Tech Concludes Play at NCAA Golf Championship

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Scottsdale, Ariz. – After winning a sudden death playoff Monday morning to secure a spot in the final round of stroke play at the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship, Georgia Tech posted a team score of 297 (+17) in round 4 and remained in 15^th place. Freshman Christo Lamprecht led the Yellow Jackets with an even-par round of 70, and joined senior Noah Norton as high finishers for Tech, tied for 44^th place individually.

With only two players left from the 2019 team that made the NCAA Championship but failed to make the 54-hole cut, the Yellow Jackets began the spring as an inexperienced group but improved to the point where they tied for fifth at the ACC Championship, one stroke away from advancing to match play, entered postseason ranked No. 26 in the country, finished third in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional and made the 54-hole cut at this NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club.

After Monday’s final round, host Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Pepperdine, Oklahoma, Illinois, Florida State, Vanderbilt and North Carolina finished 1 through 8 and will begin match play Tuesday.

TECH LINEUP – Lamprecht (George, South Africa), who opened the NCAA Championship with a 69 but struggled to a 75-76 in the middle rounds, had four birdies and four bogeys on his card and finished his first national championship tournament with a score of 290 (+10). Likewise, Norton (Chico, Calif.) tied for 44^th with an identical score after posting a 75 Monday.

The Jackets also counted a 75 from junior Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) and a 77 from junior Ben Smith (Novi, Mich.). Smith finished in a tie for 69^th place individually at 297 (+17), while Howe tied for 71^st at 299 (+19). Sophomore Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) shot 81 Monday and didn’t count for the Jackets, finishing in a tie for 75^th place with a score of 300 (+20).

Forrester, Smith and Lamprecht played in their first NCAA Championship.

 

TEAM LEADERBOARD – Behind three subpar rounds, including a 67 from Chun An Yu, Arizona State came from behind to shoot 5-under-par 275 Monday and win the stroke play title by three shots over Oklahoma State, who shot 292 (+12) and surrendered a 13-stroke lead it held after 54 holes. The Sun Devils finished the four rounds with a cumulative total of 1,117 (-3), while the Cowboys finished at even-par 1,120.

Pepperdine finished third at 1,125 (+5) after posting the day’s best round, a 9-under-par 271 which was the only subpar team score Monday. The Waves replaced Clemson in the top eight; the Tigers shot a 20-over-par round of 300 and slid all the way to a tie for 13^th place with Wake Forest, which posted a 23-over score of 303.

Oklahoma (1,130, +10), Illinois (1,134, +14), Florida State (1,136, +16), Vanderbilt (1,144, +24) and North Carolina (1,145, +25) all held their positions inside the top eight.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Though Clemson slid out of the top eight and was eliminated, senior Turk Pettit came from behind to win medalist honors, firing an even-par 70 Monday to overtake Oklahoma State freshman Bo Jin, who shot 73. Pettit finished 72 holes at 7-under-par 273, while Jin posted a championship total of 274 (-6).

Arizona State’s Ryggs Johnston (275, -5), Illinois’ Michael Feagles (276, -4) and Florida State’s John Pak (277, -3) rounded out the top five individuals. Johnston and Park each shot 69 (-1) Monday, while Feagles closed with an even-par 70.

 

Georgia Tech’s golf team following the final round of the NCAA Championship. From left: Connor Howe, Will Dickson, Christo Lamprecht, Bartley Forrester, Ben Smith, Noah Norton

Post-Round Audio

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

Senior Noah Norton following his final collegiate round 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.

• 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 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.