PAUMA VALLEY, Ca. – In a back-and-forth battle to the finish, No. 20 Georgia Tech posted a 6-under-par 278 on Wednesday in the final round of the Pauma Valley Invitational to claim a share of the team title with No. 15 Tennessee. The Yellow Jackets earned the win with a tournament score of 16-under-par 836, highlighted by a pair of individual top-10 finishes from Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.) and Hiroshi Tai (Singapore).
Competing against a stacked field that featured nine top 15 teams, the win marked the first team tournament victory of the 2025-26 season for the Yellow Jackets, and first since Tech captured the title at Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational last season. It was also the 74th win in the illustrious coaching career of head coach Bruce Heppler.
Three Yellow Jackets finished the tournament under-par, led by Tran and Tai, both with even-par 71s on Wednesday. Tran was the last to enter the clubhouse, finishing the round with pars on the final three holes to seal the team victory. Tran finished the tournament tied for fifth at 6-under-par 207, while Tai tied for eighth at 5-under-par 208. Albert Hansson (Fiskebäckskil, Sweden)also beat par for the tournament to tie for 16th place.
Tech entered the final round one stroke off the lead and went head-to-head with Tennessee over the final 18 holes. Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, The Netherlands)saved the best for last, firing a 5-under-par 66 on Wednesday to help lead Georgia Tech to victory, as the Jackets defeated seven top-10 opponents in the process. Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.) also recorded a sub-par round, capping the tournament with a 1-under-par 70 on Wednesday.
No. 3 Florida and No. 6 LSU tied for third place at 13-under-par, while No. 7 Oklahoma State rounded out the top five at 8-under-par. No. 2 Virginia and No. 9 Illinois tied for sixth place at 6-under-par.
In its third edition, the tournament featured a 16-team competitive field that included 11 teams ranked in the Scoreboard Powered by Clippd Top-50 rankings. Of the 11 teams in the top-50, nine are ranked in the top-25 – No. 2 Virginia, No. 3 Florida, No. 6 LSU, No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 9 Illinois, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 15 Tennessee and No. 20 Georgia Tech. Completing the field are Colorado State, East Tennessee State, host LMU, No. 42 San Diego, No. 28 San Diego State, SMU and Toledo.
Georgia Tech faces a quick turnaround for its second-straight California tournament, competing in The Goodwin, March 26-28, at the Stanford Golf Course.
TECH LINEUP –Reuter responded in the final round, firing off a pair of eagles in the first three holes to open play, including Tech’s second hole-in-one of the tournament, coming on No. 3. The senior finished at 5-under-par 66 to match Tech’s lowest individual round of the tournament from Tran in round one. With a three-day total of 216 (+3), Reuter finished tied for 48th.
Tech’s second golfer to break par on Wednesday was Fontenot with a 1-under-par 70. The junior made the turn at even-par and recorded two birdies and a bogey on the back nine to finish at 5-over-par 218 for the tournament, tied for 60th.
The Jackets saw even-par 71s on the final day from both Tran and Tai. Tran finished just four strokes off the lead at 6-under-par, while Tai finished at 5-under-par, five strokes off the leader.
Hansson posted a 1-over-par 72 on Wednesday and did not count towards the team score. Hansson, however, concluded the tournament at 2-under-par 211 to finished tied for 16th, marking Tech’s third top-25 individual finish of the tournament.
Competing as an individual, Brady Rackley IV (Atlanta, Ga.) posted a 2-over-par 73 to tie for 80th at 224 (+11).
TEAM LEADERBOARD – Georgia Tech climbed one spot on the team leaderboard to share the title with No. 15 Tennessee, which held the lead entering the final round. Following in the next five spots were top-10 ranked programs in No. 6 LSU (t-3, -13), No. 3 Florida (t-3, -13), No. 7 Oklahoma State (5, -8), No. 2 Virginia (t-6, -6) and No. 9 Illinois (t-6, -6).
One of three Atlantic Coast Conference teams in the field, Georgia Tech defeated both No. 2 Virginia and SMU, which placed eighth in the field at 5-under-par 847. Of the 16-team field, eight teams finished sub-par.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Along with sharing the team title, Tennessee saw Lance Simpson claim a share of the individual title with SMU’s William Sides. Both golfers finished the tournament at 10-under-par 203. Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout came in third at 8-under-par 205, while LSU’s Jay Mendell took fourth at 206 (-7).
There was a three-way tie for fifth that included Tran, Illinois’ Ethan Wilson and Virginia’s Ben James at 6-under-par 207. Four golfers finished tied for eighth to round out the top 10 finishers. Tai, Paul Chang (Virginia), Dane Huddleston (Illinois) and Ian Maspat (San Diego) all finished 5-under (208).
At the conclusion of the tournament, only 28 players remained under par, including Tran, Tai and Hansson.
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