday. The Yellow Jackets, playing in the NCAA Championship finals for the 30^th time, are seeking the first-ever championship and their fifth trip to match play.

At the end of the day, Tech is six strokes out of eighth place (the 30-team field will be cut to 15 teams Sunday, following 54 holes of play, and the top eight after 72 holes advance to match play). The Jackets’ tee times for Saturday’s third round range from 10:27 to 11:11 a.m. Eastern daylight time, paired with top-seed Florida State and Vanderbilt off the 10^th tee.

 

TECH LINEUP – Tech managed the first 14 holes Saturday better than any other team among the 15 playing in the afternoon wave, at one point sitting at 1-under-par for the round, but the Yellow Jackets stumbled over the last four holes, with its four counting players carding five bogeys and a triple-bogey to finish with an 8-over-par score of 288. Still, it was one of the better scores posted in the afternoon under stiffer breezes and much firmer greens.

Norton’s 71 included three birdies, a pair of bogeys and a double-bogey, and the senior from Chico, Calif., moved ahead to a tie for 33^rd place after 36 holes at 143 (+3). Smith birdied three holes against just one bogey over his first 17 holes before finishing with a triple-bogey at the par-4 18^th. The junior from Novi, Mich., is tied for 55^th place individually at 145 (+5).

Sophomore Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) shot a solid 72 (+2), and junior Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) added a 74 (+4) to the Jackets team total. Freshman Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa), who led the Jackets Friday with a 69, did not count Saturday after a 75 and slipped into a tie for 45^th place at 144 (+4).

Forrester is tied for 71^st at 146 (+6), while Howe is tied for 103^rd at 149 (+9).

Notable:  Birdies again were tough to come by, and Tech recorded just 10 among its five players and has 22 over 36 holes, but the Yellow Jackets are tied for third with 116 pars (Norton has parred a team-high 27 of 36 holes.

TEAM LEADERBOARD – The teams that played in the morning scored better, including Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, who posted scores of 274 (-6) and 279 (-1), respectively, Saturday to move to the top of the leaderboard after 36 holes. The Cowboys (554, -6) are five strokes ahead of their rival Sooners (579, -1).

Host Arizona State posted a 2-under-par 278 Saturday and moved into third place at 582 (+2), with Pepperdine in fourth at 585 (+5). Illinois and North Carolina are tied for fifth at 586 (+6), followed by Sam Houston State (590, +10), Clemson (591, +11), Wake Forest (591, +11) and Vanderbilt (593, +13) to round out the top 10.

Top-seeded Florida State (595, +15), Georgia Tech (597, +17), Louisville (597, +17), Texas Tech (600, +20) and Arkansas (600, +20) occupy positions 11 through 15.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Oklahoma State freshman Bo Jin moved to the top of the individual leaderboard with a 65 Saturday, giving him a 36-hole total of 132 (-8), three strokes ahead of Arizona State’s Ryggs Johnston, who had the day’s low round (63) and Clemson’s Turk Pettit, both at 5-under-par 135.

Oregon State’s Carson Barry is alone in fourth place at 136 (-4), with Oklahoma teammates Quade Cummins and Jonathan Brightwell tied for fifth at 137 (-3)

Post-Round Audio

Head coach Bruce Heppler following Tech’s round 2 at the NCAA Championship

Noah Norton following Tech’s round 2 at the NCAA Championship

 

TECH’S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY – Georgia Tech has reached the NCAA Championship finals 29 times since 1985 (30 times in program history), which is tied for fifth most in that time period behind Oklahoma State (35), Arizona State (33), Florida (32) and Texas (32). Tech has posted nine top-8 finishes in the last 15 tries.

The Yellow Jackets have qualified for match play four times since the advent of the stroke-play/match-play format in 2009, finishing third in 2010, second in 2011, second in 2013, fifth in 2014. Tech did not advance out of its regional in 2012, 2016, 2017 or 2018.

CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION/FORMAT – Finals play consists of three days of stroke play on Friday, May 28 thru Sunday, May 30 (54 holes), after which the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play on Monday, May 31 to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, June 1, followed by finals on Wednesday, June 2.

The entire championship is conducted on the Raptor course at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., which measures 7,289 yards and plays to a par of 70. This is the first of three straight years that the Grayhawk will host the NCAA Championship.

• Saturday, May 29 – Second round of stroke play competition (Tech begins at 3:25 p.m. ET)
• Sunday, May 30 – Third round of stroke play competition (tee times based on 36-hole scores)
• Monday, May 31 – Final round of stroke play competition (tee times based on 54-hole scores)
• Tuesday, June 1 – Quarterfinals and semifinals of team match play
• Wednesday, June 2 – Championship match to determine team champion

TELEVISION – Golf Channel will air live coverage of the final round of stroke play Monday, May 31 (5-9 p.m. Eastern time), the team quarterfinals (12-3:30 p.m. ET) and semifinals (5-9 p.m. ET) on Tuesday June 2, and the team championship match Wednesday, June 2 (5-9 p.m. ET).

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 26^th 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.