Pebble Beach, Calif. – Georgia Tech junior Tyler Strafaci saw his run in the U.S. Amateur Championship come to an end Wednesday with a 4 & 3 loss to Luis Gagne of Costa Rica in the first round of match play at the Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Strafaci, a native of Davie, Fla., ranked 65th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, had earned the No. 17 seed after tying for 19th place in the 36-hole stroke-play portion of the championship. He fell behind early, dropping four of the first eight holes of the match, three of them with bogeys. He recovered to win two of the next three holes with birdies at 9 and 11, a pair of par 4 holes, but never got closer than a three-hole deficit the rest of the way.
Gagne, a senior at LSU ranked No. 45 in the world, birdied the par-4 13th to go back up four holes, and both players parred 14 and 15, where the match ended.
Strafaci concluded an excellent summer in which he qualified for the U.S. Open, reached the semifinals of match play at the Western Amateur and posted top-10 finishes at the Porter Cup and the Players Amateur. That came on the heels of a sophomore year in which he earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference and GCAA All-East Region honors, was ranked No. 57 in the nation, and helped the Yellow Jackets win four tournaments, including an ACC Championship.
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Georgia Tech’s golf team is beginning its 24th year under head coach Bruce Heppler. The Yellow Jackets have won 17 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 32 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). For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
