Tech Maintains Lead at Watersound Invitational

Panama City Beach, Fla. – Georgia Tech fired an 11-under-par round of 277 Monday, led by a 68 from Bartley Forrester and a pair of 69s from Ross Steelman and Benjamin Reuter, and took a six-stroke lead over Virginia Tech after 36 holes at the Watersound Invitational.

The 17^th-ranked Yellow Jackets are looking for their third tournament victory of the 2021-22 academic year and first of the spring. Competing against four other teams that are ranked in the top 25 of the current Golfstat rankings, nine in the top 50, Tech will be paired with the Hokies and No. 4 North Carolina for Tuesday’s final round, teeing off at 10:40 a.m. The tournament is being contested at Shark’s Tooth Golf Club, the golf course that will host the ACC Championship in April.

TECH LINEUP – With less wind covering the Shark’s Tooth course Monday, the Yellow Jackets posted four subpar rounds. Senior Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) provided the fourth counting score with a 1-par 71.

Forrester, a junior from Gainesville, Ga., birdied four of his first six holes and added three more on the way to his 4-under-par 68, which elevated him into a tie for second place individually at 5-under-par 139 after 36 holes.

Reuter, a freshman from Naarden, The Netherlands, played a bogey-free round with two birdies on his front side and one on the back for his 69, while Steelman, a junior from Columbia, Mo., played his back nine 3-under-par to complete his 69. Steelman is tied for 10th place individually at 142 (-2), Reuter tied for 18^th at 143 (-1).

Howe birdied five holes to counter four bogeys for his 71, and is tied for sixth place after 36 holes at 3-under-par 141.

Sophomore Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa) didn’t count for the Jackets Monday, bogeying his final two holes for an even-par 72. He is tied for 23^rd place at even-par 144.

Tech carded 23 birdies in Monday’s round and leads the field with 43 over 36 holes, and has a two-shot advantage on the field in scoring on par-4 holes (-2).

Bartley Forrester led the way for Tech Monday with a 4-under-par 68, moving into a tie for second place individually. (photo by Ross Obley)

 

TEAM LEADERBOARD – The Yellow Jackets, with a 36-hole total of 562 (-14), led by as many as seven shots during the course of Monday’s round, but Virginia Tech (568, -8) remained within striking distance after posting a 6-under-par 282 for the day.

Alabama posted a 12-under-par round of 276 Monday and moved up seven spots into third place at 572 (-4), followed by No. 4 North Carolina at 573 (-3). Clemson and Notre Dame are tied for fifth place at 574 (-2). The Fighting Irish posted the day’s best round at 273 (-15).

NC State, in seventh place at 575 (-1), is the only other team in the 14-team field under par for 36 holes.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Canon Claycom, the first-round leader after a 67, followed with a 66 Monday to keep his lead at 11-under-par 133. He is two strokes ahead of Tech’s Forrester, Virginia Tech’s Connor Burgess and Florida State’s Frederik Kjettrup, who are tied for second at 5-under-par 139.

North Carolina’s Austin Greaser is alone in fifth place at 140 (-4), while the Yellow Jackets’ Howe is tied for sixth at 141 (-3) with Clemson’s Jacob Bridgman, Notre Dame’s Palmer Jackson and North Carolina’s David Ford.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Georgia Tech is in the Watersound Invitational for the second straight year. The tournament follows the traditional collegiate 54-hole, 5-count-4, stroke-play format, with 18 holes each Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The event this year will be contested at Shark’s Tooth Golf Club, a venue measuring 7,202 yards (par 72) that will also serve as the venue for the ACC Championship in April.

This tournament was held in mid-January a year ago, the Jackets’ first tournament in a packed spring schedule that followed an idle fall brought on by COVID. Tech finished seventh in a limited 10-team field that included all ACC teams.

The field includes (with Golfstat ranking) No. 33 Alabama, No. 6 Arkansas, Boston College, No. 26 Clemson, No. 53 Duke, No. 35 Florida State, No. 17 Georgia Tech, No. 32 Louisville, No. 4 North Carolina, No. 34 NC State, No. 15 Notre Dame, No. 37 Virginia, No. 62 Virginia Tech and No. 12 Wake Forest.

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ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF

Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 27^th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 67 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.