Scottsdale, Ariz. – Bartley Forrester fired a 7-under-par 63 Saturday, and Connor Howe added a 3-under-par 67, enabling No. ¾ Georgia Tech to post a 13-under-par round of 267 and move up two spots to ninth place after 36 holes at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate.
Meanwhile, freshman Hiroshi Tai went 12-under-par in the 36-hole finish of the individual tournament at Desert Mountain and captured his first collegiate tournament victory in a playoff over Michael Mjaaseth of Arizona State.
After struggling on the front nine Friday at the 7,118-yard, par-70 Mirabel Golf Club, the Yellow Jackets scored 10-under-par Saturday over the same nine holes, which was their closing nine for round 2. They passed New Mexico and Wake Forest on the leaderboard and sit 16 shots behind Auburn, who leads the team race by two over Arizona State.
Tech, which won this event last September at 44-under-par, will begin its final round of the 54-hole tournament at 11:40 a.m. Eastern time Sunday.
TECH LINEUP – With four birdies and a bogey on his front nine and four birdies and no bogeys on his back nine, Forrester matched the low round of his career, which was posted at Mirabel in the third round of this event a year ago, and tied for the low round of the day. The senior from Gainesville, Ga., moved up to a tie for 20th place at 5-under-par 135. Howe also played the second nine bogey free for his 67 and finished 36 holes at 8-under-par 132, tied for ninth place individually.
Ross Steelman, added a 1-under-par 69 Saturday to his opening 66 and also is tied for 20th place at 5-under-par 135. Tech also counted a 2-under-par 68 from freshman Aidan Tran, and junior Christo Lamprecht shot 1-under-par 69.
Hiroshi Tai shot 12-under-par in the 36-hole finish to the individual event Saturday at Desert Mountain, and won the tournament in a playoff. (photo by Mike Holmes)
TEAM EVENT SUMMARY – Auburn maintained its lead by posting a 12-under-par 268 Saturday but saw it shrink to just two strokes after Arizona State shot 23-under-par 257. The Tigers have a 36-hole total of 526 (-34), while the Sun Devils finished the second round at 528 (-32).
Florida State shot 19-under-par Saturday and hold third place at 531 (-29), followed by Tennessee (533, -27) in fourth. San Diego State and Oregon are tied for fifth place at 538 (-22). Washington (540, -20), Arizona (541, -19), Georgia Tech (542, -18) and New Mexico (546, -14) round out the top 10 in the 18-team field.
With a 63, Tennessee’s Caleb Surratt took over the individual lead at 13-under-par 127, one stroke ahead of Oregon’s Owen Avril (128, -12). Florida State’s Cole Anderson, with a 64 Saturday, is tied for third place with Auburn’s Ryan Eshleman at 11-under-par 129. Eshleman followed his opening-round 60 with a 69. Shea Lague of San Diego State and Boyd Owens of Wake Forest are tied for fifth at 130 (-10).
INDIVIDUAL EVENT SUMMARY – Georgia Tech’s Tai shot rounds of 68-66 Saturday and finished the individual event at the Desert Mountain Outlaw course in a tie with Arizona State’s Mjaaseth at 14-under-par 202. The Yellow Jacket freshman came away with his first collegiate victory with a birdie on the first playoff hole, and outlasted 36 other players for the triumph.
Photos by Todd Drexler
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Yellow Jackets are competing in the Maui Jim Intercollegiate for the fifth time, having won the tournament in 2018 and 2021 following finishes of sixth and second the two years prior. Georgia State hosts the 18-team event, which is 54 holes concluding Sunday. The team event is being played at Mirabel Golf Club, a 7,118-yard, par-70 layout in Scottsdale, Ariz., in the same vicinity as Grayhawk Golf Club, site of the NCAA Championship last spring and in each of the next two years.
A companion 54-hole event for individuals not in their teams’ starting lineups is being staged concurrently at the Outlaw Course at Desert Mountain. Three Tech players participated in the individual competition, which concluded Saturday.
Participating teams include Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Clemson, East Tennessee State, Florida State, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, New Mexico, NC State, Oregon, San Diego State, Tennessee, UCLA, UNLV, Washington and Wake Forest. Georgia Tech (3), Arizona State (5), Tennessee (10), Florida State (11), Wake Forest (24), Oregon (26), East Tennessee State (27) and Washington (30) are all listed among Golf channel’s pre-season top 30 teams.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
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ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 28th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 70 tournaments in his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 18 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 31 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.
