GTGOLF: Six Jackets Make it into U.S. Amateur Field

2021 Georgia Tech Amateur Results

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech junior Bartley Forrester had a heartbreaking finish to his U.S. Amateur qualifier two weeks ago, but got the news he was hoping for late last week when the United States Golf Association informed him he had been awarded a spot in the 2021 U.S. Amateur after all. The 312-player field will begin competition Aug. 9 at Oakmont Country Club, outside of Pittsburgh, Pa.

Forrester fired rounds of 68-65 and finished in a tie for the fifth and final qualifying spot with R.B. Clyburn of Cartersville, Ga., who had posted rounds of 67-66 that left the two tied at the end of regulation play with scores of 7-under-par 133. Clyburn, a former Georgia Tech football wide receiver who now spends his days as a college basketball official, prevailed on the first extra hole to qualify at the Capital City Club’s Crabapple course in Milton, Ga., leaving Forrester as the first alternate.

The Gainesville, Ga., native learned Thursday via e-mail from the USGA that he would indeed be playing in his first U.S. Amateur. Qualifying sites for the U.S. Amateur are ranked by the USGA according to size of field and number of spots available; Crabapple was third in the ranking, meaning Forrester was third in line among alternates to replace players who withdraw or are unable to compete. Junior Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) is the second alternate from last week’s qualifier in Rome, Ga.

Forrester becomes the third member of the Yellow Jackets’ current team to make the field for the 121^st playing of the U.S. Amateur. He joins sophomore transfer Ross Steelman (Columbia, Mo.), who won the qualifier last week at Stonebridge Country Club in Rome, Ga., with a 12-under-par score of 132, and sophomore Adam Bratton (Newburgh, Ind.), who captured one of the three spots available last Monday in Chesterton, Ind.

Former Yellow Jackets Noah Norton (Chico, Calif.), who graduated in May, and Bo Andrews, a 2013 graduate who now serves as assistant golf coach at Tennessee, also qualified. Norton was the medalist at Crabapple course in Milton, Ga., while Andrews posted a runner-up finish at Longmeadow, Mass., a week earlier. Norton will be playing in his fifth U.S. Amateur.

The last two U.S. Amateur champions have been Yellow Jackets – Tyler Strafaci in 2020 and Andy Ogletree in 2019.

Barley Forrester, who was the first alternate at Crabapple two weeks ago, learned late last week that he is in the field for the 2021 U.S. Amateur. (photo by Tim Cowie)

 

FOUR JACKETS COMPETING IN WESTERN AMATEUR

Four Yellow Jackets – Connor Howe, Christo Lamprecht, Noah Norton and Ben Smith – are competing in the penultimate major amateur event of the summer, the 119^th Western Amateur at the Glen View Club in Golf, Ill. Competition starts with 18 holes of stroke play Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by 36 holes Thursday, after which the top 16 finishers will be seeded for match play to begin Friday. Matches in the round of 16 and quarterfinals will be played Friday, with semifinals and the championship match set for Saturday.

Competition from the matches Friday and Saturday will be streamed live on GolfChannel.com. On Friday, July 30, action from the eight Sweet 16 matches streams live from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT on GolfChannel.com. Coverage will resume from 3-6 p.m. CT for the finish of the quarterfinal matches. On Saturday, July 31, coverage of the two semifinal matches will run from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT. The championship match will be streamed in its entirety, with an expected starting time of 1 p.m. CT.

Howe has four finished of 11^th or higher this summer, including a tie for fifth place in his last outing at the Southern Amateur in West Point, Miss. (271, -13), a tie for third at the Northeast Amateur and a tie for seventh at the Monroe Invitational. Lamprecht tied for 17^th at The Dogwood and 16^th at the Monroe Invitational for his highest finishes, while Norton and Smith both tied for eighth at the Northeast Amateur.

Howe and Lamprecht both came up short in U.S. Amateur qualifying last week in Rome, Ga. Despite rounds of 69-67, Howe tied for seventh place and is the second alternate from the site, while Lamprecht tied for 16^th place.

Four Yellow Jackets are competing this week at the Western Amateur in Illinois.

 

LAST WEEK

Junior Andy Mao (Johns Creek, Ga.) led three Yellow Jackets competing in last week’s Southeastern Amateur at the Country Club of Columbus, tying for 26^th place with a 1-over-par score of 211. Sophomore Aidan Kramer (Oviedo, Fla.) tied for 36^th at 213 (+3), and junio Luka Karaulic (Dacula, Ga.) tied for 42^nd at 214 (+4).

Bartley Forrester was the lone Yellow Jacket competing in the venerable 72-hole Porter Cup at Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston, N.Y., and the junior tied for 33^rd place with a 5-over-par total of 285 that included a 66 in round 2.

Incoming freshman Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) made his way to the United States as one of 36 international players competing in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at the Country Club of North Carolina in the Village of Pinehurst. He tied for 11^th place in the 36-hole stroke-play portion of the championship (141, -2) and won his round of 64 match against Matvay Golovanov, 6 and 5, before falling to local favorite Jackson Van Paris, 4 and 3, in the round of 32.

 

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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.