Mt. Pleasant, S.C. – After an 18-hole final-round battle Friday that left Georgia Tech teammates tied for first place at 11-under-par 205, Aidan Kramer outlasted Andy Mao in a sudden-death playoff to win the 50th Rice Planters Amateur at Snee Farm Country Club. Kramer name joins former Yellow Jacket All-Americans Nacho Gervas (1987) and Stewart Cink (1993) on the R.P. Horne perpetual trophy.
Kramer, a rising junior from Oviedo, Fla., held a one-stroke lead over Mao, a rising senior from Johns Creek, Ga., after 36 holes. Mao was tied with Luke Wells of Rutgers. But the Yellow Jacket roommates made it a two-man battle on the back nine, shaking off Wells, who shot 73. Mao posted a 2-under-par 70, while Kramer shot 1-under-par 71, to forge the tie.
Kramer birdied the 12th and 13th holes, then parred the remaining holes, while Mao fell back one shot with a bogey at 15 but regained a share of the lead with a birdie at 16. He parred 17 and 18 along with Kramer, setting up the playoff. They replayed 18 for the first hole of the playoff, with Kramer rolling in a 15-foot birdie putt to claim victory.
“It was really cool to be competing against each other,” said Kramer, who was paired with Mao for both rounds 2 and 3. “We’ve played so much golf together, qualifying rounds and everything, but never really competed against each other in a situation like this. It was so much fun, and I’m thrilled to be able to win.”
Mao posted rounds of 65-70-70 for the tournament, while Kramer shot 68-66-71.
It was the first amateur victory for a Georgia Tech player since Tyler Strafaci’s U.S. Amateur title in August, 2020. Kramer tied for first place in the New Year’s Invitational in January in Tampa, Fla., but lost in a playoff. He also won the 2021 Yamaha Atlanta Open.