Georgia Tech Rises to Tie for 6th at Southern Highlands

Las Vegas, Nev. – Christo Lamprecht fired a 7-under-par 65, and Ross Steelman a 5-under-par 67, leading Georgia Tech to the best team round of the day and a tie for sixth-place at the Southern Highlands Collegiate. The 8^th-ranked Yellow Jackets posted a 16-under-par score of 272 in the final round and rose five spots from their 36-hole position.

Following a pattern set in the first two rounds, the Yellow Jackets, who started on the 10^th hole, played the front (finishing) nine far better than the back nine Tuesday. Tech played the front nine at Southern Highlands Golf Club 15 shots under par Tuesday, rebounding five spots on the leaderboard. The Yellow Jackets piled up 16 birdies and an eagle coming home in posting their 272 score, the second-best team round of the entire tournament.

Tech returns to action March 19-21 at the Linger Longer Invitational in Greensboro, Ga.

TECH LINEUP – Lamprecht played a nearly flawless round, his only bogey coming at No. 2 during his second nine. The junior from George, South Africa followed that two holes later with an eagle and finished his round with his sixth birdie. He earned his second straight top-10 finish and fourth of the year.

Steelman was nearly as good, posting six birdies against one bogey on his way to a 65, and the senior from Columbia, Mo., earned a tie for 12^th place.

Freshman Hiroshi Tai (Singapore) and senior Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) each delivered a 2-under-par 70 for the Yellow Jackets Tuesday. Tai birdied six holes on his second nine and tied for 35^th place overall at 1-over-par 217. Howe tied for 40^th at 218 (+2).

Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) shot 71 for Tech Tuesday and did not count, while freshman Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.) finished with a 78.

Christo Lamprecht earned his fourth top-10 finish of the year after firing a 65 Tuesday. (photo by Ross Obley)

 

TEAM LEADERBOARD – Seventh-ranked Illinois rallied from third place, posting an 11-under-par 277 Tuesday to score a two-stroke team victory. The Fighting Illini posted a 54-hole score of 843 (-21) to overtake No. 16 Texas (845, -19) and No. 14 Pepperdine (846, -18).

No. 4 North Carolina, the 36-hole leader by four strokes, shot 4-over-par 292 Tuesday and fell back to fourth place at 848 (-16). No. 9 Oklahoma finished fifth at 849 (-15), followed by Tech and No. 11 Florida at 842 (-10).

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Florida’s Yuxin Lin, one of three golfers who opened with a 64 Sunday to share the lead, wound up the sole leader at the end, adding rounds of 70-69 to finish 54 holes at 13-under-par 203. He scored a three-shot victory over Texas’ Christian Maas (206, -10).

Tommy Kuhl of Illinois and William Paysse of Texas A&M tied for third place at 9-under-par 207, followed by a group of four players tied for fifth at 208 (-8). Tech’s Lamprecht was one of three players tied for ninth at 209 (-7).

 

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Georgia Tech competed 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 in 2022 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 won 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 15-team field included nine teams ranked among the Golfstat top 25 –  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.

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ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF

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.