Alpharetta, Ga. – Christo Lamprecht fired a 7-under-under-par 65 Sunday to pace Georgia Tech to a 9-under-par round of 279, and the 12th-ranked Yellow Jackets finished as the runner-up for the second straight year at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational.
In chilly and breezy conditions Sunday, Tech started the round in third place, six shots off the lead of East Tennessee State and one behind Washington. The Jackets were able to overtake both teams, with whom they were paired, but No. 25 Virginia put together a tournament-record round of 269 (19 strokes under par), leaping from fourth place to win the team title going away. The Cavaliers finished the tournament with a 25-under-par score of 839, six strokes ahead of Tech (845, -19).
Four Yellow Jackets finished in the top 20 individually, led by senior Aidan Kramer, who notched a career-best tie for ninth place.
Tech returns to action at the end of October, splitting its team to compete in the East Lake Cup, Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at the Atlanta Athletic Club, and the Cypress Point Classic, Oct. 30-31 in Monterey, Calif.
TECH LINEUP – After struggling for the first two rounds at 3-over-par, Lamprecht ignored the blustery conditions Sunday and matched the low round of the tournament without recording a bogey. The senior from George, South Africa eagled the opening hole, made birdie on four of five holes around the turn, and finished with another birdie at 18. Lamprecht wound up in a tie for 14th place individually at 212 (-4).
Kramer, who led the Jackets in the opening two rounds with scores of 70-70, continued his steady play Sunday with a 71, finishing with a birdie at 18 for a 5-under-par total of 211. The senior from Oviedo, Fla., tied for ninth place individually, the first top-10 finish of his career. His previous best finish was a tie for 13th at the Golf Club of Georgia event in 2021, in which he posted a 6-under-par 210 score.
Senior Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) also delivered a 71 Sunday, while defending champion Hiroshi Tai (Singapore) added an even-par 72 to the Jackets’ total. Tai tied for 14th place overall at 212 (-4), while Forrester tied for 18th place at 213 (-3).
Tech’s “B” group finished last, but posted a 3-under-par score of 285 Sunday as freshman Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.) shot 2-under-par 70, and sophomore Brady Rackley IV (Atlanta, Ga.) added a 71. Senior Andy Mao (Johns Creek, Ga.) was the group’s highest finisher, tying for 25th place at 1-under-par 215.
Defending champion Hiroshi Tai and Christo Lamprecht tied for 14th place at 4-under-par 212. (photo by Clyde Click)
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Virginia clicked on all cylinders Sunday with five subpar rounds, getting a 65 from Ben James, a 66 from Deven Patel and a 68 from Bryan Lee. Its 19-under-par round erased an 18-under-par effort by Georgia Tech in 2018 from the tournament record book, and the Cavaliers posted a 25-under-par tournament total of 839.
Tech, at 19-under-par 845, finished as the runner-up for the second straight year and for the third time in the tournament’s history. The Jackets have won it twice.
No. 11 East Tennessee State, the 36-hole leader, was 1-over-par Sunday and finished in third place at 848 (-16), followed by No. 7 Washington at 849 (-15) and No. 26 Duke at 852 (-12).
Charlotte (858, -6), Southern California (860, -4), Texas A&M (861, -3), Tennessee (862, -2) and Pepperdine (863, -1) rounded out the top 10.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Algot Kleen of East Tennessee State, who held the 36-hole lead by himself, shot 70 Sunday and shared medalist honors with UCLA’s Omar Morales, who shot 69. Both players finished 54 holes at 11-under-par 205.
Pepperdine’s Mananth Chirravuri and Charlotte’s Conor Gough tied for third place at 207 (-9), followed by Mats Ege of ETSU and Ben James of Virginia at 208 (-8). Washington’s Finn Noelle was seventh at 209 (-7), with Clemson’s Jonathan Nielsen eighth (210, -6).
Tech’s Kramer and four others tied for ninth at 211 (-5).
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate, formerly called the United States Collegiate Championship and first conducted in 2006, is contested at the Yellow Jackets’ home club each fall. The tournament is played exclusively on the 7,092-yard, par 72 Lakeside Course, 18 holes each day.
Twelve of the 14 teams competing at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate played in NCAA regionals last spring, six advancing to the NCAA Championship, and three (Tech, Pepperdine, Virginia) reaching match play. Six teams are currently ranked among the top 25 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings.
The full field with Golfweek/Sagarin ranking in parentheses) – Charlotte, Clemson, Duke (26), East Tennessee State (11), Georgia Tech (12), Northwestern (41), Pepperdine, Southern California, Tennessee (5), Texas A&M (21), UCLA (32), Virginia (25), Wake Forest (39), Washington (7).
TECH’S GOLF CLUB OF GEORGIA COLLEGIATE HISTORY – Georgia Tech has won the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate twice in the event’s 17-year history, in 2010 and 2012. Three Tech players have won medalist honors. James White, who set tournament records for 18-hole score (62) and 54-hole score (204, broken in 2014), won in 2010, Ollie Schniederjans won in 2013, and Hiroshi Tai followed in 2022.
Clemson, Oklahoma State, Southern California and Texas also have won twice. The Tigers captured the inaugural title in 2006 and again in 2009, the Longhorns won in 2014 and shared the title with Virginia in 2016, the Cowboys won in 2013 and 2017, and the Trojans in 2008 and 2019. The tournament was not played in the fall of 2020 due to COVID-19, and Pepperdine and Stanford have captured the last two titles.
The Yellow Jackets have finished in the top five 13 times in 17 years.
Photos by Clyde Click
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 29th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, having won 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. 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.
