Panama City Beach, Fla. – With three players under par on a tough golf course, led by Connor Howe’s 2-under-par 70, Georgia Tech posted a 3-under-par team score of 285 Sunday and took the lead after the opening round of the Watersound Invitational at Shark’s Tooth Golf Club.
Competing against four other teams that are ranked in the top 25 of the current Golfstat rankings, nine in the top 50, Tech grabbed the early lead by one stroke over No. 4 North Carolina and Virginia Tech in the 54-hole event. Round 2 starts at 10 a.m. EST Monday with the Yellow Jackets paired with Boston College and Duke. The tournament is being contested on the golf course that will host the ACC Championship in April.
TECH LINEUP – Howe overcame a double bogey at the par-4 12th hole to play his final six holes 3-under-par. The senior from Ogden, Utah carded six birdies on his round and is tied for fifth place individually. Junior Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) also overcame a double bogey, his on the par-5 third hole, and recorded six birdies over his final 16 holes to post a 1-under-par 71. Sophomore Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa) matched the 71, getting to 3-under-par for his round before bogeying the final two holes. Forrester and Lamprecht are tied for eighth place individually.
Junior Ross Steelman (Columbia, Mo.) shot 1-over-par 73 to provide the Yellow Jackets’ fourth counting score, while freshman Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) carded a 2-over-par 74 and didn’t count Sunday.
Tech had a three-stroke advantage on the field Sunday in scoring on par-4 holes (even par) and also led the field in birdies with 20.
Bartley Forrest is among six golfers tied for eighth place with a 1-under-par 71. (photo by Ross Obley)
TEAM LEADERBOARD – The top four teams on the leaderboard are within two strokes of each other. Tech rode its three subpar rounds to post a 3-under-par 285 Sunday and take the slim one-stroke lead over the Tar Heels, who counted a 69 and a 70, and the Hokies, who counted a 69 and a 71. Both teams shot 2-under-par 286.
No. 34 NC State, with three players carding 71s, was the only other team in the field of 14 to post a subpar score Sunday (1-under 287). No. 37 Virginia (291, +3), No. 32 Louisville (292, +4), No. 6 Arkansas (293, +5), No. 26 Clemson (294, +6), No. 12 Wake Forest (295, +7) and Alabama (296, +8) round out the top 10.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Despite being far off the team lead, the Crimson Tide produced the day’s best individual score, a 5-under-par 67 from Canon Claycom. The junior from Bowling Green, Ky., has a two-stroke lead over Connor Burgess of Virginia Tech, Austin Greaser of North Carolina and George Duangmanee of Virginia, each of whom shot 3-under-par 69 Sunday.
Tech’s Howe is tied for fifth place with UNC’s David Ford and Wake Forest’s Scotty Kennon at 2-under-par 70, while Lamprecht and Forrester are among six players tied for eighth at 1-under-par 70.
"Everyone played well today, nothing exceptional, but just good, solid golf. This is a really good golf course. All the lies are good, it’s very fair. It should be a good venue for the ACC Tournament, it will hold up well. It was very windy early on, which kept the scores up. You’ve got to drive it straight. It’s very challenging. Tomorrow should be calmer, but the forecast is for some pretty strong winds Tuesday."
Head coach Bruce Heppler
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Georgia Tech is in the Watersound Invitational for the second straight year. The tournament follows the traditional collegiate 54-hole, 5-count-4, stroke-play format, with 18 holes each Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The event this year will be contested at Shark’s Tooth Golf Club, a venue measuring 7,202 yards (par 72) that will also serve as the venue for the ACC Championship in April.
This tournament was held in mid-January a year ago, the Jackets’ first tournament in a packed spring schedule that followed an idle fall brought on by COVID. Tech finished seventh in a limited 10-team field that included all ACC teams.
The field includes (with Golfstat ranking) No. 33 Alabama, No. 6 Arkansas, Boston College, No. 26 Clemson, No. 53 Duke, No. 35 Florida State, No. 17 Georgia Tech, No. 32 Louisville, No. 4 North Carolina, No. 34 NC State, No. 15 Notre Dame, No. 37 Virginia, No. 62 Virginia Tech and No. 12 Wake Forest.
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 27th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 67 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.
