Georgia
Tech Golf Finishes 6th at Amer Ari Intercollegiate
Kohala Coast, Hawai’i – Led by freshman Kale Fontenot’s 7-under-par 65, Georgia Tech posted the third-lowest 18-hole score in program history Saturday, a 23-under-par 265, and finished in sixth place at the Amer Ari Intercollegiate.
Tech’s third-round score was the second-best in the field Saturday, but the Yellow Jackets were unable to pick up significant ground on the leaders as No. 2 North Carolina posted a 22-under-par round, No. 7 Arizona State shot 20-under, top-ranked Auburn posted a 15-under-par round, No. 22 Texas Tech was 20-under-par and No. 4 Washington was 19-under. The Jackets finished 17 strokes off the pace of the Tar Heels.
Senior Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.), fired his third straight 67 (-5) Saturday and tied for eighth place individually at 15-under-par 201.
Tech’s 50-under-par tournament score of 814 was the fifth-lowest score in relation to par on record for the program, six strokes off the record total of 56-under-par at this event in 2005, and was the seventh lowest stroke total in team history.
The Jackets return to action Feb. 19-21 at the Watersound Invitational in Panama City, Fla.
TECH LINEUP – Fontenot made eight birdies in the final round, including three in his final four holes, as the freshman posted the best round of his career to date and rose to a tie for 55th individually at 7-under-par 209.
Senior Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa) fired a 6-under-par 66 Saturday that included seven birdies, and finished in a tie for 14th place at 14-under-par 202. Sophomore Hiroshi Tai (Singapore) and freshman Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.) each carded 67s for the Yellow Jackets. Tai finished in a tie for 19th place at 13-under-par 203, while Kim tied for 78th at 213 (-3).
Senior Aidan Kramer (Oviedo, Fla.), competing as an individual, posted his third straight subpar round Saturday (3-under-par 69) and tied for 63rd place at 6-under-par 210.
Bartley Forrester (15-under-par 201) earned the eighth top-10 fonish of his career and second this year.
TEAM LEADERBOARD – No. 2 North Carolina had four players shoot at least 5-under par Saturday and posted a 22-under-par total of 266, allowing the Tar Heels to outlast No. 7 Arizona State by five strokes. UNC posted a 68-under-par tournament total of 796, with the Sun Devils finishing at 801 (-63).
Top-ranked Auburn (806, -58) finished in third place, while No. 4 Washington and No. 22 Texas Tech tied for fourth place at 8-7 (-57) and Tech came in sixth at 814 (-50).
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Arizona State’s Wenyi Ding ran away with medalist honors, carding a 10-under-par 62 Saturday, the best individual round of the weekend, to complete 54 holes at 27-under-par 189. That was none shots better than Washington’s Finn Noelle and San Jose State’s Carl Corpus, who tied at 18-undr-par 198.
Auburn’s Jackson Koivin, North Carolina’s David Ford and Texas Tech’s Matthew Comegys tied for fourth place at 199 (-17), with the Tar Heels’ Dylan Menante alone in seventh place at 200 (-16).
Tech’s Forrester tied for eighth place with five other players at 201 (-15).
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Georgia Tech has played in the Amer Ari Intercollegiate every year since 1999, with the exception of the 2015. The 33rd annual event is a traditional collegiate 54-hole, 5-count-4 stroke-play tournament, contested at the Mauna Lani Golf Resort (par-72 North Course) on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawai’i, the second time the event has been held at the venue.
The Yellow Jackets have won this event five times, all between 1999 and 2006, and six Yellow Jackets have won or shared the individual title, including Carlton Forrester (shared title in 1999), Matt Kuchar (shared title in 1999 and 2000), Bryce Molder (shared title in 2000), Troy Matteson (2002) and Cameron Tringale (2006). Tech finished in seventh place among 19 teams last year.
