Atlanta, Ga. – Albert Hansson fired a 4-under-par 68, and Kale Fontenot added a 3-under par 69 Monday, finishing third and fourth in the individual race and leading Georgia Tech’s 14th-ranked golf team to the top seed for match play at the 10th annual East Lake Cup.
The East Lake Cup brings together the 2024 NCAA Championship semifinal teams for a three-day stroke and match play competition. Tech’s 8-under-par score of 280 was one stroke better than 4th-ranked Auburn and Florida State (7-under-par 281), who battled in the championship match at the NCAA Championship last May. Ohio State, the fourth NCAA semifinalist, shot 2-over-par 290 and will be the No. 4 seed.
The Yellow Jackets and Buckeyes will face off in one semifinal match at East Lake Golf Club Tuesday, while the Tigers and Seminoles will engage in a rematch of the 2024 NCAA Championship title contest. Competition begins at 10:40 a.m. The winners will meet in the championship match Wednesday, and the losers will play for third place.
Tech finished third in stroke play last year when the East Lake Cup was held at Atlanta Athletic Club, lost to North Carolina in their semifinal match and defeated Florida in the third-place match. Fontenot, a freshman at the time, won medalist honors.
TECH LINEUP – Tech started strong and grabbed the team lead early, traded the top spot with FSU for a time on the back nine, but took the lead for good when Hansson dropped a birdie putt at the par-4 16th hole. Hansson and Fontenot each birdied the par-5 18th hole to hold off the Seminoles.
Hanson, a freshman from Fiskebäckskil, Sweden, had five birdies and an eagle on his card Monday, posting his best round of the fall. Fontenot, a sophomore from Lafayette, La., who shot 68 last year at Atlanta Athletic Club, had four birdies and a bogey on his card Monday.
“I felt pretty good, yeah,” said Hansson. “I’ve been struggling the last few months with some short game and putting, but I felt a little better coming into this week. I had a good feeling this morning.”
Redshirt junior Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands), Tech’s top player this fall ranked No. 32 in the nation, shot a 2-under-par 70 for the Jackets, while defending NCAA individual champion Hiroshi Tai (Singapore) added a 1-over-par 73.
Junior Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.) shot 78 and did not count toward Tech’s team total.
Freshman Albert Hansson led the Jackets Monday with a 4-under-par 68, finishing in third place individually. (photo by Clyde Click)
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Ten of the 20 players in the men’s field broke par Monday at the demanding par-72 East Lake Club, and the Yellow Jackets had three of those in putting together their 8-under-par total of 280.
Auburn, the defending NCAA team champion, and Florida State, the runner-up, also had three players each under par Monday but had higher scores from their fourth players, and tied one shot back at 7-under-par 281.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Ohio State may have finished a distant fourth in the team race, but sophomore Jack Vojtko had three birdies and an eagle over his final six holes to capture medalist honors with a 6-under-par 66. He surpassed Auburn’s Carson Bacha, who was already in the clubhouse with a 5-under-par 67.
Tech’s Hansson finished solo third at 68 (-4), while Fontenot and Florida State teammates Luke Clanton and Patrick McCann tied for fourth place at 69 (-3).
Monday in Photos
EAST LAKE CUP INFORMATION – The 10th annual East Lake Cup runs through Wednesday at East Lake Golf Club, which hosts the final event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs on the PGA Tour each year. The competition includes each of the four men’s and women’s semifinal teams from the previous year’s NCAA Championship competing at stroke play and match play. East Lake Golf Club will measure 7,195 yards and play to a par of 72.
Golf Channel and Peacock will provide live coverage of the competition from 3-6 p.m. each day.
Competition Schedule
- Tuesday, Oct. 29 (match play semifinals): 10:40 a.m. | Golf Channel coverage: 3-6 p.m. (live); 8-11 p.m. (replay)
- Wednesday, Oct. 31 (match play finals and consolation): 10:40 a.m. | Golf Channel coverage: 3-6 p.m. (live); 8-11 p.m. (replay)
Men’s teams: Auburn, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Ohio State; Women’s teams: LSU, Oregon, Southern California, UCLA
Format – The tournament format features 18 holes of stroke play to determine an individual male and female champion, and to set seedings for team match play. There will then be two rounds of match play to determine a team champion, along with a consolation match to determine third place.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 30th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 73 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.
