Pinehurst, N.C. – After finishing as runner-up in five tournaments this year, Georgia Tech finally came away winners Monday when the Yellow Jackets downed Wake Forest, 3-2, in the championship match of the 69th Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Golf Championship at the Country Club of North Carolina.
Senior anchor Ross Steelman secured the title for the Yellow Jackets by sinking a bending, downhill 27-foot birdie putt on No. 16 for a match-clinching 3&2 win over the Demon Deacons’ Andrew McLauchlan.
The win, which came 24 hours after Georgia Tech ran away with the stroke play competition by 16 shots, gave the Yellow Jackets 11 ACC men’s golf titles over the past 17 seasons and 19 overall – tying Wake Forest for the most in league history. The Yellow Jackets also turned the tables after falling to the Demon Deacons in last year’s title match in Panama City, Fla. Tech became the first team to win the 54 holes of medal play and go on to win the match play championship under the current championship format.
Christo Lamprecht earned the first point of the day for Georgia Tech with an impressive 6&5 victory over ACC medalist Michael Brennan, and Bartley Forrester edged Mark Power by a 2&1 score.
But Wake Forest countered with wins by Boyd Owens over Connor Howe (2&1) and Scotty Kennon over Hiroshi Tai (3&2) to tie things up at 2-2, setting up Steelman’s clutch putt and the exciting finish.
The Yellow Jackets earned automatic qualification into the NCAA Tournament with the championship, and now await their destination at one of six regional sites to be announced on May 3.
Ross Steelman watches his 27-foot putt roll toward the hole at the 16th green. The putt dropped to clinch the match for Georgia Tech and set off a celebration.
Georgia Tech's golf team is presented the 2023 ACC Championship trophy, the 19th in program history.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The ACC Championship was contested in the state of North Carolina for the first time since 2019, when Georgia Tech won its most recent title at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C., which has hosted the championship 22 times. This is the eighth time that Pinehurst has played host to the ACC Men’s Golf Championship and the second time at the Country Club of North Carolina, which first hosted in 1966. Last year’s event was held at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course at Watersound Club in Panama City, Fla., preceded by the 2021 championship at the Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course in Milton, Ga. Next year’s championship will be held at the Charlotte (N.C.) Country Club.
The ACC Championship was conducted for the third time under a combination stroke play/match play. The championship used the traditional 54-hole, stroke-play format from 1980 to 2019 (the championship was not held in 2020 due to COVID-19). All 12 competing teams (Miami, Pittsburgh and Syracuse do not sponsor men’s golf) played 54 holes of stroke play, 36 holes Friday and 18 holes Saturday, with the standard low four individual rounds counting toward the team’s daily score each round. The top four teams after 54 holes were seeded in a match play bracket, with the semifinal matches Sunday, and the championship match Monday. The format is similar to the way the NCAA Championship has been conducted every year since 2009.
Championship Match vs. Wake Forest
Photos by Andy Mead
Ross Steelman chats with the ACC Network Extra team following the Yellow Jackets' ACC Championship victory.
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 28th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 71 tournaments in his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 19 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 31 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.
