Tigers win first Clemson Invitational |
Salem, S.C.—Head Coach Larry Penley won the 67th tournament of his Clemson career, but his first as the home team on Sunday. His Tigers captured the first Clemson Invitational Tournament with an 861 team score for the 54-hole event that included 12 teams from around the country, featuring five from the ACC.
The Tigers won the event at the Cliffs at Keowee Falls Course in Salem, S.C., a par 72 Jack Nicklaus designed course that is about 30 miles north of Clemson. The Tigers won the event by 11 shots over ACC rivals Georgia Tech and Louisville. Penley was proud of his team’s performance on a difficult course. “We struggled the first six holes today,” said Penley, whose team started the day with a nine shot lead, but saw it dwindle to five just 90 minutes into the round. “Fortunately the guys started playing consistently. We had everyone in the game today and you need that on this course.” Clemson shot a 12-under-par 276 on Friday in the opening round and that ended up as the top team round by 11 shots over the tournament. Clemson had rounds of 290 and 295 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, to finish with the 861 team score. “This was a good preparation for the ACC Tournament, which is in three weeks. The Old North State Course is going to seem a lot easier, but we will have to go back to being aggressive because we are going to need to shoot 25-under to win that tournament.” Overall, Penley was pleased with the weekend, the first time Clemson has played host to a tournament since 1987 and the first time Clemson has ever served as host of an event with the Clemson name on the title. “I want to thank everyone at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls. They did a tremendous job and it was a first class event. The same goes for all the help we had from the Clemson administration. We want this to be an annual event.” Clemson won the tournament on Sunday without any player shooting even par. The average score for the 66 golfers was 76.18, highest of the three rounds. Carson Young was the top Tiger on the day with a one over par 73, while Stephen Behr, Bryson Nimmer and Miller Capps all had rounds of 74. Austin Langdale, Clemson’s top golfer after two rounds, had a 76 on Sunday. Behr, Langdale and Young all finished with 54-hole scores of 215, good enough for a tie for third place. Medalist honors went to Vince Whaley of Georgia Tech, who finished with a 208 score for the three rounds, two shots ahead of Robin Sciot-Siegrist of Louisville. Nimmer finished in 12th place overall with a 219 score to give the Tigers four players in the top 12 for the second tournament in the last three. Clemson had three players participate as individuals and they all had solid performances. Josh Fickes had a 71 in the second round and finished in 23rd place with a 223 total. Coleman Self had an opening round 70 and finished at 224, good enough for 26th. Out of the eight Clemson golfers who participated on Sunday, Peter Mathison had the best round with a 71. He finished in 44th place at 232. Clemson Invitational April 1-3, 2016 The Cliffs at Keowee Falls, Salem, S.C. Team Results: 1. Clemson 861, 2. Georgia Tech and Louisville 872, 4. Winthrop 884, 5. Michigan State 887, 6. Furman 888, 7. Elon 897, 8. Notre Dame 899, 9. UNC Wilmington 902, 10. Boston College 921, 11. UNC Greensboro 927, 12. Navy 953 Clemson Individuals 3. Stephen Behr 215, 3. Austin Langdale 215, 3. Carson Young 215, 12. Bryson Nimmer 219, 32. Miller Capps 227. Playing as Individuals 23. Josh Fickes 223, 26. Coleman Self 224, 44. Peter Mathison 232. Would you look at that hardware! 2016 #Clemson Invitational Champions! ?????? pic.twitter.com/C4tTkCw5ix
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
