East Hampton, N.Y. – Ross Steelman fired an opening-round 70 and has the individual lead, and Georgia Tech stands in second place Monday evening after play was suspended due to darkness during the second round at the Hamptons Intercollegiate.
The Yellow Jackets shot 3-over-par 291 during the rain-delayed morning round, and is 6-over-par for the tournament through the turn in round 2, five shots behind leader Northwestern (+1). The Wildcats also shot 291 in the early round and were 2-under-par for the second round when play was halted. Tech and the Wildcats shared the team lead after the opening round.
No teams were under par at the time play was halted, and only two individuals were in red figures on the 6,742-yard Maidstone Golf Club course. The second round will resume at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, with round 3 beginning immediately afterward with a shotgun start.
Freshman Benjamin Reuter was tied for sixth place individually when play was halted Monday evening. (photo by Todd Drexler)
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 – Steelman carded five birdies and three bogeys on the way to his morning round of 70, and the junior from Columbia, Mo., scored two birdies with one bogey through 10 holes in round 2 to assume a two-stroke lead.
Freshman Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) shot 74 in the morning and was 1-under-par in the afternoon, sitting in a tie for sixth individually, while junior Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) is tied for 12th place at 3-over-par.
All six Tech golfers, including senior Ben Smith (Novi, Mich.), who is competing as an individual, are among the top 30 players on the individual leaderboard. Smith shot even-par 72 in the morning and is tied for 20th at level par, while Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa) and junior Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) are tied for 26th.
TEAM LEADERBOARD – One of two teams under par for round 2 (-2), Northwestern has a five-stroke lead over the Yellow Jackets (+6), with both teams having finished 10 holes in round 2. Virginia (+9) holds third place, followed by Liberty and Duke, each at 10-over-par. The Blue Devils were 4-under-par for the second round when play was halted.
Loyola of Maryland is the next closest team, sitting in sixth place at 20-over-par.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Steelman (-3 through 27 holes) leads by two shots over Virginia’s Chris Fosdick (-1 through 28 holes), who was 3-under-par for his afternoon round.
Three players – Northwestern teammates John Driscoll and David Nyfjall and Duke’s Luke Sample – are even par through 28 holes and tied for third place, followed by the Yellow Jackets’ Reuter, who is alone in sixth place at 1-over-par through 27 holes.
"The weather conditions were brutal early, but I thought we played the hard holes well, and we made up a lot of ground on the back nine, where there are three par-5s. We haven’t gotten to those in round 3, so the scores don’t mean a whole lot at this point. Ross has played the golf course really well so far."
Head coach Bruce Heppler
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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.
