Las Vegas, Nev. – Bartley Forrester paced Georgia Tech with a 3-under-par 69 and first-round leader Christo Lamprecht shot 1-under-par 71 Monday, leading No. 12 Georgia Tech to a 2-under-par 286, but the Yellow Jackets dropped a couple of spots to sixth place after 36 holes at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas, Nev.
Looking for victory number four in 2021-22, the No. 12-ranked Yellow Jackets are 13 shots off the pace of top-ranked Oklahoma. Head coach Bruce Heppler’s squad is part of a 15-team field that includes seven teams that are ranked in the top 25 of the current Golfstat rankings, nine in the top 50.
Rounds 3 begins at 12 p.m. Monday, and Tech is paired with No. 9 Georgia and No. 5 Pepperdine.
TECH LINEUP – Forrester continued his stellar play this spring, in which he has shot par or better in seven of eight rounds. On Monday, the junior from Gainesville, Ga., carded three birdies and an eagle on a par-4 in posting his 69 and is tied for eighth place (138, -6) after 36 holes.
But Lamprecht, the first-round leader with 66 Monday, was the only other Yellow Jacket to break par, recording three birdies in his round of 71, and the sophomore from George, South Africa slipped to a tie for fourth place individually at 136 (-8). Junior Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) shot even-par 72 and junior Ross Steelman (Columbia, Mo.) added a 2-over-par 74 for Tech.
Howe is tied for 22nd place individually at 3-under-par 141.
Bartley Forrester has shot par or better in seven of eight spring rounds. (photo by Ross Obley)
TEAM LEADERBOARD – First-round leader Oklahoma, after carding a 6-under-par 282 Monday, has built a seven-shot advantage with a 36-hole total of 550 (-26). The top-ranked Sooners had three subpar rounds Monday but also had to count a 76.
Texas had the hot hand in round 2, getting four scores in red figures for a 12-under-par 276 that lifted the 15th-ranked Longhorns six positions into second place at 19-under-par 557. No. 9 Georgia shot 8-under-par 280 and moved into a three-way tie for third place at 16-under-par 560 with No. 24 Florida (3-under 285 Monday) and No. 5 Pepperdine (1-under 287 Monday).
The Yellow Jackets are another two strokes back in sixth place a 14-under-par 562. Eleven of the 15 teams in the field broke par Monday.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Caden Fioroni of host UNLV shot 6-under-par 66, the best round of the day, rising into a tie for the individual lead with Florida’s Fred Biondi and Oklahoma’s Patrick Welch at 9-under-par 135.
Tech’s Lamprecht and the Sooners’ Logan McAllister are tied for fourth place, one stroke back at 8-under-par 136. Drew Goodman is the third Sooner in the top 10, tied for sixth with Texas’ Mason Nome at 7-under-par 137, and the Yellow Jackets’ Forrester is tied for eighth at 6-under-par 138 with the Longhorns’ Travis Vick.
"The course played harder today. The 20-under score wasn’t possible with the way some of the pins were placed. But there were still some opportunities where we could have played better. This is a really strong field and a good golf course. We’ll tee it up again tomorrow and see what we can do."
Head coach Bruce Heppler
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Georgia Tech is competing in the Southern Highlands Collegiate for the 18th time. The Jackets did not play in the event last year, but finished 10th in their last appearance in 2020, the last event Tech played before the spring season shut down due to COVID-19.
Georgia Tech has won the event twice, in 2001 and 2002, but have finished no higher than solo sixth place (2005, 2019) since then. Four Yellow Jackets, all of whom have competed on the PGA Tour, have captured medalist honors, beginning in 1992 when Stewart Cink and David Duval shared the title. Troy Matteson won a share of the title in 2002 with Florida’s Camilo Villegas, and Cameron Tringale win the tournament outright in 2009.
The tournament follows the traditional collegiate 54-hole, 5-count-4, stroke-play format, with 18 holes each Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The event is conducted at Southern Highlands Golf Club, which measures 7,510 yards (par 72), the longest layout on the Yellow Jackets’ schedule. For the second time, the individual champion will receive an exemption into the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, which will take place Oct. 6-9, 2022, at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas.
The field includes (with Golfstat ranking) No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 5 Pepperdine, No. 9 Georgia, No. 12 Georgia Tech, No. 15 Texas, No. 19 Illinois, No. 24 Florida, No. 29 New Mexico, No. 35 Northwestern, San Diego, SMU, Southern California, TCU, UCLA and UNLV.
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 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 27th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 68 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.
