Carlsbad, California – Hiroshi Tai shot a 5-under 67 to take the lead after the opening round, while Georgia Tech moved into fourth place with a 4-over 292 total after the first 18 holes of the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa on Friday.
Tai birdied seven holes on the par-72 North Course on Friday. Five birdies in six straight holes midway through the round, plus a birdie on the ninth and final hole, gave the Tech sophomore from Singapore the lead after 18 holes. Meanwhile, Senior Christo Lamprecht He finished tied for fifth place with a score of 2-under 70.NumberThe seeded Yellow Jackets were just two strokes off the pace of Virginia and Arizona, both of which posted rounds of 2-over 290 each.
“We all know this course is really tough. You have to hit good tee shots in good places and the hazards can come into play on some holes,” Ty said. “Yesterday I figured out which holes I could play more aggressively and which holes I could get a par on. I played that way all day and didn't make any changes.”
The second round will begin at 9:40 a.m. EDT on Saturday, with Tech at 11:30 a.m.st The team will face No. 14 seed East Tennessee State University and No. 15 seed University of California again. Tee times and pairings for the remaining stroke play will be determined by team placement on the leaderboard.
Thirty teams will play 54 holes from Friday through Sunday, narrowing the field down to 15 for a final round of stroke play on Monday to determine an individual champion. The top eight teams after 72 holes will advance to a match play bracket to determine a team champion.
Hiroki Tai highlights from the first round of the NCAA Championships
Technology lineup – Teck starts his round on a par 5 and is tied Cale Fontenot and Bartley Forrester Every player got a birdie on the 10th hole.Number The Yellow Jackets started near the lead on this hole. The Jackets were 6 under par on the par-5 holes on Friday, tying Auburn and Ohio State for the best day of the day. They finished with 15 birdies, one shy of the field best.
Tye found his groove heading into the final holes of the back nine, scoring birdies on the 17th, 18th, 1st, 2nd and 4th holes to move to the top of the leaderboard.
“I made some good swings off the tee and put myself in good position on the fairway,” he explained. “I hit some wedge shots on 17, 1, 2 and 4 and hit some pretty good shots, so it worked out.”
After ending his streak with a bogey on the fifth hole, Tye maintained his lead with some excellent short game play, hitting up and down off the green to keep par on the sixth, seventh and eighth holes. On the ninth hole, he hit his tee shot down the middle of the fairway and got his approach within three feet of the hole for birdie and sole possession of the lead.
“I tried to hit every shot the same, but it was definitely nerve-wracking,” Ty added. “The rough is tough, especially around the greens. The up-and-down holes on No. 6, 7 and 8 were really good. I hit some really good chip shots and made some relatively short putts for par.”
After a double bogey on the third hole, Lamprecht (Sr./George, South Africa) Jackett closed in on the lead with five birdies over the final round, three of which came in the first nine holes, and finished with a 70 to move into a tie for fifth place, five strokes behind the tie.
Tech also Forester (Sr./Gainesville, Georgia) And from 78 Fontenot (1st grade/Lafayette, Louisiana) On Friday, he took 79 from a freshman. Carson KimHe played in his first NCAA Championship less than 90 minutes from his hometown of Yorba Linda.
Post-round interview with Hiroshi Tai
Team Leaderboard – The Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course (7,538 yards/par 72) was a challenge, but all 30 teams posted scores of par or better after the first 18 holes, with Arizona and Virginia topping the team leaderboard at the end of the first round.
Arizona and Virginia tied for third at 2-over-par 290, while North Carolina tied for third at 3-over-par 291. They took advantage of playing in the afternoon because the course was damp from morning rain. Georgia Tech (292, +4), Illinois and Auburn (293, +5 each) also played in the afternoon and beat Ohio State's 6-over-par 294, which led the morning wave.
Personal Leaderboard – Individual performances were strong on Friday, with 12 players finishing under par, led by Georgia Tech's Tai, who birdied the final hole (starting the back nine) to take sole lead by one stroke over Ohio State's Adam Wallin.
