THE FLATS – Coming off its second straight advance to match play at the NCAA Championship, Georgia Tech’s golf team will make its second appearance this fall in the annual East Lake Cup, highlighting a 2024 fall schedule which also includes the 18th Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational at its home course in Alpharetta, Ga.
The Yellow Jackets conclude their fall slate with the East Lake Cup, which has been contested every year since 2015 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Tech finished third in last year’s event, which was held at Atlanta Athletic Club due to renovations at East Lake. This year’s edition will take place Oct. 28-30. Defending national champion Auburn, runner-up Florida State, and semifinalists Georgia Tech and Ohio State will compete for the men’s title in the stroke play/match play event, while 2024 champ Stanford, runner-up UCLA and semifinalists Oregon and Southern California will compete for the women’s title. The tournament will be televised live on Golf Channel.
Two weeks earlier, Tech will once again play host to many of the nation’s best teams from coast to coast at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational, which will be played Oct. 18-20. One of two teams to capture the title twice, most recently in 2012, the Yellow Jackets have finished as the runner-up each of the past two years.
Seven of the 14 teams competing at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate played in NCAA Championship finals last spring, three of which advanced to match play (Tech, Vanderbilt, Virginia), and 11 total competed in NCAA regionals. The field includes Alabama, Charlotte, Clemson, Duke, East Tennessee State, Pepperdine, Southern California, Stanford, Tennessee, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Washington.
Tech opens the fall slate Sept. 6-8 by making its first appearance at the Visit Knoxville Open, which will be held at Tennessee National Golf Club in Loudon, Tenn., outside Knoxville. After that, the Yellow Jackets make their third appearance at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, Sept. 20-22 at Olympia Fields Country Club in Illinois, where Tech has finished second and third in its previous visits. Tech then goes back for the third time to Fort Worth, Texas, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, for the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational at venerable Colonial Country Club.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us in the fall, five great events, all with strong fields at great golf courses, which is what we promise all of the players that come through this program,” said head coach Bruce Heppler, who in 29 seasons on The Flats has guided the Yellow Jackets to 72 tournament victories, 14 ACC Championships and 26 NCAA appearances. “We’re thrilled to be able to return to the East Lake Cup, and our event at the Golf Club of Georgia will be as strong as ever.”
Tech faces this schedule following the loss of the world’s top amateur player, Christo Lamprecht, now competing on the Korn Ferry Tour, and Bartley Forrester, a two-time winner in his five years on The Flats. Both graduated last spring after leading the Jackets to the semifinals of match play at the NCAA Championship.
Heppler does, however, welcome back the NCAA individual champion, junior Hiroshi Tai (Singapore), who has won three times in his career. Tech also returns a pair of juniors in Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands), who redshirted last year, and Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.), who played four rounds for the Jackets at the NCAA Championship, and up-and-coming sophomores Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.) and Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.), who peach played 12 events as freshmen.
FALL SCHEDULE DETAILS
Visit Knoxville Collegiate
- Dates: September 6-8 (stroke play, 18 holes each day)
- Venue: Tennessee National Golf Club, Loudon, Tenn.
- Participating teams (16): Charlotte, Cincinnati, College of Charleston, East Tennessee State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, North Florida, Penn State, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin
Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational
- Dates: September 20-22 (stroke play, 18 holes each day)
- Venue: Olympia Fields Country Club, Olympia Fields, Ill.
- Participating teams (15): Alabama, Arizona State, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Michigan, Northwestern, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational
- Dates: September 30-October 1 (stroke play, 36 holes first day)
- Venue: Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas.
- Participating teams (13): Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Stanford, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational
- Dates: October 18-20 (stroke play, 18 holes each day)
- Venue: Golf Club of Georgia (Lakeside Course), Alpharetta, Ga.
- Participating teams (14): Alabama, Charlotte, Clemson, Duke, East Tennessee State, Pepperdine, Southern California, Stanford, Tennessee, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Washington
East Lake Cup
- Dates: October 28-30 (18 holes stroke play to seed match play bracket)
- Venue: East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Ga.
- Participating teams (4): Auburn, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Ohio State
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 30th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 72 tournaments in his tenure. 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. Follow Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on X (@GTGolf) and Instagram. For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
