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Tyler Strafaci

Tyler Strafaci - Men's Golf - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Experience 4 VL
Height 6-0
Weight 175
Hometown Davie, Fla.
Last School American Heritage School
Major Business Administration
Year Senior
Tyler Strafaci - Men's Golf - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

 

  • Finalist for Byron Nelson Award – 2020
  • GCAA All-American – 2020 (honorable mention)
  • GCAA All-East Region – 2018, 2019, 2020
  • All-Atlantic Coast Conference – 2018, 2020
  • North & South Amateur Champion – 2020
  • Palmetto Amateur Champion – 2020
  • U.S. Amateur Champion – 2020
  • U.S. Walker Cup team – 2021

​General: Two-time All-ACC and three-time GCAA All-Region performer who played No. 1, 2 or 3 in Tech’s lineup consistently throughout his career … Won the U.S. Amateur, North & South Amateur and the Palmetto Amateur in the summer of 2020 … Rose to No. 32 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and No. 2 in the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking … Earned 10 top-10 finishes in 35 events over his career, including one tournament victory and four other top-5 showings … Product of a golfing family who has been one of Tech’s top players on the amateur circuit since his enrollment … One of the nation’s top-ranked juniors in the class of 2016 who led his high school team to a pair of state titles and arrived at Tech on the heels of an excellent amateur schedule in 2016 … Top-ranked player from the state of Florida when he enrolled … Much stronger through work in the gym since his arrival on campus, gained 25-30 yards off the tee … Improved length has allowed him to be more aggressive … High IQ for playing the game, has good strategy for playing the course as well as how he practices … Outstanding student who was named GCAA All-America Scholar in 2019 and 2020 and made the ACC Academic Honor Roll every year …  In his community, he regularly served with the EXCEL Program at Georgia Tech, a four-year program offered to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities … Also regularly mentored junior golfers during the summer months, as well as participating in the Michael Isenhour Toy Drive each fall.

Last name pronounced “struh-FAH-chee” … One of two children … His father, Frank, Jr., played collegiate golf at Miami Dade North Junior College (1975-76) and the University of Florida (1976) … His mother was a four-year golf letterwinner at Florida (1975-79) … His grandfather, Frank, Sr., was a highly-ranked amateur golfer during the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, winning the 1935 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and two North & South Amateur titles  … Introduced to golf at age 6 … Enjoys fishing in the Florida Keys, basketball and movies … Majored in business administration and completed requirements for his bachelor’s degree in fall, 2020.

2020 Amateur Highlights:  Won the 120th U.S. Amateur, the second straight Georgia Tech player to do so and the fourth in program history … Reached the championship with a 4 and 2 opening-round victory over Kelly Chinn of Great Falls, Va., a 2 and 1 win over Julian Perico of Peru in the round of 32, and consecutive 1-up decisions over Segundo Oliva Pinto of Argentina (round of 16), Stewart Hagestad of Newport Beach, Calif. (quarterfinals), Aman Gupta of Concord, N.C. (semifinals), and Charles Osborne (championship match) … Won the North & South Amateur Championship at Pinehurst, N.C., on July 4 becoming the first Georgia Tech golfer to win the title in the 120-year history of the event … Put his name on the trophy his grandfather, Frank, Sr., won in 1938 and 1939 … His father, Frank, Jr., caddied for him all week … Defeated William Holcomb V 3&1 in the championship match after tying for 14th place in the stroke play qualifier … Followed a week later by winning the Palmetto Amateur in Aiken, S.C., by one stroke.

2019-20: Tournament results

Finalist for the Byron Nelson Award from the Golf Coaches Association of America … Earned honorable mention All-America honors and made the All-East Region team by the Golf Coaches Association America … GCAA All-America Scholar for the second straight year … Opened the spring with a tie for sixth place (206, -10) at the Amer Ari Invitational, leading after 36 holes, and tied for 30th at the Southern Highlands Collegiate (221, +5) … No. 52 in both the Golfstat ranking and the Golfweek/Sagarin Index … Listed among 20 Division I golfers on the final fall watch list for the Fred Haskins Award … Finished the fall season as Georgia Tech’s highest ranked player in the nation … Posted a pair of top-10 finishes in the fall, fifth-place at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational and a tie for ninth at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational … Tied with Luke Schniederjans for the team lead in stroke average (71.22) … Teamed with Luke Schniederjans for a fourball victory, and defeated Duke’s Evan Katz, 2 and 1, in singles to help Tech win the Cypress Point Classic.

2019 Amateur Highlights: Two top-10 finishes … Won his local qualifier for the U.S. Open in Plantation, Fla. (66, -6) … Tied for 24th at the Monroe Invitational with a 1-under-par score of 279, winning by two strokes … Finished fifth, three strokes off the lead, at the Players Amateur in Bluffton, S.C. (272. -16) … Finished 10th at the Porter Cup (276, -4).

 

 

2018-19:  Tournament Results

Made the All-ACC team and named GCAA All-Region for the second straight year … Played in the middle of Tech’s lineup, and ranked No. 76 nationally in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index and No. 82 in Golfstat … Had four top-10 finishes in nine stroke-play events, and won both of his matches in the Jack Nicklaus Invitational in the fall … Finished fourth at the Clemson Invitational (204, -12) and tied for seventh at the Puerto Rico Classic (212, -4) this spring … Tied for 16th at the ACC Championship (213, -3) … Started fast in the fall by tying for sixth place at the Carpet Capital Collegiate (212, -4) and the Maui Jim Invitational (202, -8) … Third on the team in stroke average (career-best 71.15) and head-to-head winning percentage (72.6) … Named a GCAA All-America Scholar, and also named to the All-ACC Academic golf team and the ACC Academic Honor Roll after posting a perfect 4.0 GPA for the year.

