Scottsdale, Ariz. – Ross Steelman fired a bogey-free, 6-under-par 64 on Friday, carrying 11th-ranked Georgia Tech to an even-round 280 and a top spot after the first round of the Golf Championship NCAA Division I Men’s Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club. Steelman has a two-stroke lead in the hunt for medal honors.
Tech’s par score of 280 on Friday was his best in nine NCAA championship rounds he has played at Grayhawk in the past three years, and was a better shot than any of the other 29 teams on Friday. The total bucked the afternoon surge as the top six seeds faced off. No. 8 Pepperdine and No. 28 Arkansas came close by posting 1-over-par rounds of 281. No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 2 North Carolina and No. 5 and No. 5 Texas Tech are tied for fourth at 2-over-par 282.
Tech starts at 2:52 p.m. Saturday morning (10th hole), again paired with No. 10 seed Oklahoma, who finished second at the Norman Regional) and No. 12 seed Auburn (Auburn Area winner) . Tee times and pairings for the remaining rounds of move play will be determined by the team’s position in the standings. Thirty teams will play 54 holes from Friday to Sunday, with the field reduced to 15 for the final round of stroke play on Monday, after which the individual champion will be crowned. The top eight teams after 72 holes will advance to a match play bracket to determine the champion team on Wednesday.
Ross Steelman Round Highlights
TECH RANGE — Steelman posted just the below-average third round by a Tech golfer in NCAA Championship 45s at Grayhawk, and beat the previous best-of-68 in the 2022 Championship Final Round by Bartley Forrester. Christo Lamprecht’s 2021 opening 69 is the other.
The Columbia, Mo., eldest started with three birdies on his first four holes, then birdied three on his last six, and was rarely in danger of a bogey. His round stood the rest of the day after Mateo Fernandez De Oliveira of Arkansas, Matthew Watkins of New Mexico and Cole Sherwood of Vanderbilt each posted 66. It was the fastest opening round of a NCAA championship at Grayhawk and second best of all round.
Showing the difference a year can make, Steelman birdied on six holes on Friday, three more than he recorded on 72 holes in the 2022 NCAA Championship, in which he started his first Round 6 at above par on its first six holes.
Tech also had a 1-over-par 71 from senior Bartley Forrester, who was Tech’s top finisher (tied for 15th) in last year’s NCAA Championship at Grayhawk, a 2-over-72 from Connor Howe and a 3-over 73 from junior Christo Lamprecht on Friday. Freshman Hiroshi Tai shot 76 (+6).
Ross Steelman talks about his tour and Tech’s recent push
TEAM STANDINGS – The 11th-seeded Yellow Jackets posted their score of 280 in the morning wave and watched for the next five hours to see if it held up as the 15 teams in the after wave -midday were playing their first rounds. He did it in one shot as No. 8 seeded Pepperdine and No. 28 Arkansas finished at 1 on par 282.
Vanderbilt, No. 2 North Carolina and No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 2 seed, posted 2 rounds over par of 282 and are tied for fourth, while the No. No. 9 Florida is alone in seventh place at 3 over par 283.
INDIVIDUAL STANDING — Tech’s Steelman, who finished no worse than 12th in any event in stroke play for the Yellow Jackets this spring and won the deciding point in Tech’s two ACC Championship games, earned a two-stroke lead with his 66 over Arkansas. Mateo Fernandez De Oliveira, Matthew Watkins of New Mexico and Cole Sherwood of Vanderbilt, who both carded 4 under par 66.
The Razorbacks’ Wil Gibson shot 5-under 67 and sits in fifth place alone, with seven golfers tied at 4-under 68, led by Illinois’ sixth-ranked Adrien Dumont of Chassart. Texas Tech’s No. 2 Ludvig Aberg is part of a group of five tied at 1 under par 69.
NCAA Championship Round 1 Photos by Tim Cowie/Todd Drexler
Post-round interview with head coach Bruce Heppler
CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION/FORMAT – Finals play consists of 72 holes of stroke play followed by an eight team match play tournament. Stroke Play begins Friday, May 26 and runs until Sunday, May 29 (54 holes), after which the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on a progressing team will be determined. This is followed by a final day of 18-hole stroke play on Monday, May 30 to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the individual 72-hole champion. The National Tag Team Champion will be determined by a match-play format which will consist of quarter-finals and semi-finals staged on Tuesday May 30, followed by finals on Wednesday May 31.
The entire championship is played on the Raptor course at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, which measures 7,289 yards and plays to a par 70. This is the last of three consecutive years that the Grayhawk will host the NCAA championship. . The championship moves to the LaCosta Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., for the next three years (2024-26).
Saturday, May 27 – Second round of stroke play competition (Tech starts at 2:52 p.m. ET, tee #10) Sunday, May 28 – Third round of stroke play competition (start times based on scores of 36 holes) Monday 28 May 29 – Final round of stroke play competition (tee times based on 54 hole scores)Tuesday 30 May – Quarterfinals and semi-finals of the team matchWednesday 31 May – Championship match determine the team champion
TELEVISION – Golf Channel will broadcast the final round of stroke play live on Monday, May 29 (5-9 p.m. EST), the team quarterfinals (12-3:30 p.m. ET) and the semi-finals (5-9 p.m. ET) on Tuesday, May 30 and the Tag Team Championship game on Wednesday, May 31 (5-9 p.m. ET). Encore presentations will air at 10 p.m. each day. Read more details here.
TECH’S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY – Georgia Tech has reached the NCAA Championship Finals 32 times since 1985 (33 times in program history), which is tied for fifth in that span behind Oklahoma State (36), Arizona State (35), Florida (34) and Texas (34), three of which are on the field in Scottsdale.
The Yellow Jackets have qualified for match play four times since the advent of the stroke play/match play format in 2009, finishing third in 2010, second in 2011, second in 2013, fifth in 2014. Tech lost in the quarterfinals Everytime. , except in 2013, where the Jackets lost in the semifinals. Tech lost to the eventual champion three times in its four match play appearances – Augusta State by the score of 3-2 in the quarterfinals in 2010 and 2011 and against Alabama (3-0-2) in 2013.
Tech was a four-time NCAA Championship runner-up (1993, 2000, 2002, and 2005, all before match play was introduced). Only Oklahoma State, which has 18, Texas (6) and Purdue (5) have more. The Yellow Jackets have finished in the top eight in stroke play 16 times.
In both NCAA championships played at Grayhawk Golf Club, Tech finished 15th in 2022 and tied for 12th last year.
Three Tech players have won collegiate national championships. Troy Matteson did it most recently in 2002 at Ohio State. Watts Gunn (1927) and Charlie Yates (1934) won national collegiate titles in a match play format before the NCAA took over sponsorship of the championship in 1939.
Alexandre-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech Athletics, providing scholarships, operations, and facilities support for over 400 Georgia Tech student-athletes. Help develop Georgia Tech’s daily champions and help the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest level in college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships directly to student-athletes from Georgia Tech. 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 72 tournaments during his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 19 Atlantic Coast Conference championships, made 32 NCAA championship appearances, and been national runners-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 Golf Tech, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
