Georgia Tech Tied for 11th at Southern Highlands

Las Vegas, Nev. – Ross Steelman carded a 3-under-par 69 to lead Georgia Tech on Monday and the 8^th-ranked Yellow Jackets posted a 6-over-par 294 and stand tied for 11^th place after 36 holes at the Southern Highlands Collegiate.

Following a similar pattern to Sunday’s opening round, Tech found better success on the front nine at Southern Highlands Golf Club, playing those nine holes 2-under-par, but struggled on the back nine, which the Jackets played first Monday. Though scores were generally higher Monday, Tech lost ground on the lead and are 26 strokes back entering the final 18 holes Tuesday.

Tuesday’s final round begins at 12 p.m. Eastern time, with groups teeing off both No. 1 and No. 10 tees.

TECH LINEUP – Steelman played steady golf on the opening (back) nine, with two birdies and two bogeys, and got into red figures on the front, making birdies at 1, 3 and 4 to play that side 3-under-par and get to the clubhouse with his 69. The senior from Columbia, Mo., is tied for 20^th place after 36 holes at 143 (-1).

Christo Lamprecht couldn’t duplicate his opening day success (5-under-par 67), posting a pair of double bogeys on the back nine before steadying himself to play an even-par front and finish with a 77. The junior from George, South Africa is tied for 25^th place at even-par 144.

Tech’s other counting scores Monday were an even-par 72 from senior Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) and a 4-over- 76 from freshman Hiroshi Tai (Singapore). Tai is tied for 47^th place at 147 (+3), Howe tied for 54^th at 148 (+4).

Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) didn’t count for Tech for the second straight day with a 78, and freshman Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.), competing as an individual, shot 2-under-par 70.

Connor Howe played even-par Monday at Southern Highlands Golf Club. (photo by Ross Obley)

 

TEAM LEADERBOARD – Fourth-ranked North Carolina didn’t come close to duplicating its sizzling opening round, but its 3-under-par 285 was good enough to keep a four-stroke lead in the team race. The Tar Heels finished 36 holes at 20-under-par 556, and No. 16 Texas, who posted the day’s low round at 281 (-7), has second place at 16-under-par 560.

No. 14 Pepperdine is third at 565 (-11), followed by No. 7 Illinois at 566 (-10), No. 9 Oklahoma at 570 (-6), No. 11 Florida at 571 (-5) and host UNLV at 575 (-1). The rest of the 15-team field is over par.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – North Carolina’s Austin Greaser and Florida’s Yuxin Lin, who each shot 64 Sunday to share the 18-hole lead, shot matching 70s Monday and are tied at the top of the individual leaderboard at 10-under-par 134.

Pepperdine’s Sam Choi, who had the other 64 Sunday, followed with a 71 Monday and is tied for third place at 9-under-par 135 with the Longhorn’s Christian Maas. Oklahoma’s Patrick Welch is alone in fifth place at 8-under-par 136.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Georgia Tech is competing in the Southern Highlands Collegiate for the 19th time. The Yellow Jackets have won the event twice, in 2001 and 2002, but their fifth-place finish last spring is the best showing since then. Four Yellow Jackets, all of whom have competed on the PGA Tour, have captured medalist honors, beginning in 1992 when Stewart Cink and David Duval shared the title. Troy Matteson won a share of the title in 2002 with Florida’s Camilo Villegas, and Cameron Tringale win the tournament outright in 2009.

The tournament follows the traditional collegiate 54-hole, 5-count-4, stroke-play format, with 18 holes each Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The event is conducted at Southern Highlands Golf Club, which measures 7,510 yards (par 72), the longest layout on the Yellow Jackets’ schedule. The individual champion receives an exemption into the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin.

The field includes No. 4 North Carolina, No. 7 Illinois, No. 8 Georgia Tech, No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 11 Florida, No. 14 Pepperdine, No. 15 Texas A&M, No. 16 Texas, No. 25 San Diego State, Georgia, New Mexico, SMU, TCU, UCF and UNLV.

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Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 28^th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 70 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.