Georgia Tech rides team effort into Puerto Rico Classic lead

Georgia Tech had the best round of the day in Round 2 of the Puerto Rico Classic, and used a 6-under 282 to leapfrog first-round leader N.C. State. Georgia Tech will now take a one-shot lead into the final round at Rio Mar Country Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

While Georgia Tech may be at the top of the leaderboard, a handful of teams remain in striking distance. The Yellow Jackets are 11 under for 36 holes, which is just one better than first-round leader N.C. State at 10 under. Georgia is another two shots back at 8 under and Oklahoma is 4 under for the tournament after a round of 3-under 285 on Monday.

To gain its lead, Georgia Tech leaned on three players inside the top 5, including co-leader Noah Norton who turned in 69 on Monday. Tyler Strafaci and Andy Ogletree are tied for fifth around second-round 70s at the par-72 layout.

“I always say if you’re going to contend for the team title, you need to have an individual or two contending, and fortunately for us, Noah, Andy and Ty are all playing well and contending,” head coach Bruce Heppler said. “Noah was struggling and had a really strong finish, which we needed. The scores are higher here this year because the wind has been up from the start, and our guys are handling it fairly well.”

As for N.C. State, leader Stephen Franken stumbled from a first-round 67 to a second-round 73, but teammate Benjamin Shipp picked up for him. Shipp shares the lead with Norton after rounds of 71-68. Both players are 5 under, along with Maryland’s Tim Colanta and Purdue’s Cole Bradley.

Information from Georgia Tech Athletics used in this report