Silver Medal the latest in long list of Lamprecht achievements
Christo Lamprecht © Getty Images
Reigning amateur champion Christo Lamprecht added to South Africa’s glorious history in the Open Championship when he became the country’s first silver medalist at the 151st edition on Sunday.
It becomes a habit for Lamprecht to set records and make history.
He was just 16 years and 25 days when he became the youngest ever winner of the South African Amateur Championship at Humewood Links in 2017 – a record he still holds.
A year later he showed maturity beyond his County Lowth years, becoming the youngest champion and first foreign winner in the 76-year history of the East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship.
In 2019, Lamprecht and fellow GolfRSA National Squad members Martin Vorster, Casey Jarvis and Sam Simpson achieved a record-breaking 41-under-par aggregate win to win the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan. It was that year’s career-defining performance at Hillside Golf Club, where he defeated Swiss golfer Ronan Kleu 3-2 to become the fourth South African to win the amateur championship.
Since the silver medal was introduced in 1949, only 53 golfers have emerged as leading amateurs in the Open and 22-year-old Lamprecht has been honored to follow the likes of José María Olazábal, Sir Michael Bonnalack, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
The summer in the life of Christo Lamprecht.
The amateur champion. The silver medalist at the 151st Open. pic.twitter.com/i1Ap67SvRZ— The Open (@TheOpen) July 23, 2023
“I took a look at the list last night and it’s really nice to be a part of history and to have my name engraved on history,” said Lamprecht, who had rounds of 66, 79, 76 and 74 at Royal Liverpool to secure leading amateur honors.
“Now that everything is settled, it’s nice to look back and know that I’m the last amateur standing. I’m very proud of myself. I haven’t had the best stuff in the last three days and I have to think about that, but I’ve learned a lot of lessons.”
Congratulations Christo Lamprecht, our silver medalist 2023 ???? pic.twitter.com/LKgmlQBeaX— The R&A (@RandA) July 23, 2023
It’s rare for a young golfer to capitalize on good shots but also recover well after a bad game.
FIGHTING SPIRIT
It’s what set Lamprecht apart from the other five amateurs who served at Hoylake, and it’s why golf pundits should keep an eye on Georgia Tech’s rising star.
Lamprecht hit just 23 percent of the fairways in the 72-hole championship, but the George-American native never tried to compensate for those erratic shots, and the crowd got a taste of the mix of determination and quick-wittedness that carried him into the Hillside Golf Club winning circle.
After dropping just two shots in his opening round, he recorded eight on his scorecard in round two, his two single arcs were overshadowed by a trio of bogeys and two double bogeys in round three, and added five more in the final round.
Despite all the setbacks, his fighting spirit didn’t suffer, and an 11-over-par aggregate in his major debut was good enough to place him on the 18th green alongside champion golfer, American Brian Harman.
“Hopefully there are many more to come,” said Lamprecht, the first player since Matteo Manassero of Italy in 2009 and Jin Jeong of South Korea in 2010 to win both the amateur and silver medals in the same calendar year.
“It’s been an emotional week after peaking on Thursday and just not succeeding for the last three days. On Friday afternoon, after I turned 79, I spoke to Stewart Cink. He said he only led a major three times at the end of a round. To say I made it when I was 22 is pretty cool.
“I’m very strict with myself, and that’s what every good athlete has to be to some degree, but I’m ending the week with a smile. This week has given me a lot of motivation to work harder and keep grinding. I’ve seen the next level and now I really want to get there.”
An unforgettable summer for Christo Lamprecht ??????
amateur champion ?? Silver medalist at @The opening pic.twitter.com/qWXTOE09QZ— The R&A (@RandA) July 23, 2023
amateur champion. Silver medalist at The Open.
He ended the year 2022 | He started the 2023 US collegiate season as the seventh-best NCAA Division 1 amateur and was ranked third in the Official World Amateur Golf Rankings earlier in the week, the highest mark achieved by a South African since the rankings began in 2007.
It’s been a year that’s always been fruitful for Lamprecht and we’ve only just gotten halfway through.