The Tech golf team headed to Stillwater, Okla. to participate in the NCAA Golf Championship at Karsten Creek beginning on Tuesday, May 31. The Jackets earned their 24th berth in the tournament since 1985 after winning the ACC championship and advancing through regional play.
Tech went into the tournament with the No. 4 overall seed and faced No. 5 Florida and No. 6 Augusta State in their first two draws.
The first day of the tournament ended well for the Jackets, with the team taking the overall lead in the tournament with a 5-under-par 283. Junior James White took the individual lead early with a 5-under-par 67 on Tuesday, helping to boost Tech to the top of the team standings.
White started the day off strong by hitting four birdies to close out the final five holes of the front nine. On the back nine, White closed the day out with three more birdies on his career day at Karsten Creek.
Senior Paul Haley and senior Kyle Scott also had career bests, hitting a 1-under-par 71 and an even-par 72, respectively. Haley had three birdies on the day, while Scott finished with a consistent day over all 18 holes.
Senior John-Tyler Griffin posted the final score for the day with a 1-over-par 73 performance to give the Jackets their first place team score.
The Jackets held onto their lead through the second day despite posting a rough 2-over-par 290 team score.
Griffin and Haley each hit an even-par 72, while White and freshman Richard Wrenski each shot 1-over for the day.
Tech extended their lead to 8-under par through the top nine, but struggled through the back nine to cut their lead to only one stroke.
White had a hard time on the second nine, hitting two double bogeys, and Griffin added another double bogey on the final hole.
The Jackets held a one stroke lead over UCLA after two days of play. The Jackets were looking to continue their success through the third day of the tournament, which was played prior to the time of print.