Naples, Fla. – Ben Smith shot an even-par 72 Sunday and is tied for sixth place individually, and Georgia Tech posted a 6-over-par 294 and is tied for fourth place after the opening round of the Calusa Cup.
TECH LINEUP – Smith, a junior from Novi, Mich., playing in just his third tournament of the spring, played the steadiest round among the Yellow Jackets Sunday, with two birdies and two bogeys and the rest pars over the par-72 Calusa Pines Golf Club. He is tied for sixth place individually, five strokes off the lead.
Noah Norton (Chico, Calif.),
Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa) and
Christo Lamprecht and
Connor Howe all fired rounds under 70 in Sunday’s final round, and Georgia Tech posted an 11-under-par score of 277 to pull away for a seven-stroke victory at the Wyoming Desert Classic. It was the first victory for the Yellow Jackets in four events this spring and the 65
th under head coach
th year heading the program.
TECH LINEUP – Tech began the day four strokes clear of Charlotte and shot the best round of the day on the strength of a 5-under-par 67 from Norton, a 4-under-par 68 from Lamprecht and a 3-under-par 69 from Connor Howe. Sophomore
Luka Karaulic (Dacula, Ga.) provided the Yellow Jackets’ fourth counting score with a 73.
Palm Desert, Calif. – Andy Mao fired a 1-under-par 71, and
Noah Norton an even-par 72 in the face of severe winds Saturday to lead Georgia Tech, which took over first place after 36 holes at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate. The Yellow Jackets lead Oregon by four strokes headed to Sunday’s final round, which begins with a shotgun start at 11 a.m. Eastern time.
TECH LINEUP – Tech made the turn at 2-under-par in fairly calm conditions before strong winds, same as those that forced suspension of Saturday’s third round of the PGA Tour Genesis Invitational in the Los Angeles area, sent scores soaring across the board. The Yellow Jackets finished the round at 7-over-par 295.
Noah Norton and
Connor Howe each fired 4-under-par 68s on Friday, pacing Georgia Tech to a 12-under-par round of 276 and second place after the opening round of the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate. The Yellow Jackets got four subpar scores toward its strong finish to the opening round.
TECH LINEUP – Tech, the 39
th-ranked team in the nation according to Golfstat, made a strong push in the final holes of the round, getting four birdies on the par-15 15
th hole, and a pair of birdies and an eagle at the 18
th with only two bogeys in that stretch.
Norton, a senior from Chico, Calif., had the eagle at the last, finishing off his second-best round of the spring with no bogeys after the opening hole. Howe, a junior from Ogden, Utah, who shot an opening 67 in Tech’s last tournament, birdied three of his first five holes Friday and two of his last five. Both players are tied for third place individually.
Waimea, Hawai’i – Noah Norton and
Connor Howe carded season-low rounds of 66 and 67 Thursday, and the No. 20 Yellow Jackets posted a 9-under-par final round of 279 to finish in a tie for third place at the Amer Ari Intercollegiate.
Conditions remained warm and windy, but more consistent Thursday on the 6,875-yard, par-72 Hapuna Golf Course, as Tech equalled its birdie total from the first round (24). The Jackets were not able to gain ground on the leader, No. 10 Arizona State, which shot 12-under-par 276 and won the tournament by 12 strokes over Southern California. Tech finished tied with Oregon State, 27 strokes off the pace.