Who Is Christo Lamprecht? All You Need to Know About the Amateur Golfer Who Leads the British Open

• Christo Lamprecht grabbed a share of the lead after the first round of the Open Championship
• The South African star is ranked as the No. 3 amateur golfer in the world
• The 6-foot-8 golfer qualified for the Open Championship by winning the British Amateur

Christo Lamprecht took everyone by surprise when he surged to the top of the leaderboard in the first round of the 2023 Open Championship on Thursday.

He shot a five-under 66 at Royal Liverpool to enter the clubhouse in sole possession of first place.

Emiliano Grillo and Tommy Fleetwood later finished with the same opening-round score to tie Lamprecht for the lead.

So who is this amateur golfer that is taking the golfing world by storm at the Open this week? Here’s all you need to know about Lamprecht.

Early life and biography

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He was born on January 30, 2001, in Western Cape, South Africa. He is the youngest of three children, with Lamprecht having two older sisters.

He was only three years old when he started playing golf after his father introduced him to the sport.

He started playing competitively once he learned the sport and soon became an elite junior golfer.

Golf wasn’t the only sport he excelled at while growing up. He also showed some promise as a tennis player but decided to put the racket away early in high school in favour of golf.

Lamprecht's golf education

He participated in former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen’s golf academy in South Africa when he was 14, per The Athletic.

The academy provided the rising star with coaching and honed his golf skills, which helped him land a scholarship to Georgia Tech.

He was recruited to the Yellow Jackets by coach Bruce Heppler, and that move has paid dividends for both of them.

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He became a Fred Haskins Award finalist and a two-time All-American during his time at Georgia Tech.

His victory at the British Amateur earned him invites not only to this year’s British Open but also to next year’s Masters Tournament and U.S. Open.

Height is might

Lamprecht encountered some challenges with his golf game as he went through a series of growth spurts beginning around the age of 14.

He said in an interview on Thursday that he was changing clubs every six months because of his height.

Lamprecht, who stands at 6 feet and 8 inches tall, explained that length runs in their family.

He said that his father is 6-foot-4, and is the shortest of the last five generations. He added that his grandfather on his dad’s side was 6-foot-8, and his great-grandfather was 7-foot.

He made history when he teed off at Royal Liverpool, as he is believed to be the tallest golfer to ever compete at the Open Championship.

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That height has become a weapon for Lamprecht this week.

The 22-year-old ranked third in driving distance in the first round at 325 yards, per ESPN. He showed his power with drives of 364 yards on the second hole and 353 yards on No. 18.

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He drained a clutch eagle on the final hole to grab his first win in the event.

It was a dream tournament for Curry, who also sank a hole-in-one in the second round.