The 20-team field included nine teams ranked in the current NCAA Golf top-25, and 13 of the top 50, including (with ranking) top-ranked Auburn, No. 2 North Carolina, No. 4 Washington, No. 7 Arizona State, No. 11 Georgia Tech, No. 12 Florida State, No. 16 Texas, No. 18 Oregon, No. 22 Texas Tech, No. 31 UCLA, No. 42 Oklahoma State, No. 46 Oregon State, No. 49 San Jose State.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 29th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, having won 72 tournaments in his tenure. Heppler is the 10th-longest-tenured head coach in Division I men’s golf. The Yellow Jackets have won 19 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 33 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up five times. Connect with Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on Twitter (@GTGolf) and Instagram. For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
SCREVEN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) – A parasite not seen in the United States since the 1960s is making a comeback, and Georgia cattle producers are watching closely.
The New World Screwworm has been confirmed in Texas and New Mexico, raising alarms across the South. The pest — eradicated in the U.S. more than 60 years ago and driven all the way to Panama — has been working its way back north through Mexico.
Screven County cattle producer Lindy Sheppard says he learned about screwworm in agriculture college and heard stories from his father, who dealt with the parasite in the 1950s and ’60s.
“I never thought I would have to deal with it,” said Sheppard.
Now, with confirmed cases edging closer to Georgia, Sheppard isn’t so sure.
“We hope they keep it on that side of the Mississippi River,” he said. “We don’t want it over here.”
How screwworm spreads
The New World Screwworm spreads through flies whose larvae burrow into the open wounds of living animals. Livestock, horses, pets and wildlife are all at risk. Newborn cattle are especially vulnerable; their exposed navel cords provide an entry point for flies.
Sheppard says calving season, which begins as early as late August in Georgia, is his biggest concern.
“When we start calving in late August, September, because the navel cords are so exposed. That’s a red flag in my mind that it could be a real problem when we start calving this fall,” he said.
Georgia’s response
The Georgia Department of Agriculture is already taking action. Officials are monitoring livestock movement into and out of the state around the clock and have prepared traps ready to deploy if needed.
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said the state is stepping up protocol checks on all animals entering Georgia.
Sheppard says he is confident in the state’s leadership.
“We’ve got Tyler Harper, our commissioner of agriculture. He’s all over it,” Sheppard said. “I feel like they’re doing everything they can. I really do.”
Economic concerns
The screwworm threat comes as Georgia’s cattle industry is already under significant pressure. Rising costs, shrinking profit margins, dwindling access to markets and an aging workforce have pushed many farmers to the brink.
Sheppard, 65, notes the average age of a cattle farmer is 58, and says screwworm could be the breaking point for some.
“We’re losing cattle in this state anyway, so that may accelerate it,” he said. “It might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, it sure might. It makes them go ahead and sell all of the cattle.”
The USDA has allocated $100 million toward screwworm eradication efforts. In South Texas, federal officials are already releasing sterile flies, the same method used to eradicate the parasite in the 1960s.
Food supply not at risk
Despite the growing concern, both Sheppard and state officials say the food supply is not in danger.
“It does not affect the food supply,” Sheppard said. “The quality of the food has nothing to do with it… it only really affects those of us here producing it. And we just have to manage it the best we can.”
What to do if you suspect screwworm
The Georgia Department of Agriculture is urging farmers and pet owners to report any signs of screwworm immediately, including unusual wounds, maggots or strange behavior in livestock or animals.
To report a suspected case, contact the Office of the State Veterinarian:
- Phone: 404-656-3667
- Email: AnimalHealth@agr.georgia.gov
Copyright 2026 WTOC. All rights reserved.
PERRY, Ga. (WALB) — The Georgia National Fair announced ticket pricing changes for 2026 in a Facebook post.
Children ages 3-10 will now require a $5 admission ticket.
Adult tickets purchased with cash at the entry gate will cost $20, excluding discounted admission days. Adults paying with a card at the gate will pay $15.
All online transactions will include a processing fee.
Discounted admission days will be $10 for everyone. Seniors 60 and up are $10 every day.
For more ticket information and fair dates, visit https://www.georgianationalfair.com/p/getconnected/pricing.
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Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.
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