THE FLATS – No fewer than thirteen former Georgia Tech golfers, including recent graduate Christo Lamprecht, will compete Monday for spots in the upcoming 124th U.S. Open Championship, which will be contested June 13-15 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C.
Lamprecht, a two-time, first-team All-American and the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year who graduated in May, is competing for the first time as a professional and is one of six former Yellow Jackets in the field at the Golf Club of Georgia, where 68 players are competing. Recent graduate Aidan Kramer, Korn Ferry Tour players Connor Howe, Chris Petefish and Ollie Schniederjans also are in the field along with 2019 U.S. Amateur champion and current LIV Golf Series member Andy Ogletree.
Other Tech touring pros attempting to qualify Monday include Stewart Cink (at Ridgeway, Ontario), Chesson Hadley (at Durham, N.C.), Matt Kuchar (at Jupiter, Fla.), Tyler Strafaci (at Jupiter, Fla.), Cameron Tringale (at Jupiter, Fla.), Richy Werenski (at Durham, N.C.) and Vince Whaley (at Columbus, Ohio).
Georgia Tech has but one representative currently in the field for the U.S. Open, and he is Hiroshi Tai, who earned the spot last week when he won the NCAA Championship individual title at the Omni LaCosta Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. Tai, a native of Singapore who spent his high school years in Windermere, Fla., just completed his sophomore year at Tech.
Final qualifying, conducted over 36 holes, will be held at Cherry Hill Club, Ridgeway, Ontario, Canada; Lake Merced Golf Club, Daly City, Calif.; The Bear’s Club, Jupiter, Fla.; The Golf Club of Georgia (Lakeside Course), Alpharetta, Ga.; Woodmont Country Club (North Course), Rockville, Md.; Canoe Brook Country Club (North & South Courses), Summit, N.J.; Duke University Golf Club, Durham, N.C.; Ohio State University Golf Club (Scarlet Course), Columbus, Ohio’ Springfield (Ohio) Country Club; and Pronghorn Resort (Nicklaus Course), Bend, Ore.
The final size of the field for each qualifier, along with the final number of available spots, will be announced on Monday, June 3. Scoring from all 10 qualifiers will be available at usopen.com.
Chesson Hadley is looking to play in his fourth U.S Open. (photo by Chris Keane/USGA)
YELLOW JACKETS IN FINAL QUALIFYING
Stewart Cink, 51, of Atlanta, Ga., qualifying in Ridgeway, Ontario – Has played in 23 U.S. Opens, with his best finish a tie for third in 2001 at Southern Hills. Cink advanced through the Columbus, Ohio, final qualifier one year ago. He set the U.S. Open final qualifying 36-hole scoring mark in 2003 with rounds of 62 and 61 in Columbus. Cink captured the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry in a playoff with Tom Watson. He has won eight PGA Tour titles, including the 2019 RBC Heritage.
Chesson Hadley, 36, of Raleigh, N.C., qualifying in Durham, N.C. – Has played in three U.S. Opens. His best finish was a tie for ninth in 2019 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Hadley, who is a natural lefthander but plays golf righthanded, was the 2014 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year when he won the Puerto Rico Open. A winner of four Korn Ferry Tour events, Hadley was a three-time All-America selection at Georgia Tech.
Connor Howe, 24, of Ogden, Utah, qualifying in Alpharetta, Ga. – Played on PGA Tour Canada in 2023 following his graduation from Georgia Tech … Earned conditional Korn Ferry Tour status for 2024, where he has played in five events and made three cuts … Earned All-ACC honors in 2022 and 2023, and honorable mention All-America in 2023 … Won tow major amateur events, the 2021 Patriot All-America Amateur and the 2020 Southeastern Amateur.
Aidan Kramer, 22, of Oviedo, Fla., qualifying in Alpharetta, Ga. – Played in 10 events over three years at Georgia Tech, and graduated in May of 2024 … Had one top-20 finish in a collegiate event … One two non-collegiate events, the 2022 Rice Planters Amateur and the 2021 Yamaha Atlanta Open.
