ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Aidan Tran and Hiroshi Tai continued to pace No. 18 Georgia Tech on Saturday with another pair of subpar rounds as the Yellow Jackets moved to 7th place after 36 holes at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational.
The senior duo continued solid play on their home course, both remaining in the top 15 of the individual leaderboard. Tran shot a 2-under-par 70 on Saturday for a 36-hole total of 138 (-6) and stands just five strokes off the individual lead. Meanwhile, Tai carded a 1-under-par 71 to climb into a tie for 11th place at 141 (-3).
As a team, Tech was 1-under-par for the day, dipping into 7th place at 572 (-4). No. 1 Virginia continues to hold a one stroke lead after 36 holes, standing in first place at 559 (-17). Duke remains in second place with a two round team total of 560 (-16).
This year’s Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational marks the 19th edition of the tournament and features another competitive 14-team field. The strong field of competition includes five teams that played in the 2025 NCAA Championship, six ranked in the latest Scorecard NCAA Golf Rankings and six in the Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll. Twelve teams are currently ranked among the top-50 in the Scoreboard rankings.
Final round action on Sunday begins at 8:30 a.m. from the first tee and 8:50 a.m. from the 10th tee.
TECH LINEUP – Tech started on the 10th tee for the second round and Tran made the turn at even before carding three birdies and a bogey to finish at 2-under-par for the day. With the subpar round, Tran climbed two spots into fourth-place on the leaderboard at six-under-par 138. Tai gained momentum on the front nine after triple-bogeying 18 to make the turn at 1-over-par. The senior turned in a 2-under-par back nine to finish the day at 1-under-par 71, moving into a tie for 13th.
Junior Kale Fontenot turned in an even-par 72 to count towards Tech’s team score for the day. Fontenot is tied for 27th entering the final round. Sophomore Albert Hansson birdied 18 to make the turn 1-under-par, but finished 3-over-par on the back half to finish 2-over-par for the day. With a two-round total of 148 (+4), Hansson is tied for 51st. Redshirt senior Benjamin Reuter also posted a 2-over-par 74 and owns a 10-over-par 154 for a 66th place tie.
Georgia Tech also saw individual scores from Rawson Hardy and Brady Rackley IV. Hardy turned in a 1-over-par 73 and stands tied for 33rd, while Rackley was 5-over-par on Saturday and is tied for 60th.
Aidan Tran moved into fourth-place on the leaderboard after a 2-under-par 70 second round. Photo by Clyde Click
TEAM LEADERBOARD – No.1 Virginia maintained its lead on Saturday and holds a one stroke lead over No. 29 Duke in second place. The Cavaliers were 1-under on Saturday, increasing their team total to 559 (-17) after two rounds, while the Blue Devils shot a 5-under-par total of 283 for a team total of 560 (-16). Charlotte moved up one spot on the team leaderboard at 566 (-10), while USC and Pepperdine are tied for fourth at 568 (-8).
Stanford recorded the lowest round of the day, turning in a 10-under-par 278 to jump six spots into 6th place with a team total of 569 (-7). Georgia Tech (-4) sits in 7th place and Washington (E), Florida State (+1) and UCLA (+2) complete the top-10.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Stanford’s Edan Cui jumped into first place, carding a 6-under-par 66 on Saturday. The Cardinal is 11-under (133) for the tournament, holding a one stroke lead over Duke’s Bryan Kim who stands in second place at 134 (-10). Mahanth Chirravuri of Pepperdine slid into third place at 137 (-7), while Tran climbed two spots into fourth at 138 (-6). Virginia’s Paul Chang and Michael Lee are tied for fifth at 139 (-5).
After two rounds, only 24 players remain under-par in the 75-player field, including two from Georgia Tech.
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 6,993-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.
Five of the 14 teams competing at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate played in NCAA Championship last spring. Six teams are currently ranked among the top 25 in the Scoreboard NCAA rankings.
The full field (with Scoreboard NCAA Golf ranking in parentheses) – Boston College, Clemson (27), Charlotte (24), Duke (29), Florida State (46), Georgia Tech (18), Loyola Marymount (61), Pepperdine (14), Stanford (44), UCLA (15), USC (26), Utah (9), Virginia (1), Washington (34).
TECH’S GOLF CLUB OF GEORGIA COLLEGIATE HISTORY – Georgia Tech has won the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate twice in the event’s 18-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 (2006, 2009), Oklahoma State (2013, 2017), Southern California (2008, 2019), Texas (2014, 2016) and Virginia (2016, 2023) also have won twice. The Cavaliers captured their second title in 2023 after sharing the 2016 title with the Longhorns. Duke was crowned champion last year with Ethan Evans taking the individual title. The tournament was not played in the fall of 2020 due to COVID-19.
The Yellow Jackets rallied to finish seventh last year, and have finished in the top five 13 times in 18 years.
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.
