Olympia Fields, Ill. – Benjamin Reuter fired a 6-under-par 64 that included a pair of eagles and has a share of the first-round lead, while No. 17 Georgia Tech posted a 1-under-par total of 279 Friday and is tied for second place at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational.
Reuter, who redshirted the 2023-24 year, gained momentum with three straight birdies on his opening nine holes, then made back-to-back eagles at the par-5 first hole and the par-4 second to start his back nine, and added another birdie on the way home for his 64. The junior from Naarden, The Netherlands is tied with Arizona State’s Jose Luis Ballester, four strokes clear of a large group of golfers at 2-under-par 68.
Tech is tied with No. 9 Florida and No. 16 North Carolina, six strokes behind the No. 2 Sun Devils.
The 15-team field includes four teams – Tech (No. 17), Florida State (No. 10), host Illinois (No. 5) and North Carolina (No. 16) – who advanced to match play at the NCAA Championship last May, and 11 teams that competed in stroke play. Also competing are eight other programs ranked among the top-25 in the Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll.
Round 2 of the 54-hole event at Olympia Fields Country Club begins at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time Saturday. Tee times have been pushed ahead with plans to play 36 holes and finish the tournament Saturday due to a forecast of rain and thunderstorms Sunday. Last year’s tournament, in which Tech finished third, was shortened to 36 holes because of inclement weather.
TECH LINEUP – Reuter’s performance Friday put the junior in position to earn his first collegiate victory, beating his previous career-low round by four shots. His previous best finish has been a tie for fourth place at the NCAA Columbus Regional his freshman year.
Hiroshi Tai chimed in with a 1-under-par 69 Friday, starting out hot with three birdies in his first seven holes before the junior from Singapore settled back into a tie for 11th. Freshman Albert Hansson (Fiskebäckskil, Sweden) delivered a 2-over-par 72, while sophomores Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.) each added a 4-over-ar 74.
Hiroshi Tai is tied for 11th place at 1-under-par 69. (photo by Clyde Click)
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Arizona State benefitted from three subpar rounds and the stellar play of Ballester, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, to post a 7-under-par score of 273 and open a six-stroke lead over Tech, Florida and North Carolina (each at 1-under-par 279).
No. 22 Stanford, No. 10 Florida State and No. 5 Illinois, the host team, are tied for fifth place at even-par 280.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Georgia Tech’s Reuter and Arizona State’s Ballester, who each shot 64 (-6) Friday, are four shots ahead of a group of eight golfers tied at 2-under-par 68, a group that includes All-Americans Luke Clanton of Florida State, David Ford of North Carolina and Ian Gilligan of Florida.
Eleven more players, including Tech’s Hiroshi Tai, are tied for 11th place at 1-under-par 69, with 10 more tied at even-par 70.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Yellow Jackets are competing in the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational for the third time, having shared the 2019 title with Baylor and finishing third last fall. Illinois hosts the 15-team event, which will be contested over 54 holes beginning Friday and concluding Sunday at Olympia Fields Country Club’s North course, which plays to a par-70 and measures 7,353 yards. The club has hosted two U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships.
The 15-team field (with national ranking) includes Alabama (7), Arizona State (2), Baylor, Florida (9), Florida State (10), Georgia Tech (17), Illinois (5), Michigan, North Carolina (16), Northwestern, Oklahoma State (18), Stanford (20), Texas (11), Texas A&M (19) and Texas Tech (14).
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
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ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 30th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 72 tournaments in his tenure. 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. 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.
