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Scottsdale, Ariz. – Georgia Tech defeated TCU, 20-23, in a sudden-death playoff Monday morning to earn the 15th and final spot in the final round of stroke play at the NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championship.
The Yellow Jackets won four of the five holes, getting a birdie from sophomore Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Fla.) at the 14th hole, as well as pars from freshman Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa) at 18, junior Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) at 16 and junior Ben Smith (Novi, Mich.) at 15. The Horned Frogs counted one par and five bogeys and were eliminated.
“It’s absolute craziness. You can’t see much, but it turned out OK,” said head coach Bruce Heppler. “They knew where they were going to play. They knew the shots they had to hit, the hole locations were the same. So they knew what they were looking at this morning. Having Christo on 18 was probably a break for us. He likes that hole, and he can knock it over the bunkers. Bartley had a little 3-wood and wedge on 14. They kind of liked the holes they were starting on.”
Tech thus moved on to compete in the final round of stroke play later Monday, with tee times from 1 to 1:44 p.m. Eastern daylight time. The top eight teams on the leaderboard at the end of the day will advance to the match play part of the championship, which begins Tuesday, and the individual champion will be crowned. The Jackets are 19 shots out of eighth place, and senior Noah Norton (Chico, Calif.) is tied for 34th place, 14 strokes off the lead.
Highlights from Monday's sudden death playoff
TECH’S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY – Georgia Tech has reached the NCAA Championship finals 29 times since 1985 (30 times in program history), which is tied for fifth most in that time period behind Oklahoma State (35), Arizona State (33), Florida (32) and Texas (32). Tech has posted nine top-8 finishes in the last 15 tries.
The Yellow Jackets have qualified for match play four times since the advent of the stroke-play/match-play format in 2009, finishing third in 2010, second in 2011, second in 2013, fifth in 2014. Tech did not advance out of its regional in 2012, 2016, 2017 or 2018.
CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION/FORMAT – Finals play consists of three days of stroke play on Friday, May 28 thru Sunday, May 30 (54 holes), after which the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play on Monday, May 31 to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, June 1, followed by finals on Wednesday, June 2.
The entire championship is conducted on the Raptor course at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., which measures 7,289 yards and plays to a par of 70. This is the first of three straight years that the Grayhawk will host the NCAA Championship.
- Monday, May 31 – Final round of stroke play competition (tee times based on 54-hole scores)
- Tuesday, June 1 – Quarterfinals and semifinals of team match play
- Wednesday, June 2 – Championship match to determine team champion
TELEVISION – Golf Channel will air live coverage of the final round of stroke play Monday, May 31 (5-9 p.m. Eastern time), the team quarterfinals (12-3:30 p.m. ET) and semifinals (5-9 p.m. ET) on Tuesday June 2, and the team championship match Wednesday, June 2 (5-9 p.m. ET).
Post-Round Audio
Head coach Bruce Heppler following Monday’s playoff at the NCAA Championship
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Support The Swarm Fund, which helps Georgia Tech athletics offset the significant financial challenges associated with Covid-19, and 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 is in its 26th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 65 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.