2018 Amateur Highlights: Became the first Georgia Tech undergraduate since 1998 to qualify for the U.S. Open … Shot 78-72 (+10) at Shinnecock Hills to miss the cut by two strokes … Prevailed in a 6-for-1 playoff in his U.S. Open sectional qualifier in Jupiter, Fla., taking the final available spot to qualify … Finished T2 (67, -5) to advance from his U.S. Open local qualifier in Plantation, Fla. … Qualifying for the U.S. Open earned him an exemption into the U.S. Amateur … Tied for seventh at the Players Amateur (-9), and tied for second at the Porter Cup (-8) … Tied for seventh in 72 holes of stroke play and advanced to the match play portion of the Western Amateur in Northfield, Ill. … Tied for 19th in stroke play at the U.S. Amateur but fell in the first round of match play, 4 & 3, to Luis Gagne of Costa Rica … Was one of 20 amateurs selected to participate in USA Walker Cup practice session in December … Tied for 18th place (-1) at the South Beach International Amateur.

At U.S. Open: Tech’s Strafaci plays it upbeat amid all high scores — Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 14, 2018

2017-18:  Tech’s No. 2 player most of the year, No. 1 at the NCAA Raleigh Regional, where he was Tech’s top finisher (T-13) … Recorded a pair of top-10 finishes in 10 events, and led the team with a 71.30 stroke average … Made the All-ACC team for the first time, and was also named to the GCAA All-East Region team … Best finish of the spring was a tie for seventh at the Puerto Rico Classic, and tied for 12th at the ACC Championship, firing a 5-under-par 31 on the back nine of the final round to help lift Tech to victory … Tied for 23rd at the Valspar Collegiate and 24th at the Irish Creek Intercollegiate most recently … Three top-20s in the fall, including a fourth-place finish at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate … Played in the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship in March on a sponsor exemption he earned for winning the Valspar Collegiate last spring … Ranked No. 54 by Golfstat and No. 62 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index … Named to the All-ACC Academic golf team and the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

2017 Amateur Highlights: Reached the round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur, defeating Matthew Wolff of Oklahoma State, 3 and 2, before falling to Mark Lawrence of Virginia Tech, 1-up … Tied for 35th to advance out of stroke play … Won his sectional qualifier for the U.S. Amateur in Miami Beach (67-66) … Tied for seventh place at the Monroe Invitational … Tied for 12th place in stroke play and reached the semifinals of match play at the North & South Amateur … Tied for fifth at the Trans-Mississippi Championship … Competed in the U.S. Junior Amateur and lost a 10-for-1 playoff for the final spot in match play.

 

 

2016-17:  Played in only one stroke-play event in the fall but became a solid member of Tech’s starting five in the spring, winning the Valspar Collegiate (211, -2) and tying for 18th at the Seminole Intercollegiate … Did not finish below 48th in any tournament … Third on the Tech team with a 72.54 stroke average, and was ranked No. 142 nationally in the Golfstat rankings (No. 155 in Golfweek/Sagarin Index) … Teamed with Luke Schniederjans to win both of their foursomes matches at the Cypress point Classic match play event in the fall.

2016 Amateur Highlights: Busy and excellent amateur schedule, beginning with a fifth-place finish at the Terra Cotta Invitational and a tie for 30th at the Sage Valley Junior Invitational … Also tied for 27th at the Monroe Invitational, tied for 35th at the Porter Cup.

High School: Played six years of varsity golf at American Heritage School in Plantation, Fla., for coach Brandt Moser … Team captain as a junior and senior … Won the individual state championship in 2015 and helped his team to state titles in 2012 and 2014 and runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2015 … Made the all-county team from 2012-15 and was named county golfer of the year in 2015 … Set a county record for consecutive 18-hole rounds under par (7) in 2015 … National Honor Society member who graduated with highest honors.

Junior Golf: An honorable-mention Rolex Junior All-American in 2015 by the American Junior Golf Association … Ranked as high as No. 24 nationally, No. 4 in the class of 2016 by the AJGA … Ranked as high as No. 7 overall by the Golfweek/Sagarin index and 19th by the Junior Golf Scoreboard … Top-ranked player in Florida in all three services … Logged a pair of victories, another top-5 finish, seven top-10s and 11 top-20s out of 14 junior events in 2015 … Captured victories in sectional qualifying tournaments for the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur, and reached the round of 32 in match play at the U.S. Junior Amateur.

Career Statistics

Low Tour
LowPar/-Finish Top
SeasonRounds54-holesRoundRoundsEvents 1 510W-LW-L%Average
2016-172420869138111434-207.67772.54
2017-183020866201012615-182.77271.30
2018-193320265201114685-259.72671.15
2019-20182066410623387-132.74671.94
Totals10520264633515102121-780.73171.65

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April 8, 2020 Around the Green with Tyler Strafaci

Noah Norton chats with the senior from Davie, Fla.

Around the Green with Tyler Strafaci
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