Naples, Fla. – Senior Aidan Kramer shot an even-par 72, and Bartley Forrester added a 1-over-par 73 Monday, while Georgia Tech posted an 8-over-par total of 296 and advanced into a tie for fourth place after two rounds of the Calusa Cup at Calusa Pines Golf Club.
The Yellow Jackets, No. 15 in the Scoreboard collegiate rankings, moved up on the leaderboard but remains well back of 16th-ranked Florida, which was the only team under par again Monday and has a 10-stroke lead on the field. The final round of the Calusa Cup gets underway at 8 a.m. EDT Tuesday.
Tech is playing the tournament without its top player, All-American Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa), who is playing in the Masters this week, an invitation that resulted from winning The Amateur Championship last summer. The senior from George, South Africa is ranked the No. 1 amateur in the world currently. Freshman Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.), who has started all five spring events before this week, is out with an injury.
TECH LINEUP – Kramer, a senior from Oviedo, Fla., playing in his third tournament of the spring, led the Jackets on Monday, recording four birdies and four bogeys on his way to an even-par 72. He is tied for 20th place at 5-over-par 149 after 36 holes.
Sophomore Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.), who was tied for second place after an opening 69, followed with a 74 Monday and is the only Jacket under par for 36 holes, tied for seventh place at 1-under-par 143. He is looking for his first career top-10 finish.
Forrester, a senior from Gainesville, Ga., is tied for 15th place at 147 (+3). Sophomore Hiroshi Tai (Singapore) provided Tech’s other counting score Monday with a 5-over-par 77. He is tied for 22nd place at 150 (+6). Freshman Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.) shot 81 Monday and is tied for 41st place.
Aidan Tran is tied for sixth place after 36 holes, looking for his first career top-10 finish.
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Florida rode a 4-under-par 68 from Parker Bell and shot a 2-under-par 286 Monday to hold first place after 36 holes at 569 (-7). The Gators lead Purdue (580, +4) by 11 strokes heading into Tuesday’s final round. Wake Forest holds third place alone at 585 (-9).
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Miami’s Brett Podobinski shot a 3-under-par 69 and moved into a tie for the lead with Florida’s Jack Turner, who shot 2-under-par 70 on Monday. They each have a 36-hole total of 139 (-5), one shot ahead of first-round leader Scotty Kennon of Wake Forest (140, -4).
Georgia’s Ben Van Wyk has solo fourth place at 141 (-3), followed by Florida’s Parker Bell at 142 (-2). Tech’s Tran is tied for sixth place with the Gators’ Tyler Wilkes at 143 (-1). Noah Kent of Iowa and three Purdue players are tied for eighth place at even-par 144.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Georgia Tech has competed in the Calusa Cup twice, winning the event by eight strokes over Florida in 2022, and earning a runner-up finish behind top-ranked Oklahoma in 2021. Bartley Forrester shared medalist honors with the Gators’ Fred Biondi in 2022.
The event features a limited, but strong field with five of the eight teams currently residing in the top 50 of the Scoreboard NCAA Golf rankings, including Florida (16), Georgia Tech (15), Georgia (22), Iowa, Miami of Ohio, Nebraska, Purdue (30) and Wake Forest (34).
The tournament is contested at Calusa Country Club, which measures 7,320 yards and plays to a par of 72. Tuesday. Each team will have five players competing with the low four scores counting toward the team total each day, and the tournament will be 54 holes, 18 each on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
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 is in its 29th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, having won 72 tournaments in his tenure. Heppler is the 10th-longest-tenured head coach in Division I men’s golf. The Yellow Jackets have won 19 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 33 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up five 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.
