LOUDON, Tenn. – Freshman Albert Hansson (Fiskebäckskil, Sweden) shot a 1-under-par 69 Sunday to pace Georgia Tech, and the 11th-ranked Yellow Jackets closed with a 1-over-par round of 281 and placed eighth at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
Defending NCAA Champion Hiroshi Tai (Singapore), who shot 1-over-par 71 in the final round at Tennessee National Golf Club, tied for 12th place individually at 2-under-par 208, 10 shots off the pace, while Hansson (1-under-par 209) tied for 18th in his collegiate debut. Tech’s 5-over-par team total of 845 was 28 strokes off the pace of champion LSU.
Tech returns to action Sept. 20-22 at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields, Ill.
TECH LINEUP – Hansson, who finished the summer ranked No. 27 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, recorded three birdies and one bogey on the way to his team-low round Sunday. Tai birdied three holes but was unable to remain under par for his round after a double-bogey at the par-3 17th. Each player birdied 11 of his 54 holes in the tournament.
Tech counted an even-par 70 from junior Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.) and a 1-over-par 71 from redshirt junior Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands) Sunday, while sophomore Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.) posted a 74. Reuter finished in a tie for 40th place at 215 (+5), while Tran tied for 48th at 216 (+6), and Kim tied for 66th at 222 (+12).
TEAM LEADERBOARD – The tournament remained a two-team race between LSU, the first-round leader, and Ole Miss, the 36-hole leader. The Tigers (817, -23) posted an even-par round Sunday to regain the lead and win the event by two strokes over the Rebels (819, -21), who shot 3-over-par in the final 18 holes.
They lapped the rest of the 16-team field. Host Tennessee and South Carolina tied for third place at 4-under-par 836. Mississippi State (+1), South Florida (+3), Charlotte (+3), Tech (+5), Indiana (+9) and Charleston (+10) rounded out the top 10 teams in the 16-team field.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – LSU’s Algot Kleen (12-under-par 198) shot 3-under-par 67 Sunday to score a four-stroke victory over Ole Miss’ Cameron Tankersley (8-under-par 202).
Four players – Tennessee’s Lance Simpson, Ole Miss’ Michael La Sasso, USF’s Jake Peacock and Mississippi State’s Garrett Endicott – tied for third place at 6-under-par 204.
Twenty of the 92 players in the field finished under par for 54 holes.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Visit Knoxville Collegiate was held for the second time, and the Yellow Jackets are making their first appearance. Tennessee hosts the 16-team event, which is being contested over 54 holes beginning Friday and concluding Sunday at Tennessee National Golf Club, which plays to a par-70 and measures 7,280 yards.
Participating teams include Charlotte, Cincinnati, College of Charleston, East Tennessee State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, North Florida, Penn State, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin. Tennessee (7), Tech (11) and Ole Miss (13) are listed among the top 25 in the Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll, while four other teams received votes.