British Amateur champion Christo Lamprecht to compete in his first Masters
Christo Lamprecht (Royal and Ancient Photo)
When the Master’s tournament tees off on Thursday, an amateur from Georgia Tech will tower above the field.
However,
Christo Lamprecht, who stands at 6’8, is known for more than just his height.
The leader in the PGA Tour University standings and South African finished as the low amateur at the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool after being tied for the lead after an opening round 5-under 66.
“I think there's a lot of things to take away from it, but it's nice to know that my good golf is good enough to compete with anyone in the world,” Lamprecht said after the Open Championship. “And that's something really nice to take away from this week and kind of motivates me to keep on playing better golf and keep on practicing.”
Even after the first round, he knew his game was good enough to compete against the world’s best.
"As an amateur, yes, it is surprising, but in my own head, no, it's not," Lamprecht said after the first round. "I tend to be hard on myself, and I believe I've earned my spot to be here. The way I played today, I truly feel I deserve to be on top of the leaderboard at this moment."
Lamprecht added, "It's not a cocky thing to say. I genuinely believe in myself, and I think any professional or competitor stepping onto that first tee box should have the belief that they can be the best out there."
His play has seen him rise to No. 5 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.
Lamprecht won the British Amateur after barely even making the match play of top 64 and ties, but once he did, he cruised through the match play bracket and defeated Ronan Kleu 3 & 2 to earn his spot this week.
Lamprecht is coming into Augusta hot off a win at the Georgia Cup over Nick Dunlap.
The Georgia Cup is an annual match played the Sunday before the Masters between the British Amateur champion and the U.S. Amateur champion.
Lamprecht defeated newly turned pro and 2023 U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap on the 18th hole. Dunlap was the first pro to play in the Georgia Cup.
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Now, as the 23-year-old prepares for his first Master’s Tournament, he is ready to do more than just show up after proving what he can do at The Open Championship. He also made good on a promise he made to himself as a young golfer.
"I promised myself that the first time I come here is when I play, not come and watch," Lamprecht said on Monday. "I have a bunch of friends from home that flew over. It's fun to have some friends around. It's pretty special."