THE FLATS – Turning around quickly from a fifth-place finish in its most recent event last week, Georgia Tech’s golf team travels to Long Island to compete in the Hamptons Intercollegiate Monday and Tuesday in East Hampton, N.Y.
The Yellow Jackets won their fall opener at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate in mid-September out in Arizona, and followed that up by finishing fifth last week at the Windon Memorial Classic. Tech is ranked No. 3 this week in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index, a ranking which came out in the middle of the Windon event, and three Yellow Jackets are ranked among the top 50 individuals in the nation.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Georgia Tech is competing in the Hamptons Intercollegiate for the first time. The event was played for the first time in 2019, and the Yellow Jackets were set to compete in last year’s event before COVID-19 forced its cancellation. The 54-hole event, with 36 holes Monday and 18 Tuesday, is conducted at Maidstone Golf Club, one of the oldest golf courses in the United States, which plays to a par of 72 but measures just 6,665 yards.
Twelve teams are set to compete, including host Loyola Maryland (ranked No. 119 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index), California (75), Duke (56), George Washington (212), Georgetown (168), Georgia Tech (3), Liberty (28), Northwestern (46), Penn (232), Princeton (183), Virginia (NR) and Yale (137).
Connor Howe matched his career-high finish, a tie for seventh place, last week at the Windon Memorial Classic (photo by Paul Kennedy)
TEAM UPDATE – The core group that led Georgia Tech to a 15th-place finish in last year’s NCAA Championship – senior Ben Smith (Novi, Mich.), juniors Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) and Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) and sophomore Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa) – have played in both of the Yellow Jackets’ tournaments this fall along with Ross Steelman (Columbia, Mo.), a transfer from Missouri who reached the quarterfinals of the 2021 U.S. Amateur.
Tech’s victory at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate, in which the Yellow Jackets broke the team record for low 54-hole score (796) elevated the Jackets to No. 8 in the Bushnell Coaches poll, and to No. 3 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index. Three Jackets – Lamprecht, Forrester and Steelman – were ranked among the top 50 individuals.
Lamprecht finished in the top 10 in both the Maui Jim and the Windon. At the Maui Jim he posted a Tech-record 54-hole score of 194 (-16) on the way to a runner-up finish. Howe matched a career-best finish with his tie for seventh at the Windon Memorial. Forrester tied for sixth, and Steelman tied for ninth at the Maui Jim.
TECH LINEUP – Tech’s five-man lineup for the Windon includes Lamprecht and Steelman, who earned spots with their top-10 finishes in Arizona. Howe, who easily won the team’s 54-hole qualifying last week, Forrester, who tied for sixth at the Maui Jim competing as an individual, and Smith round out the group. Mao earned a spot on the trip through qualifying and will compete as an individual.
Here’s a quick look at the Yellow Jackets competing this week…
Christo Lamprecht (Sophomore, George, South Africa) – Tallest player ever in Tech program at 6-foot-8 … Runner-up at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate with a program-record 54-hole score of 194 (-16), and tief for 10th at the Windon Memorial … Leads the Jackets in stroke average at 67.33 … Currently No. 5 in the Golfwee/Sagarin Index, No. 107 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Connor Howe (Junior, Ogden, Utah) – Ranks No. 73 in the PGA Tour University ranking … Tied for 7th at the Windon Memorial Classic to lead the Jackets, and tied for 19th at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate … Stroke average of 68.67 is No. 2 on the team … T-5 at the Southern Amateur, T-7 at the Monroe Invitational and T-11 at the Dogwood Invitational in the summer
Ross Steelman (Junior, Columbia, Mo.) – Tied for ninth place at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate … Currently ranked No. 43 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index, No. 62 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking … Second-team All-Southeastern Conference last spring, ranked No. 28 national ranking in Golfstat … Tied for third at the NCAA Noblesville Regional … Reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur last summer … T-3 at the Monroe Invitational, T-11 at the Northeast Amateur
Bartley Forrester (Junior, Gainesville, Ga.) – Tied for sixth place at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate competing as an amateur, shot 63 in the final round … No. 26 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index off that performance Qualified for the 2021 U.S. Amateur and posted a T-20 at the Monroe Invitational last summer … High finish last spring was T-18 at the Amer Ari Intercollegiate … Co-medalist the 2020 Puerto Rico Classic
Benjamin Reuter (Freshman, Naarden, The Netherlands) – Tied for 64th at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate but did not travel to the Windon Memorial … Won the Dutch National Championship and reached match play at the U.S. Junior Amateur last summer … Ranked No. 221 in World Amateur Golf Ranking, No. 100 in European Golf Ranking
Ben Smith (Senior, Novi, Mich.) – Competing as an individual this week … Ranks No. 61 in the PGA Tour University ranking … T-8 at Monroe Invitational, T-10 at Northeast Amateur last summer … Tied for eighth at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, and tied for ninth at the Calusa Cup last spring … Shot 67-63 to open the Maui Jim Intercollegiate but finished with a 76 to tie for 31st, tied for 67th at the Windon Memorial
"We've never played up there, and it's a historic golf course, We're fortunate to be able to play there. It's a seaside links type of environment. It's not long, and we might have to deal with some rain, so it could be an Open Championship experience for the guys. Sometimes the schedule falls the way it falls, and you don't have the time to get on the course and compete for spots in the lineup. It's not ideal, So I used the 'point system,' looked across the room and said 'you're going, and you're going,' pointing at them. It's based on seven rounds at home and and competition in tournaments."
Head coach Bruce Heppler
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 66 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.
