Chula Vista, Calif. – Four Yellow Jackets posted subpar rounds Tuesday, led by Christo Lamprecht and Kale Fontenot with 3-under-par 69s, and No. 13 Georgia Tech shot the low round of the day (10-under-par 278) to finish in fourth place at the RE Lamkin Invitational.
Tech began the day 12 strokes off the lead, but got hot on the back nine at San Diego Country Club and got within two shots of the lead at one point. But time ran out on the Jackets, who completed their round well before the leaders and finished six shots in arrears of co-host San Diego, who took home team and individual honors.
Tech returns to action March 17-19 when it competes in the Linger Longer Invitational at the Great Waters Golf Course in Greensboro, Ga. The Yellow Jackets play three events during the month.
TECH LINEUP – Lamprecht and Fontenot led the Tech charge on the back nine at San Diego Country Club. Lamprecht began his final round with a double-bogey, but played his final 10 holes 5-under-par with no bogeys for his 69. The senior from George, South Africa tied for ninth place at 6-under-par 210.
Fontenot birdied 14-15-16 in succession and then parred out for his 69. The freshman from Lafayette, La., tied for 23rd place at 2-under-par 214.
Hiroshi Tai birdied three holes and played bogey-free golf for 17 holes, but bogeyed the last for a 2-under-par 70. The sophomore from Singapore tied for fifth place at 7-under-par 209, his second consecutive top-10 finish for the Jackets this spring.
Freshman Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.) added a 70 to the Yellow Jackets’ total and tied for 33rd place at 1-under-par 215, while Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) shot a closing 77 and tied for 71st place at 223 (+7).
Sophomore Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.), competing as an individual, shot 74 Tuesday and tied for 77th place at 225 (+9).
Hiroshi Tai has finished in the top 10 of Tech’s last two tournaments. (photo by Derrick Tuskan)
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Co-host San Diego shot 5-under-par 283 Tuesday to finish at 22-under-par 842, taking a four-stroke victory over Fresno State and Colorado, who tied for second place at 18-under-par 846.
Tech finished alone in fourth place at 16-under-par 848, followed by Loyola Marymount and No. 19 New Mexico (849, -15). San Diego State (-11), Saint Mary’s (-10), No. 4 Washington (-9) and Brigham Young (-2) rounded out the top 10 in the 16-team field.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Craig Ronne of San Diego, the 36-hole leader, shot 69 Tuesday, finishing at 12-under-par 204 to close out a two-shot victory over Loyola Marymount’s Mason Snyder (10-under-par 206).
Fresno State’s Matthew Sutherland and LMU’s Riley Lewis tied for third place at 208 (-8), while Tech’s Hiroshi Tai finished in a four-way tie for fifth place at 209 (-7). The Jackets’ Christo Lamprecht and two others tied for ninth place at 210 (-6).
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Georgia Tech competed in the RE Lamkin Invitational for the first time in the event’s 17-year history. The tournament follows the traditional collegiate 54-hole, 5-count-4, stroke-play format, with 36 holes Monday and 18 holes Tuesday. The event is contested at San Diego Country Club, a venue measuring 7,033 yards (par 72).
The 16-team field includes BYU (43), Cal Poly, Colorado (70), Colorado State (57), Fresno State (48), Georgia Tech (13), Hawai’i, LSU (29), Loyola Marymount (41), New Mexico (19), Saint Mary’s, San Diego, San Diego State (31), Santa Clara, Washington (4) and Wyoming.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and 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. Heppler is the 10th-longest-tenured head coach in Division I men’s golf. 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.
