THE FLATS – With all five starters back from a team that finished 12thth at last spring’s NCAA Championship, Georgia Tech’s golf team has been tabbed the No. 4-best team in the nation in a pre-season ranking by Golfweek magazine.
All five players who started for the Yellow Jackets in the postseason last spring and helped Tech win five tournaments – seniors Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.), Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah) and Ross Steelman (Columbia, Mo.)junior Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa) and sophomore Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) – return to compete in 2022-23. All but Reuter ranked among the top 100 players in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, while Forrester, Howe and Lamprecht made the All-Atlantic Coast Conference team.
The Yellow Jackets won the Maui Jim Intercollegiate and the Hamptons Intercollegiate in the fall, and added titles in the Watersound Invitational and The Calusa Cup in the spring before tying Oklahoma State for the NCAA regional title. At the ACC Championship, Tech finished second in stroke play and advanced to the championship match, where they fell to Wake Forest, 3-2. The final and deciding individual match went to the 21stSt hole, where Reuter lost to Alex Fitzpatrick.
The Tech quintet compiled 20 individual top-10 finishes between them, while Forrester, Lamprecht and Steelman each advanced to match play at the US Amateur championship in August.
According to Golfweek: “Georgia Tech had a loaded squad a few years ago that just never quite got it done. This season, coach Bruce Heppler brings back all five starters and with another shot at Grayhawk and the upcoming NCAA Championship, don’t be surprised to see the Yellow Jackets in match play next spring.”
The magazine ranked Vanderbilt No. 1, followed by North Carolina and Florida ahead of the Yellow Jackets. The Commodores and Tar Heels each advanced to match play last spring, while the Gators tied for 10th place. The rest of the top 10, in order, includes Arizona State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Oklahoma and defending NCAA Champion Texas.
Tech begins its 2022 fall season Friday with the Maui Jim Intercollegiate in Scottsdale, Ariz., looking to return to match play at the NCAA Championship for the fifth time, and first time since 2014.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarships, 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 has completed 27 years under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 70 tournaments in his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 18 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.
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