Tech, Steelman Lead at NCAA Championship – Men’s Golf — Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Scottsdale, Ariz. – Ross Steelman fired a bogey-free, 6-under-par 64 Friday, carrying 11^th-ranked Georgia Tech to an even-par round of 280 and a spot at the top of the leaderboard after the opening round of the NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club. Steelman has a two-stroke lead in the race for medalist honors.

Tech’s even-par score of 280 Friday was its best in nine NCAA Championship rounds it has played at Grayhawk the last three years, and was one stroke better than any of the other 29 teams Friday. The total held up through the afternoon wave when the top six seeds competed. No. 8 Pepperdine and No. 28 Arkansas came the closest 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 tees off at 2:52 p.m. Saturday morning (10^th hole), again paired with No. 10 seed Oklahoma, who finished second at the Norman Regional) and No. 12 seed Auburn (winner of the Auburn regional). Tee times and pairings for the remaining rounds of stroke play will be determined by team position on the leaderboard. Thirty teams are playing 54 holes Friday through Sunday, with the field cut to 15 for the final round of stroke play 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 team champion on Wednesday.

TECH LINEUP – Steelman posted only the third subpar round by a Tech golfer in 45 NCAA Championship rounds at Grayhawk, and beat the previous best of 68 in the final round of the 2022 championship by Bartley Forrester. Christo Lamprecht’s opening 69 in 2021 is the other.

The senior from Columbia, Mo., started out with three birdies in his first four holes and then birdied three of his final six, and seldom was in danger of making bogey. His round stood up 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 best opening round of an NCAA Championship at Grayhawk and the second-best in any round.

Showing the difference a year can make, Steelman birdied six holes Friday, three more than he recorded over 72 holes in the 2022 NCAA Championship, in which he started his opening round 6-over-par over his first six holes. His best round at last year’s championship was a 76.

Tech also counted a 1-over-par 71 from…