Georgia Tech’s Ross Steelman, No. 6 in PGA TOUR University Ranking, adds to lead at NCAA Championship

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – Ross Steelman, a fifth-year senior at Georgia Tech, added another stroke to his lead at the NCAA Championship with a 2-under 68, his third consecutive round in the 60s at Grayhawk Golf Club’s Raptor Course, which yielded far more scoring opportunities Sunday than the previous two rounds.

Steelman made six birdies, including a stretch of three in a row from Nos. 12-14, and four bogeys in the third round.

“Any time you can correct a mistake on the next hole, it’s just that added little confidence boost,” said Steelman, who followed a bogey with a birdie twice Sunday. “Bouncing back from bogeys reflects on attitude, and my attitude was really good out there today.”

At 9-under par through 54 holes, Steelman led by two strokes after the first round, three after the second, and now holds a four-stroke lead over University of North Carolina’s Dylan Menante and Ohio State University’s Neal Shipley. Three players, including No. 2-ranked Adrien Dumont De Chassart from University of Illinois, and No. 3-ranked Fred Biondi from University of Florida stand T4 at 4-under par.

With only one round of stroke play remaining, Steelman, who entered the week at No. 6 in the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking, projects to be the No. 2 finisher in the final ranking.

Players who finish Nos. 2-5 in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking will earn fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2023, as well as an exemption to Final Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry – where the top five finishers and ties earn PGA TOUR cards – and the ability to accept unlimited PGA TOUR sponsor exemptions for the remainder of 2023 and 2024.

“I want to play as boring of a round as possible,” Steelman said of his goal for Monday’s final round. “A lot of fairways, a lot of greens. Pars are going to be my friend. Just go out and have fun again. It’s going to be my last round of medal play in college golf, so have fun with it.”

Born and raised in Columbia, Missouri, Steelman grew up five minutes from University of Missouri, where he enrolled in January 2019 and redshirted for the spring. Steelman notched a pair of victories, the first as a redshirt freshman in September 2019, and another at Mizzou’s home course, The Club at Old Hawthorne, in April 2021, which contributed to a 2021 All-Southeastern Conference Second Team honor.

After two and a half seasons at his hometown university, Steelman transferred to Georgia Tech, though earlier this week he called the chance to play for Mizzou “a dream come true in every aspect of life.”

“I didn’t have a ton of offers. I was a good high school player, wasn’t great,” said Steelman, who also gave thanks to longtime Mizzou head coach Mark Leroux. “He gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. So appreciative to Coach Leroux for allowing a kid to live out his dream. It was really all I wanted to do, the only place I wanted to go. I wasn’t really good enough to come to Georgia Tech straight out of high school.

“Just being able to play (at Mizzou), play immediately, and play for two years against some of the best competition in the country was huge.”

Steelman had a breakout summer on the amateur circuit in 2021, as he defeated Ricky Castillo (entered this week at No. 10 in the PGA TOUR University Ranking) to reach the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakmont (Pennsylvania) Country Club. Last summer on the amateur circuit, Steelman earned medalist honors at the 2022 Western Amateur and once again qualified for match play at the 2022 U.S. Amateur.

This season at Georgia Tech, Steelman garnered a 2023 All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection and earned the title-winning point against Wake Forest at the 2023 ACC Championship. Steelman also entered the week with a 69.67 scoring average this season. The only two players to post a sub-70 scoring average in at Georgia Tech since the start of 1993 were Bryce Molder (69.43 in 2000-01) and Ollie Schniederjans (69.51 in 2013-14).

Nine players who entered the week ranked 20th or higher in the PGA TOUR University Ranking are currently inside the top 20 on the NCAA Championship leaderboard, including Texas Tech University’s Ludvig Aberg, who is in line to finish No. 1 in the PGA TOUR University Ranking and earn PGA TOUR membership for the remainder of 2023 and 2024.

• No. 6 Ross Steelman, Georgia Tech – 1st

• No. 2 Adrien Dumont De Chassart, Illinois – T4

• No. 3 Fred Biondi, Florida – T4

• No. 19 Tommy Kuhl, Illinois – T8

• No. 10 Ricky Castillo, Florida – T13

• No. 14 Sam Choi, Pepperdine – T13

• No. 18 Connor Howe, Georgia Tech – T17

• No. 1 Ludvig Aberg, Texas Tech – T19

• No. 16 Derek Hitchner, Pepperdine – T19

At the conclusion of a team playoff between Texas Tech and Ohio State University Monday at 11 a.m. EDT, as well as a potential individual playoff, the 30-team field will be cut to the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team. Golf Channel will broadcast the final round live Monday (5-9 p.m. EDT), when the NCAA individual champion will be crowned and the top eight teams will advance to match play.

PGA TOUR University Ranking Projections

Note: Current No. 13 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen has completed his season with 16 events on his PGA TOUR University record. When the minimum divisor (18) is applied after the NCAA Championship, he will finish with a Points Average of approximately 811, a current projected rank of No. 22.