Christo Lamprecht sank a 14-foot eagle putt on the final hole Sunday afternoon at the Golf Club of Georgia to clip Nick Dunlap and win the 27th annual Georgia Cup match, 1-up.
The event serves as a Masters warmup for the reigning champions of the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur.
“Hey, everybody. I just won the Georgia Cup,” Lamprecht said in an interview with the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta. “Had a great day playing Nick Dunlap, and it was a really good match. Won it on 18 and it was really fun. … Yeah, I think we’re packing the bags and heading off to Augusta. See you next week.”
Lamprecht, the reigning British Amateur champion, is a 23-year-old South African who stands 6 feet, 8 inches and is a senior at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. He tied for 74th in last year’s Open Championship as the low amateur and is No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Last week, Lamprecht spoke with Global Golf Post’s Scott Michaux about expectations for the Masters.
Dunlap, who won the U.S. Amateur last summer at Cherry Hills near Denver, has risen to even greater prominence this year. In January, he became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour in 33 years when he claimed the American Express. Four days later, he accepted PGA Tour membership and turned pro. He made his pro debut one week later at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He competed in the Georgia Cup even though he no longer is an amateur – the second player to do so after reigning U.S. Am champ Colt Knost won the Georgia Cup as a pro in 2008 over British Amateur champion Drew Weaver.
Though Dunlap missed the cut in his first two starts as a professional and has missed the weekend in three of six events since that victory in the California desert, he has risen to No. 69 in the Official World Golf Ranking as he prepares for his debut in the Masters field.
TAP-INS
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Ben Parris, a sophomore in Arizona State’s Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, was named winner of the Ron Balicki Scholarship, the Golf Coaches Association of America announced. The $5,000 award, named in honor of the late Golfweek writer who elevated the college and amateur game, goes to a student with an interest in golf journalism. Parris, 19, of Denver, Colorado, worked last summer as a digital intern with the USGA and assists in promotions for ASU sports, including the men’s golf program. READ MORE
Compiled by Steve Harmon