Christo Lamprecht
| Christo Lamprecht | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | 30 January 2001 George, Western Cape, South Africa | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 8 in (203 cm) | ||||||||
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||
| Sporting nationality |  South Africa | ||||||||
| Residence | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Career | |||||||||
| College | Georgia Tech | ||||||||
| Turned professional | 2024 | ||||||||
| Current tour(s) | Korn Ferry Tour | ||||||||
| Best results in major championships | |||||||||
| Masters Tournament | CUT: 2024 | ||||||||
| PGA Championship | DNP | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | DNP | ||||||||
| The Open Championship | T74: 2023 | ||||||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Christo Lamprecht (born 30 January 2001) is a South African professional golfer. In 2023, he became the third South African in six years to win The Amateur Championship, giving him exemption to the 2023 Open Championship, where he won the Silver Medal as low amateur. In September 2023, he rose to number 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.[1] He is noted for his height of 6 ft 8 in.[2][3]
Early life and education
[edit]On 30 January 2001, Lamprecht was born in Western Cape, South Africa the youngest of three with two older sisters. His father introduced him to golf at age 3 and he attended Outeniqua High School.[4]
Amateur career
[edit]Lamprecht had a successful amateur career and became the youngest player ever to win the South African Amateur Championship in 2017. He competed in the Junior Presidents Cup in 2017 and 2019. In 2018, he became the first international champion of the East of Ireland Amateur, tied for eighth at the St Andrews Links Trophy, and tied for 11th place at the Junior Players Championship in Jacksonville, Florida.[5] In 2019, he was runner-up at the Southern Cape Amateur Open and the All Africa Juniors Challenge, and won the Junior Golf World Cup in Japan with the South African team.[6]
He appeared four times at the South African Open Championship and was the youngest player in the field when he made his debut in 2018.[7]
Lamprecht was enrolled as a business administration major at Georgia Tech between 2020 and 2024, and played with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's golf team, where he became an All-American and multiple time Arnold Palmer Cup player.[4] With one victory and three runner-up finishes in 2022–23, he was ranked 10th nationally by Golfstat and 5th in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index, and a semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award. In 2023–24, he was ranked 4th nationally in the Scoreboard NCAA Golf rankings, was a finalist for the Ben Hogan Award, Fred Haskins Award, Jack Nicklaus Award and won the Byron Nelson Award. He was also named GTAA Male Athlete of the Year and ACC Player of the Year.[8]
In 2021, he tied for 4th at The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship in Trinity, Texas, where he captained the South African team finishing eighth overall and fifth in the men's event.[9] Lamprecht competed at the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup in Switzerland, where he went 3–1 in his matches to help the International team defeat Team USA. At the 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup in Pennsylvania, he lost three of his four matches.[4]
Lamprecht tied for sixth place in the 36-hole stroke-play portion at the 2022 U.S. Amateur, and tied for ninth at the European Amateur Championship in Valencia, Spain. In 2023, he won The Amateur Championship at Hillside Golf Club in England, securing a 3 and 2 victory over Ronan Kleu from Switzerland in the 36-hole final.[10][11] Afterwards, he rose to 3rd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and climbed into the number one spot a few months later.
Professional career
[edit]Lamprecht turned professional in May 2024, forfeiting his exemption into the 2024 U.S. Open.[12] He joined the Korn Ferry Tour, for which he gained exemption through finishing second in the PGA Tour University Ranking, and tied for 5th in his fourth start.[13]
Amateur wins
[edit]- 2016 Dimension Data Junior Open
- 2017 South African Amateur Championship
- 2018 East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Dimension Data Junior Open
- 2020 Cape Province Open
- 2022 Inverness Intercollegiate
- 2023 The Amateur Championship, OFCC Fighting Illini Invitational
Source:[5]
Results in major championships
[edit]| Tournament | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | |
| PGA Championship | ||
| U.S. Open | ||
| The Open Championship | T74LA |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = Tied
LA = Low amateur
Team appearances
[edit]- Junior Golf World Cup (representing South Africa): 2017, 2019 (winners)
- Junior Presidents Cup (representing the International team): 2017, 2019
- Spirit International (representing South Africa): 2021
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing South Africa): 2022, 2023
- Arnold Palmer Cup (representing the International team): 2022 (winners), 2023
References
[edit]- ^ "Lamprecht becomes world number one". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ Huggan, John (24 June 2023). "It's a tall order to win British Amateur, and 6-foot-8 South African from Georgia Tech pulls it off". Golf Digest. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ Dethier, Dylan (5 April 2024). "He's 6-foot-8. He's playing the Masters. Is Christo Lamprecht golf's next big thing?". Golf.com. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "Roster: Christo Lamprecht". Georgia Tech Athletics. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ a b c "Christo Lamprecht". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "GolfRSA Boys seal record World Cup win". GolfRSA. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Christo Lamprecht". European Tour. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Lamprecht Named Semifinalist for Ben Hogan Award". Georgia Tech Athletics. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Team SA seals top 10 in The Spirit USA". GolfRSA. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ Hall, Mike. "Christo Lamprecht Wins Amateur Championship After Thrilling Finale". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Lamprecht wins The Amateur Championship in style at Hillside". The R&A. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ Fleming, Ben (30 May 2024). "World No.1 Amateur Gives Up US Open Exemption To Turn Pro". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Yadav, Ankita (28 May 2024). "Top 5 players on the final PGA Tour University Class of 2024 rankings ft. Christo Lamprecht". Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "GolfRSA announces power-packed 2023 Eisenhower Team". GolfRSA. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
External links
[edit]- Christo Lamprecht at the PGA Tour official site
- Christo Lamprecht at the European Tour official site
- Christo Lamprecht at the Official World Golf Ranking official site