Golf One Stroke Off Lead at Pauma Valley

Pauma Valley, Calif. – No. 20 Georgia Tech posted a 6-under-par 278 second round on Tuesday at the Pauma Valley Invitational and stands in sole possession of second place, one stroke off the lead entering the final round.

Hiroshi Tai (Singapore), Albert Hansson (Fiskebäckskil, Sweden) and Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.) all broke par Tuesday to help propel the Jackets to a two-day team total of 10-under-par 558. Tai recorded the best individual round for Tech on Tuesday at 4-under-par 67, while Hansson carded a 69 and Tran completed the trio under par with a 70.

No. 15 Tennessee maintained its lead in the top position with an even-par round and leads the 16-team field with an 11-under-par team total of 557. Georgia Tech follows right behind in second (558, -10), while No. 3 Florida sits in third place (559, -9).

In its third edition, the tournament features a 16-team competitive field that includes 11 teams ranked in the Scoreboard Powered by Clippd Top-50 rankings. Of the 11 teams in the top-50, nine are ranked in the top-25 – No. 2 Virginia, No. 3 Florida, No. 6 LSU, No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 9 Illinois, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 15 Tennessee and No. 20 Georgia Tech. Completing the field are Colorado State, East Tennessee State, host LMU, No. 42 San Diego, No. 28 San Diego State, SMU and Toledo.

The third and final round begins at 11 a.m. EST on Wednesday.

Aidan Tran sits two strokes off the individual lead in a tie for third. (Photo courtesy of LMU/Benjamin Wood)

TECH LINEUP – With a 1-under-par 70 on Tuesday, Tran remains in a tie for third place individually with a two-day total of 6-under-par 136. Tran recorded three birdies through the first 10 holes before posting a pair of bogeys in the finish for his second round 70.

Meanwhile, Tai jumped 14 spots on the individual leaderboard with his 4-under-par 67. The senior made the turn at 1-under before firing an eagle on hole 10 and capping his round with a birdie on No. 12 to post one of the lowest rounds of the day. Tai stands in a four-way tie for fifth place at 137 (-5).

Hansson also entered the clubhouse in the red on Tuesday with a 2-under-par 69. The sophomore Jacket posted four birdies to a pair of bogeys and sits in a tie for 12^th place with a two-round total of 139 (-3).

Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) also counted towards the team score with a 1-over-par 72. Reuter sits in a tie for 79^th. Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.) concluded Tech’s starting five with a 3-over-par 74 and did not count towards the team score. Fontenot enters Wednesday’s final round tied for 68^th.

Competing as an individual, Brady Rackley IV (Atlanta, Ga.) carded a 7-over-par 78 and is tied for 81^st.

TEAM LEADERBOARD – No. 15 Tennessee saw only two golfers break par on Tuesday and finished the day with an even-par 284 to maintain its hold on the No. 1 spot. The Volunteers lead the field with a two-round team total of 557 (-11).

Following its solid second round showing, Georgia Tech climbed two spots into second place (558, -10), while No. 3 Florida made the biggest leap of the day into third from a ninth-place tie after Monday. With the best team round of the day (274, -10), the Gators moved to 9-under-par (559) for the tournament.

No. 6 LSU also climbed two spots on the team leaderboard and stands in fourth (562, -6), while No. 9 Illinois and No. 7 Oklahoma State share fifth place at 564 (-4).

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Two new golfers share the top spot on the individual leaderboard as Lance Simpson (Tennessee) and William Sides (SMU) sit in first place (134, -8). Right behind, Tran sits in a tie for third with Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout at 136 (-6), just two strokes off the individual lead.

Four golfers are in a tie for fifth at 137 (-5), including Tai, while three golfers round out the top-10 at 4-under-par (138) in a tie for ninth.

After two rounds, only 28 players remain under par, including Tran, Tai and Hansson.

EVENT DETAILS

Pauma Valley Invitational

• Dates: March 16-18 (stroke play, 54 holes, low 4 of 5 scores count for team score each round)
• Format: 18 holes Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, begins 8 a.m. PT
• Venue: Pauma Valley Country Club (par 71, 7,311 yards)
• Participating teams (16): Colorado State, East Tennessee State, Florida (3), Georgia Tech (20), Illinois (9), LMU, LSU (6), Oklahoma State (7), Ole Miss (13), San Diego (42), San Diego State (28), SMU, Texas Tech (10), Tennessee (15), Toledo, Virginia (2)
• Tech appearances (last appearance): Second (2025)

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ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF

Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 31^st year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 73 tournaments in his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 19 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 34 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up five times. Follow Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on X (@GTGolf) and Instagram. For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.