Georgia Tech had 29 team birdies in the first round, which was seven more than any other team. That helped them reach a tournament-record 18-under 270. It was one shot better than the previous record, also held by Tech, from 2010. The Yellow Jackets are trying to get a third victory in an event that has been running for 13 years. They last won in 2012.
The Yellow Jackets are six strokes ahead of Wake Forest and Clemson, who each shot a 12-under team total of 276 on Friday. The Tigers have four competitors in the top 15 on the individual leaderboard, while the Demon Deacons got a boost from Eugenio Chacarra's 66. Southern California is alone in fourth place after posting a 10-under 278.
“That’s the kind of scoring we need to be successful and win tournaments,” Georgia Tech head coach Bruce Heppler said. “The guys played really, really well, and they knew they needed to count today. Those two rounds by Noah and Luke were big, and then James hits it to within two feet at 18 to make eagle. He’s had a nice fall so far. We just need to try and keep making [birdies], because there are a lot of them out there. The conditions are ideal, the greens got really good the last two days. You can make putts, and it’s ideal for scoring.”
This year’s field features 13 teams from the 2018 NCAA postseason. Clemson, Stanford and UCLA each advanced to the NCAA Championship finals this spring, while Georgia Tech, Florida State, Middle Tennessee State, Southern California, TCU, Virginia and Wake Forest all competed in NCAA regionals.
Information from Georgia Tech Athletics used in this report
