Lamprecht Takes Lead at Watersound Invitational

Panama City Beach, Fla. – Christo Lamprecht carded a 7-under-par 65 Tuesday, taking the individual lead and lifting 12^th-ranked Georgia Tech into fifth place after 36 holes at the Watersound Invitational.

The senior from George, South Africa, ranked No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and in the Scorecard collegiate rankings, posted an eagle and six birdies Tuesday at the Shark’s Tooth Golf Club, finishing two rounds at 8-under-par 136 to take a two-stroke lead in the medal race. Lamprecht, who won twice in the fall, is bidding for his fourth career tournament win.

Tech, meanwhile shot 7-under-par 281 as a team and sits alone in fifth place headed into Wednesday’s final round, 12 strokes off the pace of third-ranked Vanderbilt.

Twelve teams are competing over 54 holes through Wednesday at the Watersound Resort in the fourth edition of the event. Seven of the 12 teams are ranked in the top 25 of the current Scoreboard NCAA Golf Ranking, and eight are listed among the top 50. The finishing round of the tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. EST Wednesday, with Tech, Oklahoma state and Florida state the first teams off.

TECH LINEUP – Lamprecht and freshman Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.), who shot 5-under-par 67, carried the Yellow Jackets on Tuesday.

Through 36 holes, Lamprecht, who shot 1-under-par 71 Monday) has played consistently well from start to finish, scoring 1-under-par on par-3 holes, 3-under on par-4s and 4-under on par-5s. Fontenot also has played well both days, following his even-par 72 with a 5-under-par 67 Tuesday, a round that included seven birdies. The freshman is tied for fifth place at 5-under-par 139.

Sophomore Hiroshi Tai (Singapore) posted a 1-under-par 71 Tuesday, while Tech also counted a 6-over-par 78 from freshman Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.). Senior Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.), who led Tech with a 71 Monday, did not count Tuesday after carding a 79. Tai is tied for 28^th place at even-par 144.

Sophomore Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.), competing as an individual, shot 76 Tuesday and has a 36-hole total of 148 (+4).

Freshman Kale Fontenot shot 67 Tuesday and is tied for fifth place. (photo by Ross Obley)

 

TEAM LEADERBOARD – Vanderbilt, with four players in the top 10 individually, matched its opening-round score with another 10-under-par 278 Tuesday, taking a seven-stroke lead over Clemson (8-under-par 280) in the team race. The Commodores have a 36-hole total of 556 (-20), while the Tigers have a 13-under-par total of 563.

No. 10 Virginia, with a 10-under-par 278 Tuesday, holds third place at 564 (-10), followed by No. 13 Florida State at 568 (-9) and Tech at 568 (-8). Oklahoma State has the best team round of the day (12-under-par 276) and moved up four positions to sixth place at 570 (-6).

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Georgia Tech’s Lamprecht, at 8-under-par 136, moved two shots ahead of Vanderbilt teammates Jackson Van Paris and world No. 1 amateur Gordon Sargent and Florida State’s Gray Albright, who are tied at 6-under-par 138.

Tech’s Fontenot is tied for fifth place at 5-under-par 139 with Preston Stout of Oklahoma State and Clemson teammates Thomas Higgins and Jonathan Nielsen of Clemson. The Commodores’ Cole Sherwood and Wells Williams, who is competing as an individual, are in a group of seven players tied for ninth place at 140 (-4).

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Georgia Tech is in the Watersound Invitational for the fourth straight year, having finished one stroke behind Vanderbilt last February after winning the 2022 tournament by five strokes over Alabama. Christo Lamprecht tied for second place in last year’s event, with Ross Steelman and Hiroshi Tai also finishing in the top-10.

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 contested at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course, a venue measuring 7,246 yards (par 72) that served as the host for the ACC Championship in 2022.

The 12-team field includes six Atlantic Coast Conference teams in Clemson, No. 13 Florida State, No. 12 Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, NC State and No. 10 Virginia, as well as No. 11 Alabama, No. 3 Vanderbilt, No. 18 Mississippi State, No. 27 Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Penn.

 

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