OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – With a 5-under-par 65 final round, freshman Max Emberson (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) claimed a share of the individual title at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational to open his collegiate career with back-to-back individual tournament wins. Emberson, who won the Folds of Honor Collegiate title last week, finished in a four-way tie for first at Olympia Fields Country Club, concluding the tournament at 13-under-par 197.
Battling inclement weather all weekend, Georgia Tech entered the final round of play in fifth place after teams finished round 2 Saturday morning. Despite a 3-under-par final round, the Yellow Jackets slipped into an eighth-place finish for the tournament (818, -22). Arizona State took home the team title with a 54-hole total of 800 (-40) to claim a two-stroke victory over second-place Illinois (802, -38).
“It has been a strong start to our season and I am extremely excited for our freshman, Max Emberson, to be showing he is one of the best players in the country,” said head coach Ryan Hybl. “I am excited to see him continue to grow and be a proud representative of Georgia Tech. For our squad, we have many opportunities to get better. We are building each week as we continue to learn. Our execution needs to be stronger, but I do believe our effort and commitment is right where it needs to be.”
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity to compete this week and to come away with another win,” stated Emberson. “I’m proud of the work that went into it and everyone who has supported me along the way.”
Georgia Tech is back in action at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational, Sept. 28-29, in Fort Worth, Texas. Albert Hansson returns as the reigning individual champion, having claimed the title last season in a playoff.
Emberson Co-Champion at OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational
Freshman Max Emberson claims share of individual title
TECH LINEUP – With a shotgun start for the final round, Emberson opened with a bogey on 5, but quickly rebounded and finished the round with seven birdies. Emberson posted rounds of 63-69-65 over the weekend to cap a 13-under-par 197 showing. With a birdie on hole No. 3, Emberson moved back into a share of the lead and closed the tournament with a par on four to walk away a victor.
Emberson becomes the first freshman Yellow Jacket to win two individual titles in their freshman season since Luke Schniederjans won two his freshman season in 2016-17.
Carson Baez (Davenport, Fla.) carded a 1-over-par 71 on Saturday. After a second-round 67, Baez finished the tournament 2-under-par 208 to tie for 51st.
Andrew Ferworn (Houston, Texas) and Albert Hansson (Fiskebäckskil, Sweden) both tied for 58th at even-par 210. Ferworn fired an even-par 70 on Saturday, while Hansson struggled in the final round, posting a 75 and did not count towards the team total.
Senior Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.) saved his best round for last, recording a 1-over-par 71 to conclude the tournament in 78th-place (217, +7).
TEAM LEADERBOARD – After finishing the second round Saturday morning, Arizona State held a four-stroke lead entering the final round in the afternoon. The Sun Devils maintained their lead and finished with a 10-under-par 270 over the final 18 to post a team total 40-under-par 800 and take the win.
Host Illinois finished second (802, -38), while Texas Tech took third (803, -37) and Alabama finished fourth (810, -30). Oklahoma State and Florida tied for fifth (813, -27), while Stanford finished seventh (817, -23), just one stroke ahead of the Yellow Jackets in eighth. Pepperdine and LSU tied for ninth (819, 21).
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – It was a race to the finish for the individual title as Emberson birdied his second to final hole to move back into a tie for first. The freshman Yellow Jacket finished the tournament 13-under-par (197) to share the individual crown with Max Herendeen (Illinois), Ben Gregg (Texas Tech) and Connor Williams (Arizona State). Emberson, the only freshman atop the leaderboard, shared the title with a trio of senior classmen.
The four co-medalists set a tournament record for low individual score, besting the previous mark of 200, accomplished twice and, most recently, in 2024.
The quartet of golfers claimed a two-stroke victory over LSU’s Daniel Hayes who finished fifth at 11-under-par. Another four golfers tied for sixth at 10-under-par, while four rounded out the top-10 at 9-under-par.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Georgia Tech made its fifth appearance in the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational in 2026 with titles in 2024 and a share in 2019. Illinois hosts the 15-team event, which was contested over 54 holes beginning Friday at Olympia Fields Country Club’s South course, which plays to a par-70 and measure 7,215 yards.
The 15-team field (with national ranking) included Alabama (18), Arizona State (4), Baylor, Florida (1), Florida State (20), Georgia Tech (25), Illinois (12), LSU (9), Northwestern, Oklahoma State (3), Pepperdine (13), Stanford (19), Texas A&M (16), Texas Tech (5) and UNLV. Rankings based on the Bushnell/Golfweek Preseason Coaches poll released on August 29.
EVENT DETAILS
Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational
- Dates: September 18-19 (stroke play, 54 holes)
- Format: 36 continuous holes Friday, 18 Saturday and Sunday, if necessary
- Venue: Olympia Fields Country Club, South Course (par 70, 7,215 yards)
- Tech Appearances (best finish): 5 (sole title in 2024, co-medalists in 2019)
- Participating teams (15): Alabama, Arizona State, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, LSU, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Pepperdine, Stanford, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UNLV
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team begins a new era under head coach Ryan Hybl, who was announced as the program’s sixth head coach in program history in May. 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.