OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Senior Aidan Tran led No. 18 Georgia Tech golf on Friday with a 2-under-par 68 in the opening round of Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational. Fellow classman, Hiroshi Tai, also turned in a subpar round as Tech stands in 10th place after the first 18 of the competitive tournament.
Tran made the turn at par and birdied holes 11 and 15 to finish at 2-under-par for the day. The Yellow Jacket was one of only 13 players in the field of 81 to finish under par on Friday. Tran sits in a four-way tie for second on the individual leaderboard.
Tai opened strong with a birdie on the first hole, but fell behind with four bogeys before stringing together four birdies on holes nine, 10, 11 and 12 to make up ground. The senior turned in a 3-under-par on the back nine to finish 1-under-par 69 for the day and stands in a tie for sixth place.
As a team, Georgia Tech posted a seven-over-par 287 for a 10th-place standing. No. 19 Texas Tech currently holds the lead at 1-under-par total of 279.
Georgia Tech will be paired with Texas and Stanford for second round action. Benjamin Reuter will tee off at 8:15 a.m. first for the Yellow Jackets.
TECH LINEUP – Georgia Tech has two Yellow Jackets in the top-10 of the individual standings. Tran played steady golf all day, recording one bogey and three birdies to pace the Jackets, while Tai carded five birdies over the final 10 holes for a 1-under-par day.
Albert Hansson and Kale Fontenot both were five-over-par for the day, tying for 62nd. Reuter completed Tech’s lineup with a seven-over-par 77 and is tied for 72nd.
TEAM LEADERBOARD – No. 19 Texas Tech leads the field after round one and posted the only subpar team total of the day at 1-under-par 279. No. 4 Oklahoma State is one stroke off the lead in second-place after an even round of 280. No. 10 Florida and Loyola Marymount both posted 2-over-par rounds of 282 to tie for third place, while No. 11 Alabama rounds out the top five at 3-over-par 283.
The 15-team field features 10 teams ranked in the top 25 of the latest Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll released on Friday.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Texas Tech’s Adam Bresnu leads the individual player field, recording the lowest round of the day at 3-under-par 67. Bresnu holds a one stroke lead over four players tied for second place at 2-under-par 68, including Georgia Tech’s Tran. The Jacket is tied with Florida’s Matthew Kress, Arizona State’s Pongsapak Laopakdee and Alabama’s Luke Powell. Eight players stand in a tie for sixth at 1-under-par, including Tai.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – In its 19th edition, the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational welcomes the nation’s top teams to the Olympia Fields Country Club. Illinois plays host to the field, which includes 15 competitive teams. Joining Georgia Tech and host Illinois in the field are Alabama, Arizona State, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, LMU, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. The competitive field consists of 11 teams ranked in the preseason Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll including reigning NCAA Champion Oklahoma State (1), Texas (3), Florida (4), Arizona State (6), Florida State (9), Illinois (11), Georgia Tech (t-13), Texas Tech (t-15), Alabama (18) and Texas A&M (20). Additionally, Stanford received votes in the preseason poll. Amongst the field, 12 of the 15 teams competed in the 2025 NCAA Regionals, with 10 advancing to NCAA Championship stroke play.
The tournament will be contested over 54 holes beginning Friday and concluding Sunday at Olympia Fields Country Club, which plays a par-70 and measures 7,353 yards. Tee times begin at 9 a.m. Eastern time both Friday and Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.
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 31st year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 73 tournaments in his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 19 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 34 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.