Matt Kuchar, 45, of Jupiter, Fla., qualifying in Jupiter, Fla. – has played in 20 U.S. Opens, with his best finish a tie for sixth in 2010 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. He was also low amateur in 1998 when he tied for 14th at The Olympic Club. Kuchar, the 1997 U.S. Amateur champion, has won on six professional tours and owns nine PGA Tour victories. He claimed the 2012 Players Championship and the 2013 Memorial Tournament.
Christo Lamprecht, 23, of George, South Africa, qualifying in Alpharetta, Ga. – First-team All-American and ACC Player of the Year who also was a finalist for the Ben Hogan, Fred Haskins and Jack Nicklaus Awards. He won the Olympia fields/Fighting Illini Invitational and the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational as a senior, posting six top-10 finishes overall. Ranked No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, had earned an exemption into the U.S. Open by winning the British Amateur championship last summer, but opted to turn pro after the NCAA Championship and must qualify.
Andy Ogletree, 26, of Little Rock, Miss., qualifying in Alpharetta, Ga. – Won the U.S. Amateur championship in 2019 and made his only U.S. Open appearance as a result, missing the cut that year. He was the low amateur at the 2020 Masters Tournament. He has played on the Asian Tour and LIV Golf Series the last two years, winning the Order of Merit title on the Asian Tour and its International Series in 2023. He was a second-team All-American and selected to the All-ACC team in 2019 and 2021 while at Georgia Tech.
Chris Petefish, 28, of Danville, Calif., qualifying in Alpharetta, Ga. – Played full-time on the Korn Ferry Tour the last two years, earning three top-5 finishes in 50 events … Also played 17 events across three years on PGA Tour Canada … Played in 38 events during his Tech career, posting six top-10 finishes, graduated in 2018
Ollie Schniederjans, 30, of Alpharetta, Ga., qualifying in Alpharetta, Ga. – Two-time first-team All-American and ACC Player of the year at Georgia Tech. He competed primarily on the Korn Ferry Tour since his graduation in 2015, winning one event, and played the 2020-21 season in the PGA Tour.
Tyler Strafaci, 25, of Davie, Fla., qualifying in Jupiter, Fla. – Played in the 2021 U.S. Open and the 2021 Masters after winning the 2020 U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes, Ore. … Competed on PGA Tour Canada last summer and has played four events on the PGA Tour Americas circuit in 2024 … Competed in six PGA Tour events … Won the 2020 North & South Amateur prior to winning the U.S. Amateur … Member of the winning U.S. Walker Cup teams in 2021.
Cameron Tringale (36, of Laguna Niguel, Calif., qualifying in Jupiter, Fla. – Has played in the U.S. Open three times with a high finish of a tie for 14th in 2022, also his best finish in 17 major championship appearances. He won more than $17 million in 338 events on the PGA Tour, finishing as the runner-up five times and earning 31 top-10 finishes before joining the LIV Golf Series in 2022. A first-team All-American in 2009, he competed for the United States in the Walker Cup and Palmer Cup.
Richy Werenski, 32, Aiken, S.C., qualifying in Durham, N.C. – Has played in two U.S. Opens. He qualified in 2020 for Winged Foot after winning on the PGA Tour for the first time when he won the Barracuda Championship, a points-based event. He has 11 top-10 finishes in 203 career PGA Tour events. Werenski, who grew up in South Hadley, Mass. and played at Georgia Tech, competed in four U.S. Amateurs.
Vincent Whaley, 29, of McKinney, Texas, qualifying in Columbus, Ohio – He has played in 98 events on the PGA Tour, posting five top-10 finishes, and 36 on the Korn Ferry Tour, with eight top-10s, compiling more than $2 million in earnings. While at Tech, he won twice collegiately, the 2015 Robert Kepler Intercollegiate and the 2017 Clemson Invitational.
Hiroshi Tai is Tech’s lone representative in the 2024 U.S. Open field, earning his spot by winning the NCAA Championship individual title. (photo by Tim Cowie)
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ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team has completed 29 years under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 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.
