Inside the bag of Christo Lamprecht, the 6-foot-8 amateur leading The Open
2 Min Read
Christo Lamprecht’s stature makes him unique. He’s becoming known for his skill, as well.
Lamprecht, a 6-foot-8 South African, was a first-team All-American at Georgia Tech this season. He’s also the third-ranked amateur in the world and is now one of the co-leaders in The Open. Lamprecht earned his spot at The Open Championship with a win last month in The Amateur Championship.
Playing in Thursday’s eighth group, Lamprecht impressed with a 66 at Royal Liverpool in his first major round.
Being so tall – he’s taller than nine of the players on Georgia Tech’s basketball team – has its advantages but also can make club fitting hard. Lamprecht said he comfortably carries his drives 315-320 yards but he also went through three sets of clubs in one 18-month period due to multiple growth spurts, adding a half-inch in length to his clubs each time. He was just 5-foot-8 when he started high school.
Amateur Christo Lamprecht chips in for birdie at The Open
Lamprecht uses a bag full of Ping equipment, apart from a Titleist 3-wood. Because of a rule that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, his driver is limited to 46 inches in length. All his irons, except his 3-iron, are 1.5 inches longer than standard and he uses a 43-inch arm-lock putter, as well.
“I started with arm-lock a year ago and went to the Harwood (putter) about eight months ago,” Lamprecht said in a video on Ping’s Instagram page. “It feels like cheating to be honest with you.”
Lamprecht also travels with two lob wedges, one with 6 degrees of bounce and the other with 10. He usually uses the 6-degree club on firm courses like Britain’s links but has opted for the 10-degree option this week.
“(Royal Liverpool) is pretty green, really green for a links so around the greens I am comfortable with the 10-degree bounce,” he said, “and the bunkers have a lot of sand in them, so I need that extra bit of bounce.”
Here’s a look at what’s in Lamprecht’s bag:
Driver: Ping G430 LST driver (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage XT70-TX (46”, tip 1”)
3-wood: Titleist TS2 3-wood (15 degrees)
3-iron: Ping i230 3-iron
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X
Irons: Ping Blueprint (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X (+1.5”)
Wedges: Ping GFP (50, 54 and 60 degrees)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X (+1.5”)
Putter: Ping 2021 Harwood Armlock (43 inches)
Ball: Titleist ProV1