Scottsdale, Ariz. – Connor Howe, Christo Lamprecht and Aidan Tran each fired 5-under-par rounds of 65 Sunday, and Georgia Tech shot 16-under-par 264, the low team round of the day, and finished in fourth place at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate.
Tech jumped five spots on the leaderboard with its performance Sunday, passing Washington, Tennessee, Oregon and San Diego State and wound up 11 strokes off the pace of Auburn, which led wire-to-wire and captured a five-stroke victory over Arizona State.
Connor Howe’s closing 65 earned him a tie for third place individually, a career high, and a career-low 54-hole score of 197 (13 under par).
TECH LINEUP – Howe posted rounds of 65-67-65 in the tournament, getting an eagle and five birdies in his closing round Sunday. The senior from Ogden, Utah tied for the fourth-best 54-hole score in program history and beat his previous best total by seven strokes. His previous best finish was a tie for seventh, which he achieved three times last year.
Ross Steelman, who provided Tech’s fourth counting score Sunday with a 1-under-par 69, tied for 21st place at 6-under-par 204. Tran, a freshman playing his first collegiate event, birdied seven holes in his round of 65 Sunday, and Bartley Forrester, whose round of 70 Sunday didn’t count for Tech despite making two eagles, tied for 24th place at 5-under-par 205.
Lamprecht birdied his first five holes Sunday on the way to his 65, and tied for 44th place at 1-under-par 209.
Tech led the tournament field in par-5 scoring for the tournament (-21), with Howe, Forrester and Steelman each at 6-under-par to lead the field. The Jackets also finished third in total birdies (72) and tied for the most eagles (3), all of which came Sunday.
Senior Connor Howe posted the best finish (T3) and the lowest score (-13) of his career. (photo by Todd Drexler)
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Auburn shot an 11-under-par round of 269 Sunday and finished 54 holes at 45-under-par 795, with three players finishing among the top 11 on the individual leaderboard. The Tigers’ score was one shot better than the Yellow Jackets’ winning score at this event last September, and five clear of Arizona State (800, -40).
Florida State finished third at 805 (-35), followed by Tech (806, -34) and Washington (809, -31). Tennessee (812, -28), Oregon (815, -25), San Diego State (816, -24), Arizona (819, -21) and Wake Forest (821, -21) rounded out the top 10 in the 18-team field.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Tennessee freshman Caleb Surratt shot 65 Sunday and grabbed the individual title with an 18-under-par score of 192, three shots better than Florida State’s Cole Anderson (195, -15). Tech’s Howe and Auburn’s Evan Vo tied for third place at 13-under-par 197, while Arizona State’s Ryggs Johnston, Oregon’s Greyson Leach and San Diego State’s Shea Lague tied for fifth at 198 (-12).
Fifty of the 90 players in the field finished under par.
Photos by Todd Drexler
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Yellow Jackets competed 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 hosted the 18-team event, which was contested over 54 holes. The team event was 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 was staged concurrently at the Outlaw Course at Desert Mountain. Three Tech players participated in the individual competition, and freshman Hiroshi Tai won the title with a 14-under-par score of 202.
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
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 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.
