Among the pines, pink dogwoods and magnolia trees lining Augusta National, there’s a new figure towering over the course at the 2024 Masters tournament.
His name is Christo Lamprecht and the 6-foot-8 amateur is pretty easy to spot out there in Georgia. Making his Masters debut, Lamprecht could set a few records with a win this week.
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Not only would he be the first amateur to capture a green jacket, but yes, he would become the tallest winner on record — besting 6-foot-5 George Archer in 1969.
So who is Lamprecht and what do you need to know about him?
We’ve got you covered.
He's a senior at Georgia Tech (and 2023 first team All-American!)
(Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Network)
Lamprecht has been hard to miss on the college circuit. Not because of his height, but because of his game. The native of South Africa had one victory and three runner-up finishes during the 2022-23 season. He was named a finalist for the Ben Hogan award that eventually went to Ludvig Aberg as the best college player.
He was the youngest South African Amateur winner ever
(Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)
He captured his country’s amateur championship in 2017 at just 16 years old, then competed in the Junior Presidents Cup in 2017 and 2019, though to be fair, Lamprecht was a bit shorter in those days. In high school he measured 5-foot-7.
He was the 2023 low amateur at The Open
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Lamprecht was the co-leader at The Open after the first round and finished T74. Then again, pot bunkers are a bit easier to tackle when you can approach them like this:
He's making his second career PGA Tour start
(Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Network)
But that doesn’t mean Lamprecht will be turning pro just yet. He told ESPN’s Sam Border he’s still deciding whether he’ll make the jump before or after this summer’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst.
His swing is pretty wide, but impressive
(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
ESPN’s Borden dug into the mechanics of Lamprecht swing and found the amateur’s trademark knee-bend is a way for him to try to harness his speed in a controlled manner. Pros are already impressed.
“As a 50-year-old golfer seeing a guy like him, he is pretty much your basic nightmare watching a guy like him coming up,” Stewart Cink said during the 2023 Open. “He can hit it like 330 in the air and he hits those little shots around the green so soft, it’s amazing. He’s got a lot of potential in front of him.”
