Georgia Tech Golf Headed to NCAA Columbus Regional

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THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s No. 11-ranked golf team has earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, being seeded No. 2 at the NCAA Columbus (Ohio) Regional, which will be played May 16-18 at the Ohio State University Scarlet Course.

The NCAA announced on Wednesday afternoon all 81 teams and 45 individuals who will competing for spots in the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship finals, and the fields for each of the six regional qualifying tournaments. The top five teams from each regional will advance to the finals, which will be conducted May 27-June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. Of the 81 teams, 30 were automatic qualifiers by winning their conference championships, and the other 51 earned at-large bids.

The Yellow Jackets are playing in an NCAA regional for the 24^th straight year and for the 31^st time in the 33 years the NCAA has used a regional qualifying format for its championship. The NCAA Championship and regionals were not conducted in 2020 due to COVID-19.

The Columbus regional in which Tech will compete has the No. 2-ranked team in college golf, Oklahoma State, as its top seed, and includes nine teams that are ranked among the top 50 teams in the nation according to Golfstat. In order of seed, the field includes Georgia Tech (11), Arkansas (14), Clemson (23), East Tennessee State (31), host Ohio State (27), Duke (42), Northwestern (44), Florida Gulf Coast (51), San Francisco (61), Kentucky (65), Wright State (94) and Southern Illinois (152). East Tennessee State (Southern Conference), Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley) and Wright State (Horizon League) are automatic qualifiers after winning their conference tournaments.

Tech last played an NCAA regional in Columbus in 2008, where the Yellow Jackets finished 15^th (in a 27-team field) and failed to advance to the NCAA Championship finals. The OSU course also has hosted three NCAA Championships, in 1987, 1995 and 2002. The Yellow Jackets were the runner-up team in 2002, where Troy Matteson was the individual champion. Tech has advanced to the finals in six of the nine years, including each of the last two, finishing fourth in 2019 (Pullman, Wash.) and third last spring (Tallahassee, Fla.).

The top seeds in each regional are top-ranked Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., No. 2 Oklahoma State in Columbus, Ohio, No. 3 Vanderbilt in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., No. 4mArizona State in Stockton, Calif., No. 5 North Carolina in New Haven, Conn., and No. 6 Pepperdine in Bryan, Texas.

TEAM UPDATE – With four starters back from the 2021 squad that finished 15^th at the NCAA Championship and adding two key contributors who have formed the core of the 2021-22 team, Georgia Tech has won four tournaments in 10 tournaments this year. Tech won the Maui Jim Intercollegiate and the Hamptons Intercollegiate in the fall, and added titles in the Watersound Invitational and The Calusa Cup this spring, elevating the Yellow Jackets to No. 11 in the Golfstat rankings and to No. 11 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index.

Tech finished second in stroke play and advanced to the championship match of the ACC Championship, where they fell to Wake Forest, 3-2. The final and deciding individual match went to the 21^st hole, where freshman Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) lost to Alex Fitzpatrick.

Tech owns a 27-21 mark head-to-head against the nation’s top 25 teams, according to Golfstat (28-19 according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Index), and is 52-24-2 against teams in the top 50, according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Index.

Each of the Jackets except Reuter and Smith have at least two top-10 finishes this year, and three Tech players are listed among Golfstat’s top 90 players nationally. At No. 28, sophomore Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa) holds the highest Golfstat ranking among the Yellow Jackets with six top-10 finishes this year following his tie for third at the ACC Championship. Junior Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.), ranked No. 87, captured a share of medalist honors at The Calusa Cup and has finished no lower than 22^nd in Tech’s last five events this spring. Junior Ross Steelman (Columbia, Mo.) has five top-10 finishes, three of them this spring, while junior Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) has a pair of top-10 finishes in 2021-22 and is ranked No. 89.

REGIONAL QUALIFIER FORMAT – Each regional is a 54-hole, stroke-play event with 13 teams and 10 individuals, or 14 teams and five individuals, competing. Tech is part of a regional field that includes 13 teams and 10 individuals. The top five teams after 54 holes and one individual not on those teams advance from each regional to the NCAA Championship finals, which has a field of 30 teams and six individuals.

Despite runner-up at ACCs, watch out for @GTGolf.

Lamprecht and Forrester looked great today, Steelman showed resolve coming back against Brennan and Reuter was comfortable in big moment opposite Fitzy.

Bruce has a sneaky good team here. Final 8 a possibility.

— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) April 25, 2022

Georgia Tech finished second in the ACC Championship in April, led by sophomore Christo Lamprecht, who tied for third in stroke play and won both of his individual matches in the match play bracket. (photo by Ross Obley)

 

Head coach Bruce Heppler

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ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF

Georgia Tech’s golf team has completed 26 years under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 69 tournaments in his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 18 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 30 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.