Wallin had the best round of the morning group with a 4-under 68. Starting on the 10th tee, Wallin opened his round with consecutive birdies and played the first nine holes in 3-under 33. He birdied the eighth hole to get to 5-under, but finished with a bogey on the ninth hole.
Stanford senior Carl Villips and University of Florida senior John Dubois are both two strokes back of the tie after shooting a 3-under 69 through the first 18 holes. Lamprecht, Baylor's Johnny Keefer and Arizona's Tiger Christensen all shot 70 to fall three strokes back.
Tech's NCAA Championship History
Georgia Tech has made the 54-hole cut in the past three NCAA Championships and advanced to match play last year, where the Yellow Jackets beat Pepperdine and North Carolina but lost to Florida in the finals. In stroke play, Tech finished 15th.Number 2021, 12Number Win the stroke play competition in 2022 and place second in 2023.
Lamprecht finishes in 44th placeNumber32and And 40Number I did three laps around Greyhawk and the Forester came in 75th.Number15Number And 55NumberTy is the only Yellow Jacket with NCAA championship experience, a record 58 times.Number As a freshman last year.
Tech has reached the NCAA Championship Final 32 times since 1985 (33 in program history), fifth-most in that span behind Oklahoma State (37), Arizona State (35), Florida (35) and Texas (35).
The Yellow Jackets have qualified for match play five times since the stroke play/match play format was introduced in 2009, finishing third in stroke play in 2010, second in 2011, second in 2013, fifth in 2014 and tied for fifth in 2023.
Tech has been runner-up at the NCAA Championship five times (1993, before the introduction of match play, 2000, 2002, 2005, and 2023). Only Oklahoma State (18) and Texas (6) have more runner-up finishes than Tech.
Tournament Information
The top five teams and one other individual from each of the six regional venues (a total of 30 teams and six individuals, totaling 156 competitors) will advance to the finals, which will be held May 24-29 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. The championships are hosted by the University of Texas at Austin.
The finals will consist of three days of stroke play (54 holes) from Friday, May 24 through Sunday, May 26, after which the top 15 teams and nine individuals not included in the advancing teams will be determined, followed by 18 holes of stroke play on the final day on Monday, May 27 to determine the top eight teams that advance to match play and the 72-hole individual champions. The team national champions will be determined in a match play format consisting of quarterfinals and semifinals on Tuesday, May 28, and the final on Wednesday, May 29.
The Golf Channel will broadcast live coverage of the NCAA Championships, from the final round of stroke play on Monday through every round of match play.
Tournament Schedule
- Saturday, May 25: Stroke Play Second Round, 9:40 a.m. EDT
- Sunday, May 26 – Stroke Play Third Round, 9:40 a.m. EDT
- Monday, May 27 – Stroke Play Fourth Round, 1:00 PM EDT
- Tuesday, May 28 – Match Play Quarterfinals, 9:20 a.m. EDT
- Tuesday, May 28 – Match Play Semifinals, 3:45 PM EDT
- Wednesday, May 29 – Championship Match, 4:35 PM EDT
Alexander Tharp Foundation
The Alexander Tharp Foundation is Georgia Tech's athletic fundraising arm, providing scholarships, operational and facilities support to the school's more than 400 student-athletes. By helping develop Yellow Jackets who excel academically and compete for championships at the highest level of collegiate sports, the Foundation is helping to: Annual Sports Scholarship Fundprovides direct scholarship funding to Georgia Tech student-athletes. For more information on supporting the Yellow Jackets, @Fund.
About Georgia Tech Golf
The Georgia Tech golf team is in its 29th year.Number In his one year under coach Bruce Heppler, the team won 72 tournaments. Heppler was the 10thNumberHe is the longest tenured head coach in Division I men's golf. The Yellow Jackets have won 19 Atlantic Coast Conference championships, appeared in 33 NCAA championships and finished as national runner-up five times. To join Georgia Tech Golf on social media, like or follow our Facebook page. Twitter (@GTGolf) and Instagram. For more information on Tech Golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com
