Georgia Tech won its seventh ACC men’s golf title in the past nine years, finishing at 25-under-par at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C. Junior Ollie Schniederjans was the medalist, going 12-under par for three rounds.
“I thought (the Valspar Invitational) was a pretty complete win down there in Florida, but this is as good a win as anything we’ve done, for sure,” coach Bruce Heppler said by phone Sunday night. “The field pretty good. This is one of the better ACC fields we’ve had in a while. I thought it was pretty positive for everybody.”
Schniederjans was followed in second place by teammate and defending champion Anders Albertson, who tied for second at 7-under par with a closing 65, tying with Schniederjans’ first-round 65 for the low rounds of the tournament. Seth Reeves tied for seventh at 4-under, Bo Andrews tied for 18th at 1-under and Richey Werenski finished in a tie for 31st at 4-over. All five players contributed a scoring round in the team competition, in which the four lowest rounds are taken each day.
Tech was second behind Florida State after Friday’s first round, shooting an even-par 288, four strokes behind the Seminoles. Schniederjans’ 65 was critical in keeping Tech in the mix, as his three scoring teammates were a combined 7-over.
The Jackets received a tough break as wind conditions picked up over the course of the afternoon. Florida State finished its round before Tech, leaving the Jackets to deal with the heavy winds. Heppler called Schniederjans’ 65 “one of the best rounds I’ve ever seen” from him.
The Yellow Jackets took the lead Saturday with a cumulative 10-under round as all four of Tech’s scorers broke par. They closed even better Sunday, scoring a 15-under led by Albertson’s 65. At 25-under, they were six shots ahead of Florida State and eight shots better than Clemson. With a strong front nine, Tech led by as many as 10 at one point Sunday, Heppler said, before the Seminoles drew closer.
Having four of Tech’s five players birdie the par-5 18th helped close the door.
“It wasn’t done until it was done, which is good,” Heppler said. “You want them to have to hit shots knowing stuff’s on the line. You can’t get enough of that from an experience factor.”
It was Tech’s fifth tournament win for the season. The Jackets are ranked No. 2 in the country by Golfweek. Schniederjans won for the third tournament in a row and became the first Tech player to win five tournaments in a school year.
“Just super excited for the team to win and then for me to win, it’s a perfect way to finish the day,” Schniederjans said.
Tech will compete next in the NCAA regional round, which begins May 15. Heppler is hoping Tech will be sent to the Raleigh, N.C., regional.
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