THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s golf team will open the spring with its traditional trip to Hawai’i, travel twice to Florida, once to California and once to Las Vegas this spring as the No. 20-ranked Yellow Jackets look to make it into the NCAA Championship for the 31st time in program history.
After winning twice in the fall and finishing the season No. 20 in the Golfstat rankings (No. 17 in Golfweek/Sagarin and No. 18 in the Bushnell Coaches poll), Tech opens the spring slate Feb. 3-5 by traveling to the Big Island of Hawai’i for the 22nd time for the Amer Ari Intercollegiate, which has become a destination for some of the nation’s top programs.
The Jackets compete twice more in the month of February, participating in the Camp Creek Seminole Invitational in the Florida Panhandle for the second time, and finishing the month with their 12th appearance in the Southern Highlands Collegiate, Feb. 27-March 1, in Las Vegas.
Tech then finishes the regular season with a return trip to Palo Alto, Calif., March 24-26 to play in The Goodwin at the Stanford Golf Course, and its second appearance in the exclusive field of the Calusa Cup (April 3-5) in Naples, Fla.
The 68th playing of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship will take place April 22-25 at Shark’s Tooth Golf Club in Panama City, Fla. NCAA regional qualifying tournaments will take place May 16-18 at six sites around the country, with 30 teams advancing to the NCAA Championship May 27-June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Tech has four starters back from its 2020-21 squad which finished 15th at the NCAA Championship. Those four players – senior Ben Smith (Novi, Mich.), juniors Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) and Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.), and sophomore Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa) – form the Yellow Jackets’ nucleus along with transfer Ross Steelman (Columbia, Mo.) and freshman Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands).
Connor Howe posted a pair of top-10 finishes in the fall and won the Patriot All-American during the holiday break.
SPRING SCHEDULE DETAILS
Amer Ari Intercollegiate
- Dates: 3-5 (54 holes, 18 each day)
- Venue: Hapuna Golf Course (6,875 yards, par 72), Waimeia, Hawai’i.
- Participating teams (20): Arizona State, Auburn, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Osaka, Pacific, Pepperdine, San Jose State, Stanford, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, UC Davis, UCLA, UH Hilo, UH Manoa, Washington
Camp Creek Seminole Invitational
- Dates: 19-21 (54 holes, 18 each day)
- Venue: Camp Creek Golf Club (7,159 yards, par 72), Watersound, Fla.
- Participating teams (14): Alabama, Arkansas, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Southern Highlands Collegiate
- Dates: 27-March 1 (54 holes, 18 each day)
- Venue: Southern Highlands Golf Club (7,372 yards, par 72), Las Vegas, Fla.
- Participating teams (15): Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, New Mexico, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Pepperdine, San Diego, SMU, Southern California, TCU, Texas, UCLA, UNLV (host)
The Goodwin
- Dates: March 24-26 (54 holes, 18 each day)
- Venue: Stanford Golf Course (6,732 yards, par 70), Palo Alto, Calif.
- Participating teams (28): Arkansas-Little Rock, Brigham Young, California, Cal Poly, Colorado, Denver, Drexel, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Tech, Hawaii-Hilo, Howard, Long Beach State, Miami (Ohio), Nevada, Northwestern, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego, Saint Mary’s, San Jose State, SMU, South Florida, Stanford, UC Davis, UCLA, Washington, Washington State, Wofford
Calusa Cup
- Dates: April 3-5 (54 holes, 18 each day)
- Venue: Calusa Golf Club (7,203 yards, par 72), Naples, Fla.
- Participating teams (9): Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Marquette, Oklahoma, Purdue, Wake Forest
ACC Championship
- Dates: April 22-25 (54 holes stroke play, top 4 teams to match play)
- Venue: Shark’s Tooth Golf Club (7,209 yards, par 72), Panama City, Fla.
- Participating teams (12): Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
NCAA Regionals
- Dates: May 16-18 (54 holes, 18 each day)
- Venues: College Station, Texas (Traditions Club, host: Texas A&M); Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (PGA National Resort – Champions Course, host: Florida Atlantic); New Haven, Conn. (The Course at Yale, host: Yale); Stockton, Calif. (The Reserve at Spanos Park, host: University of the Pacific); Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Ol’ Colony Golf Complex, host: Alabama); Columbus, Ohio (OSU Golf Club, host: Ohio State)
- Participating teams (13 or 14): fields announced first week of May
NCAA Championship
- Dates: May 27-June 1 (72 holes, top 8 teams advance to match play)
- Venues: Grayhawk Golf Club (yards, par), Scottsdale, Ariz.
- Participating teams (30): top five finishers from each NCAA regional
Sophomore Christo Lamprecht poste da top-5 and a top-10 finish and led the Jackets in stroke average in the fall season. (photo 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 A-T Fund’s Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes, and the Support The Swarm Fund, created to give fans an opportunity to help Georgia Tech athletics maintain its recent momentum through the financial challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic! To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team has completed 26 years under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 67 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.
