LOUDON, Tenn. – Junior Kale Fontenot shot a four-under-par 66, fueled by seven birdies, to lead No. 13 Georgia Tech to a 10-under-par total of 270 and a third-place position after the opening round of the Visit Knoxville Collegiate on Friday. Four Yellow Jackets posted subpar rounds to all place in the top 25.
Fontenot made the turn at one-under and gained momentum on the back nine, carding four birdies to finish at four-under for the day at the par-70 Tennessee National Golf Club. With his solid round, the Lafayette, La., native is tied for third on the individual leaderboard, just two strokes off the lead. The Jacket shares third-place with Luke Coyle (Kentucky), Chase Kyes (Tennessee), Bruce Murphy (Tennessee) and Lance Simpson (Tennessee).
Round 2 of the 54-hole event resumes on Saturday at 7:50 am with Fontenot and the Jackets teeing off from the first tee.
TECH LINEUP – Sophomore Albert Hansson (Fiskebäckskil, Sweden), the 2025 ACC Freshman of the Year, chimed in with a three-under-par 67. Hansson used a strong back nine at four-under to sit in an eighth-place tie entering the second round. Last season, the Jacket carded his best fall performance at the same season-opening tournament, tying for 18th at one-under.
Redshirt-senior Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) and senior Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.) also delivered subpar rounds at 2-under-par (68) and 1-under-par (69), respectively. Reuter settled in on the back nine at par to finish, while Tran picked up steam to close the round.
Hiroshi Tai (Singapre) posted a 1-over-par 71 to tie for 40th after day one. Competing as an individual, Didrik Ringvall Bengtsson (Stockholm, Sweden) also posted a 1-over-par 71, tying with his teammate on the leaderboard.
Junior Kale Fontenot fired a four-under-par 66 to tie for third after round one
TEAM LEADERBOARD – No. 17, and host, Tennessee holds a three-stroke lead to sit in first after its starting five all carded subpar rounds. Tennessee, at 15-under-par 265, sits just ahead of Charlotte at 12-under-par 268. Georgia Tech sits in third, while Kentucky finished at six-under-par 274 in fourth-place. Virginia Tech and No. 5 Ole Miss are tied for fifth (each at 2-under-par 278).
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Charlotte’s Chase Cline holds the individual lead after Friday with a bogey-free 6-under-par 64. Cline holds a one-stroke lead over Evan Rogers (Chattanooga) in second before five players tie for third, including Tech’s Fontenot.
Nine golfers are tied for eighth place at 3-under, including Hansson.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Visit Knoxville Collegiate is being held for the third time with Georgia Tech making its second appearance. Tennessee plays host to the field, which includes 16 competitive teams. Joining Georgia Tech and host Tennessee in the field are Augusta, Charlotte, Chattanooga, College of Charleston, East Tennessee State, Iowa, Kentucky, LSU, Loyola Marymount, NC State, North Florida, Ole Miss, Toledo and Virginia Tech. Ole Miss (5), Georgia Tech (t-13) and Tennessee (17) are all listed among the top 25 programs in the Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll.
The tournament will be contested over 54 holes beginning Friday and concluding Sunday at Tennessee National Golf Club, which plays a par-70 and measures 7,201 yards. Tee times begin at 7:50 am Eastern time both Friday and Saturday.
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.
