East Hampton, N.Y. – Georgia Tech fired the low round of the tournament Tuesday, a 12-under-par 276 fueled by Ross Steelman’s 6-under-par round of 66, and the 14th-ranked Yellow Jackets forged a three-way tie with Virginia and Northwestern at the top of the final leaderboard at the Hamptons Intercollegiate.
The shared title gives Tech its second win in three fall tournaments and the 67th for the Jackets under head coach Bruce Heppler. The tri-champions finished the 54-hole event with 4-under-par scores of 860, with the Yellow Jackets making up a five-stroke deficit in the final round. There was no playoff. Three Yellow Jackets finished among the top 10 individuals.
TECH LINEUP – Tech made up most of its ground with a strong performance on the back nine holes at the Maidstone Club, piling up 13 birdies and two eagles from its four counting players. Steelman led the way with four birdies and an eagle in that stretch to post his 66, earning the junior from Columbia, Mo., a runner-up finish in the medal race.
Junior Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) also went bogey-free on the back nine with three birdies, turning in a 3-under-par 69 and a tie for seventh place, while junior Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) delivered the other eagle and a pair of birdies in his round of 70 (-2). Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa) provided the fourth Tech score with a 1-under-par 71 and also finished in a tie for seventh place.
Freshman Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) shot 74 in the final round and tied for 21st place individually along with senior Ben Smith (Novi, Mich.), who closed with a 70 while competing as an individual.
Tech collectively led the field in scoring on par-5 holes at 29-under-par and in eagles with four, two of them in the final round. Howe went 9-under-par on the par-5s to lead the field.
Ross Steelman earned a runner-up finish individually with a 6-under-par score of 210. (photo by Todd Drexler)
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Georgia Tech’s closing 276 (-12) was the best round of the tournament and the Yellow Jackets needed every stroke to earn their share of the title. Virginia posted an 8-under 280 Tuesday, while Northwestern shot 281 (-7) as the tournament came down to a three-team race.
Liberty posted a 4-under-par score of 284 Tuesday and finished in fourth place at 865 (+1). Duke was the only other team in contention entering the final round, and the Blue Devils posted a 2-under-par 286 to finish fifth at 872 (+8). Yale finished a distant sixth in the 12-team field at 887 (+23) despite shooting 7-under-par in the final round.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Virginia’s Chris Fosdick, the 36-hole leader, fired a closing 5-under-par 67 to take medalist honors at 209 (-7), winning by one stroke over Georgia Tech’s Ross Steelman (210, -6) in what became a two-player race.
David Nyjfall of Northwestern finished third at 215 (-1), with a trio of Liberty players tied for fourth at even-par 216.
The Yellow Jackets’ Bartley Forrester and Connor Howe tied for seventh at 217 (+1) with Northwestern’s Eric McIntosh.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Georgia Tech participated 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 2020 before COVID-19 forced its cancellation. The 54-hole event, with 36 holes Monday and 18 Tuesday, was conducted at the Maidstone Club, one of the oldest golf courses in the United States, which plays to a par of 72 but measures just 6,742 yards.
Twelve teams competed, 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).
"We played really well today tee to green, and our guys fought hard to get back in this tournament. It’s a great team win on a difficult golf course that requires a lot of patience. I’m very proud of them."
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.
