Alpharetta, Ga. – Hiroshi Tai opened defense of his 2022 individual title with a 2-under-par 70 Friday, and senior Aidan Kramer matched him as No. 12 Georgia Tech posted a 5-under-par score of 283 and sit in fifth place after the opening round of the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational.
The Jackets are eight strokes behind 11th-ranked East Tennessee State, who shot 13-under-par 275 over the Lakeside Course and leads by three over No. 25 Virginia. Tai and Kramer are tied for 13th place individually, three strokes off the pace.
The tournament continues at 9 a.m. Saturday morning for round 2, with Tech’s “A” group paired with the Buccaneers and Southern California. The Yellow Jackets’ “B” team begins at 9:55 a.m. Pairings for the Sunday’s final round will be set based on the leaderboard through the conclusion of 36 holes.
TECH LINEUP – Tai, a sophomore from Singapore who scored a one-stroke victory at last year’s event, and Kramer, a senior from Oviedo, Fla., both bounced back from a pair of early bogeys Friday to play their final 12 holes 4-under-par for Tech’s “A” team. Junior Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa), who has a victory and a runner-up finish already this fall, chimed in with a 1-under-par 71 and is tied for 26th place individually.
Senior Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) and sophomore Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.) each posted even-par 72s for the Jackets, tied for 37th place.
Tech’s “B” group posted a team total of 294 (+6), led by graduate senior Andy Mao (Johns Creek, Ga.), who shot even-par 72. Senior Adam Bratton (Newburgh, Ind.), sophomore Brady Rackley (Atlanta, Ga.) and freshman Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.) each carded 2-over-par 74s.
Hiroshi Tai, the 2022 GCOGC champion, led the Jackets Friday with a 2-under-par 70. (photo by Clyde Click)
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Led by Algot Kleen’s 5-under-par 67, four East Tennessee State players broke par to give the Buccaneers a 13-under-par score of 275 for the opening round and a three-stroke lead over Virginia (278, -10).
Wake Forest is in third place at 7-under-par 281, followed by No. 5 Tennessee and No. 21 Texas A&M tied for fifth at 282 (-6). Tech (283, -5), No. 7 Washington (284, -4), No. 26 Duke (285, -3) are next, with Northwestern and Southern California tied for ninth at 286 (-2).
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Kleen, a junior at ETSU, and Virginia junior Paul Chang led the field Friday, each carding a 5-under-par 67. Four players, including the Buccaneers’ Mats Ege, Charlotte’s Conor Gaugh, UCLA’s Omar Morales and Duke’s Kelly Chinn, are tied for third place after firing 4-under-par 68s.
Texas A&M teammates Jamie Montojo and Phichaksn Maichon are among six players tied for seventh place with 69s (-3), while Tai and Kramer are among 13 players tied for 13th place at 70 (-2).
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate, formerly called the United States Collegiate Championship, is contested at the Yellow Jackets’ home club. The tournament will be played exclusively on the 7,092-yard, par 72 Lakeside Course, 18 holes each day Friday through Sunday. Competition begins at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Admission is free all three days.
Twelve of the 14 teams competing at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate played in NCAA regionals last spring, six advancing to the NCAA Championship, and three (Tech, Pepperdine, Virginia) reaching match play. Six teams are currently ranked among the top 25 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings.
The full field with Golfweek/Sagarin ranking in parentheses) – Charlotte, Clemson, Duke (26), East Tennessee State (11), Georgia Tech (12), Northwestern (41), Pepperdine, Southern California, Tennessee (5), Texas A&M (21), UCLA (32), Virginia (25), Wake Forest (39), Washington (7).
TECH’S GOLF CLUB OF GEORGIA COLLEGIATE HISTORY – Georgia Tech has won the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate twice in the event’s 17-year history, in 2010 and 2012. Three Tech players have won medalist honors. James White, who set tournament records for 18-hole score (62) and 54-hole score (204, broken in 2014), won in 2010, Ollie Schniederjans won in 2013, and Hiroshi Tai followed in 2022.
Clemson, Oklahoma State, Southern California and Texas also have won twice. The Tigers captured the inaugural title in 2006 and again in 2009, the Longhorns won in 2014 and shared the title with Virginia in 2016, the Cowboys won in 2013 and 2017, and the Trojans in 2008 and 2019. The tournament was not played in the fall of 2020 due to COVID-19, and Pepperdine and Stanford have captured the last two titles.
The Yellow Jackets finished runner-up last fall in this event, and have finished in the top five 12 times in 16 years.
Photos by Clyde Click
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ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 29th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, having won 72 tournaments in his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 19 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 33 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up five 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.
