Pairings and live scoring via Golfstat | ACC Men’s Golf Championship page
Milton, Ga. – Connor Howe fired rounds of 70-68 to pace Georgia Tech on Friday on the opening day of the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Golf Championship, and the Yellow Jackets are in sixth place at 4-over-par 564 after 36 holes at the Capital City Club, Crabapple Course.
The top four teams following Saturday’s third round will be advance to the match play portion of the championship. The Jackets are seven shots behind fourth-place Florida State through 36 holes. Because of a high chance of rain throughout the day Saturday, the third round will begin at 7:30 a.m., 90 minutes earlier than originally scheduled, utilizing both the first and 10th tees. Tee times for Tech’s players range from 7:30 to 8:18 off hole No. 1.
TECH LINEUP – Howe, playing fourth in the Tech lineup, played steady golf throughout a chilly morning round and a fair and warm afternoon round. The junior from Ogden, Utah, has three birdies and three bogeys in his opening round, and came back with three birdies and one bogey in the afternoon. He is tied for 11th place individually at 2-under-138.
Ben Smith, in fifth position, rallied from an opening 75 in the morning to fire a 4-under-par 66 in the afternoon, stringing together three straight birdies on his second, third and fourth holes (11, 12 and 13), and adding three more at 17, 18 and 5 to offset a pair of bogeys. The junior from Novi, Mich., is tied for 23rd place at 141 (+1) along with freshman Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa), who shot rounds of 69-72 Friday. The freshman played a strong first nine in the morning with a pair of birdies and an eagle.
Senior Noah Norton (Chico, Calif.) shot 72-73 for a 36-hole total of 145 (+5), tied for 40th place, while senior Will Dickson (Providence, R.I.) posted 75-72 to tie for 48th at 147 (+7).
Ben Smith rallied from a morning 75 to fire a 4-under-par 66 in the afternoon. (photo by Clyde Click)
TEAM LEADERBOARD – North Carolina rode a 63 from Peter Fountain and three other subpar scores to compile a tournament record 265 (-15) in the afternoon round, opening a nine stroke lead over NC State after 36 holes. The 17th-ranked Tar Heels, with three players among the top four individuals. have a two-round total of 539, 21 shots under par over the par-70 Crabapple Course.
The 10th-ranked Wolfpack, who have the individual leader in Benjamin Shipp, posted identical rounds of 274 in the morning and afternoon and have a 36-hole total of 548 (-12). No. 4 Clemson holds third place at 9-under-par 551, followed by the No. 2 Seminoles at 557 (-3), and No. 5 Wake Forest at 562 (+2).
Next comes Tech in sixth place at 564 (+4) and Duke in seventh at 566 (+6).
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – NC State graduate student Benjamin Shipp posted rounds of 64-68 for a 36-hole total of 132 (-8), one stroke ahead of North Carolina’s Ryan Burnett, who shot 66-67 for a 7-under-par total of 133.
The Tar Heels’ Peter Fountain (71-63) and Austin Hitt (68-66) are tied for fourth place at 134 (-6), followed by Duke’s Ian Siebers (135, -5) and Notre Dame’s Taichi Kho (136, -6). Defending champion John Pak of Florida State (70-67) is tied with three other players at 137 (-3), while the Yellow Jackets’ Connor Howe is in a group of six players tied for 11th place at 138 (-2).
Connor Howe talks about his performance in rounds 1 and 2
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The ACC Championship is being held at the Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course in Milton, Ga., a course that has hosted the NCAA Men’s Division I Championship in 2013 and the 2010 NCAA Southeast Regional.
The course plays to a par of 70 and measure 7,319 yards for the ACC Championship, which will feature a new format over four days of competition (Friday through Monday), departing from the 54-hole, stroke-play format which has been used since 1980. All 12 competing teams (Miami, Pittsburgh and Syracuse do not sponsor men’s golf) will play 54 holes of stroke play, 36 holes Friday and 18 holes Saturday, with the standard low four rounds counting toward the team’s daily score each round. The top four teams after 54 holes will be seeded in a match play bracket, with the semi-final matches to take place Sunday, and the championship match Monday. Each match will be 18 holes and involve all five players from each team. The format is similar to the way the NCAA Championship has been conducted every year since 2009.
The Yellow Jackets have captured 10 of the last 14 championships, including the 2019 title at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C. It was the 18th in program history, tying Wake Forest for the most in conference annals. The championship was not held in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Georgia Tech is the defending champion after claiming the 2019 ACC Championship at Old North State Club in New London, North Carolina with a tournament-record 37-under par 827. The Yellow Jackets posted a final round 281 (-7) to win their 18th title in program history and 10th in the last 14 years. The 2020 championship was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
SPECTATOR INFORMATION – Fans are allowed to attend the 2021 ACC Championship at Crabapple, and admission is free during all four days. All spectators are required to wear masks when inside the clubhouse or pro shop, but not required when on the golf course. Play begins at 7:30 a.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. Saturday through Monday.
BROADCAST INFORMATION – The championship match on Monday will be streamed live on the ACC Network Extra platform, available on the ESPN app, beginning at 9 a.m. A one-hour recap show of the entire championship will be aired at 7 p.m. Monday, May 3, on the ACC Network.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Saturday, April 24
7:30-9:18 a.m. Third Round Stroke Play Tee Times (Split Tees)
- Individual Champion Awards Ceremony at Conclusion of Play at manual scoreboard; Semifinal Team Match Play Lineup Announcements
Sunday, April 25
9-10:48 a.m. Semifinal Match Play Tee Times (All off No. 1)
- Championship Team Match Play Lineup Announcements at Conclusion of Play at manual scoreboard
Monday, April 26
9-9:48 a.m. Championship Match Play Tee Times (All off No. 1)
- Team Champion Awards Ceremony at Conclusion of Play at manual scoreboard
"We had it going pretty well (until the par-5 4th, Tech’s 13th hole). I still think the front nine is easier, but to play that well and then to have two doubles and a triple, two of those without penalty strokes, was pretty disappointing. So we played our way right to the number, and we have a couple of hiccups, and now we’ll have to shoot a low number tomorrow. It’s definitely doable, six shots is just 3-over and 3-under, so we just need to shoot a really good one. Connor played well all the way through, and it was good to have Ben come back in the afternoon with a great round. He didn’t have enough help."
Head coach Bruce Heppler
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 Support The Swarm Fund, which helps Georgia Tech athletics offset the significant financial challenges associated with Covid-19, and 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 26th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 65 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.
