Eatonton, Ga. – Christo Lamprecht and Bartley Forrester shot rounds of 68 and 69, respectively, leading Georgia Tech to the low round of the day as the 11th-ranked Yellow Jackets moved into to fourth place after 36 holes at the Linger Longer Invitational.
With freezing temperatures forcing tee times to be pushed back two hours again on Monday, Tech posted a 3-under-par score of 285 and was one of three teams to break par in the second round on the Great Waters course at Reynolds Lake Oconee. But the Yellow Jackets (577, +1) were only able to advance one spot on the leaderboard to fourth place and remain seven strokes behind No. 20 Alabama (570, -6) after two rounds.
The final round is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. Monday, one hour later than originally scheduled due to low temperatures that are forecast to be freezing once again.
TECH LINEUP – Lamprecht and Forrester are in the top 10 on the individual leaderboard after 36 holes. Forrester, bidding for his best finish of the year, birdied four of his first seven holes and made just one bogey on the way to his 69, and the senior from Gainesville, Ga., is tied for fourth place at 4-under-par 140. Lamprecht recorded six birdies on his way to a 4-under-par 68, including a bogey-free front nine as the junior from George, South Africa moved into a tie for sixth place at 3-under-par 141.
Senior Ross Steelman (Columbia, Mo.) shook off a difficult front nine to pay the back side bogey free with three birdies and turn in a 72 Monday for the Yellow Jackets. Senior Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah), who shared the first-round lead with a 68, followed with a 76 Monday. Freshman Hiroshi Tai (Singapore) shot 77 and did not count for the second straight day.
Sophomore Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) and freshman Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.), who are competing as individuals, shot 73 and 78, respectively on Monday. Reuter is tied for 22nd place at 147 (+3).
Bartley Forrester is tied for fourth place after carding a 69 Monday. (photo by Clyde Click)
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Alabama, bidding to win this tournament for the sixth time, shot 1-under-par 287 Monday to grab the 36-hole lead by one stroke at 6-under-par 570. Georgia, also contending for a sixth win in the event, was even par Monday and completed 36 holes at 571 (-5).
Vanderbilt, the nation’s No. 1 team, posted a 2-under-par round of 286 Monday and holds third place at 572 (-4), while the Yellow Jackets are alone in fourth place at 577 (+1). Chattanooga (584, +8) is seven shots behind Tech in fifth place.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – The Crimson Tide’s Nick Dunlap scored the best individual round of the day Monday, a 6-under-par 66, and took the lead in the medalist race at 8-under-par 136, one stroke ahead of Georgia’s Connor Creasy, who has a 7-under-par total of 137 following a 69 Monday. Vanderbilt’s William Moll holds third place alone at 6-under-par 138.
Tech’s Forrester and the Commodores’ Gordon Sargent, the nation’s top-ranked player, are tied for fourth place at 140 (-4), while the Yellow Jackets’ Lamprecht is tied for sixth place with two others at 141 (-3).
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Yellow Jackets have finished second (2021) and fourth (2013) in its two previous appearances at the Linger Longer Invitational. Georgia and Alabama have each won five times in the 16-year history of the event. The tournament is being contested at Great Waters at Reynolds Lake Oconee, which measures 7,436 yards and plays to a par of 72.
The format is 54 holes, 18 each day from both the first and 10th tees, with the low four individual scores of five each day counting toward the team total.
The 16-team field includes Alabama (20), Arkansas (44), Augusta, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Clemson, Georgia (34), Georgia Tech (11), UNC Greensboro (37), Kennesaw State, Mercer, South Alabama, South Florida, Vanderbilt (1), Virginia (16) and Wofford.
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 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.
