Alpharetta, Ga. – Defending champion Hiroshi Tai, Aidan Kramer and Bartley Forrester each shot 2-under-par 70 Saturday, while 12th-ranked Georgia Tech matched its opening round total of 283 (-5) and moved up to third place after 36 holes at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational.
With conditions soft and wet in the morning, but sunny and breezy in the afternoon, Tech was 6-under-par at the turn and rose into second place temporarily before settling back at the end of the round. The top three teams on the leaderboard turned in the best rounds of the day – No. 11 East Tennessee State (284, -4), No. 7 Washington (281, -7) and Tech (283, -5) – as the rest of the field fell back. Tai and Kramer are tied for sixth place individually and five hosts off the lead entering Sunday’s final round.
The tournament concludes Sunday starting at 8:30 a.m. Tech’s “A” group is paired with ETSU and Washington teeing off No. 1 tee. The Yellow Jackets’ “B” team begins at 9:20 a.m. from the 10th tee, paired with Northwestern and Clemson.
TECH LINEUP – Tai, a sophomore from Singapore, and Forrester, a senior from Gainesville, Ga., each had five birdies and three bogeys on his card for Saturday’s round, while Kramer, a senior from Oviedo, Fla., recorded six birdies.
Tai and Kramer are tied for sixth place after 36 holes with a tournament total of 140 (-4), five strokes off the lead. Forrester is tied for 12th place at 142 (-2).
Sophomore Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.) delivered a 1-over-par 73 for the Yellow Jackets Saturday, while senior Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa) did not factor after posting a 4-over-par 76. Tran is tied for 34th place individually at 145 (+1), while Lamprecht is tied for 43rd at 147 (+3).
Tech’s “B” team shot 299 (+11) Saturday and remained at the bottom of the leaderboard, with senior Andy Mao (Johns Creek, Ga.) leading the group with a 1-under-par 71. He is tied for 21st overall at 1-under-par 143 for 36 holes.
Senior Aidan Kramer posted a second consecutive 70 Saturday and is tied for sixth place. (photo by Danny Karnik)
TEAM LEADERBOARD – First-round leader East Tennessee State stayed ahead of the field Saturday with a 4-under-par 284, and the Buccaneers’ 17-under-par tournament score of 559 is six shots clear of Washington (565, -11) and seven better than the Yellow Jackets (566, -10).
No. 25 Virginia (570, -6) sits in fourth place after 36 holes, followed by No. 26 Duke (572, -4). Texas A&M (573, -3), Charlotte (574, -2) and Tennessee (575, -1) are the only other teams in the 15-team field under-par for the tournament.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – First-round leader Algot Kleen of ETSU added a 68 to his opening 67 to keep a share of the 36-hole lead at 9-under-par 135, tied with Charlotte’s Conor Gaugh, who fired a 67 in round 2.
Pepperdine’s Mananth Chirravuri carded a 6-under-par 66 Saturday and is tied for third place with UCLA’s Omar Morales at 8-under-par 136. Mats Ege of ETSU is alone in fifth place at 138 (-6), while Tech’s Tai and Kramer are part of a six-player group tied for sixth at 140 (-4). Tech’s Forrester is among nine players tied for 12th at 142 (-2).
Duke’s Bryan Kim shot the low round of the tournament so far, a 7-under-par 65.
Twenty-eight of the 75 players in the field are under par through 36 holes.
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 is played exclusively on the 7,092-yard, par 72 Lakeside Course, 18 holes each day Friday through Sunday.
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 Danny Karnik
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
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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.
