Jackets Tied for Fourth at Golf Club of Georgia

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Georgia Tech saw a trio of Yellow Jackets break par on Friday to open the 20^th annual Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational and stands tied for fourth after 18 holes with a 7-under-par team total 281. The Yellow Jackets are just five strokes off the lead entering second round play on Saturday.

Albert Hansson led the way on Friday with a 4-under-par 68, followed by Henry Robards and Andrew Ferworn. Clemson made a late rally to take the team lead and holds a one-stroke advantage after the first round. In total, 10 teams finished the day under-par, while 34 golfers broke par individually.

“Overall, I thought today was a solid round for us as a team,” commented head coach Ryan Hybl. “Making his first start for us this season, I was pleased to see how Henry [Robards] played, posting a 2-under-par, and Albert [Hansson] continues to be a steady component for us, carrying momentum over from his final round in his last outing.”

The second round will tee off on Saturday on holes 1 and 10 beginning at 9 a.m. The final round will commence on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. before the champions are crowned.  

TECH LINEUP – Continuing his steady play, junior Albert Hansson (Fiskebäckskil, Sweden) led Tech with a 4-under-par 68 behind a nearly flawless round of five birdies to just one bogey. The junior made the turn on back-to-back birdies and closed the round with his final birdie on 18. Hansson stands tied for 3^rd after his first 18.

Making his first start as a Yellow Jacket, junior Henry Robards (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) carded a 2-under-par 70 to sit in a tie for 16th. With three birdies to one bogey on the front nine, Robards made the turn at 2-under-par and was even on the back nine to enter the clubhouse under par.

Rounding out Tech’s trio of Jackets in the red on Friday, Andrew Ferworn (Houston, Texas) posted a 1-under-par 71 and is tied for 24th. Ferworn played a steady round, making the turn at even and moving to 1-under with a birdie on 11.  

Freshman Max Emberson (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) got off to a shaky start, opening at 4-over through his first five holes, but started to gain momentum and closed the front with back-to-back birdies. On the back nine, Emberson continued to rally and consecutive birdies on holes 11 and 12 moved the freshman back to even as the Jacket closed the round even-par. Emberson is tied for 34th.

Senior Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.) recorded a 1-over-par 73 on Friday, not counting towards the team score, and sits tied for 46th.

Georgia Tech also had four players competing as individuals as Eli Walker Campbell (Richmond, Texas) and Brady Rackley IV (Atlanta, Ga.) turned in even-par 72s. Meanwhile, freshman Patmon Malcom (Alpharetta, Ga.) owned a 73 and Brody McQueen (Marietta, Ga.) finished with a 76.  

TEAM LEADERBOARD – Clemson holds down the team lead following a 12-under-par 276 opening round. The Tigers saw a trio of subpar rounds to hold the slim lead entering Saturday. Georgia Southern sits in second just behind Clemson at 11-under-par 277, while Northwestern claims third-place at 10-under-par 278.

Georgia Tech and Southern Cal are tied for fourth (281, -7) to round out the top-5. UCLA stands in sixth (282, -6), followed by Charlotte and Pepperdine tied for seventh (283, -5). Stanford is in ninth (286, -2) and Loyola Marymount completes the top-10 at 1-under-par 287.     

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Carding the lowest rounds of the day, Clemson’s Gabriel Holtz and Oscar Holm-Bredkjaer share the individual lead with 5-under-par 67s. However, seven golfers sit just one stroke back, including Tech’s Hansson, at 4-under-par 68.

Just four strokes separate the top 24 individuals heading into second round action.

TECH’S GOLF CLUB OF GEORGIA COLLEGIATE HISTORY – Georgia Tech has won the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate twice in the event’s 19-year history, in 2010 and 2012. Three Tech players have won medalist honors. James White, who set tournament records for 18-hole score (62) and 54-hole score (204, broken in 2014), won in 2010, Ollie Schniederjans won in 2013, and Hiroshi Tai followed in 2022.

Clemson (2006, 2009), Oklahoma State (2013, 2017), Southern California (2008, 2019), Texas (2014, 2016) and Virginia (2016, 2023, 2025) also have won twice. Virginia, the reigning 2025 champion, became the first team to win the tournament three times, finishing 24-under-par last season for a 15-stroke victory. Duke was crowned champion last year with Ethan Evans taking the individual title. The tournament was not played in the fall of 2020 due to COVID-19.

Tech rallied to tie for fourth last season behind two top-10 finishes from Aidan Tran and Hiroshi Tai.

EVENT DETAILS

Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational

• Dates: October 16-18 (stroke play, 54 holes)
• Format: 18 holes Friday, Saturday and Sunday
• Venue: Golf Club of Georgia, Lakeside Course (par 72, 7,068 yards)
• Participating teams (14): Boston College, Clemson, Charlotte, Duke, Georgia Southern, Loyola Marymount, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Stanford, UAB, UCLA, USC, Virginia and host Georgia Tech

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.