Trahan Wins Southern Farm Bureau Classic

by Press Release - Sun Oct 01 20:01:55 GMT-04:00 2006

Clemson, SC-Former Clemson All-American and National Player of the Year D.J. Trahan won his first PGA Tour event Sunday with a birdie putt on the third playoff hole to capture the Southern Farm Bureau

Classic in Madison, MS. Trahan defeated Joe Durant, a former Duke

All-American, in the three-hole playoff. The event was played at the par 72 Annandale Golf Club in Madison, MS.

Both golfers had tied with scores of 275 for the four days.

Trahan shot a one-under-par 71 on Sunday after rounds of 65-68-71 in the first three rounds. Trahan had a 17-foot birdie putt on the par five 18th hole to win the tournament, but he missed it by two inches, forcing a playoff. Durant had shot a 66 earlier in the day and had to wait for Trahan to finish.

Trahan won $540,000 with the victory and is now exempt on the PGA Tour for two years. He had won $474,242 all year entering the event, then more than doubled that total with the victory on Sunday.

The leader of Clemson's 2003 National Championship golf team was a wire to wire winner of this tournament, the fourth time this year a player has gone wire to wire to win a PGA Tour event.

However, it was the first time since 1996 that a player had gone wire to wire to win his first PGA Tour event. Tim Herron was the last

to do it at the 1996 Honda Classic. Trahan was just the second

wire-to-wire winner at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic.

Trahan and Durant had to play the par 5 18th hole three times to determine the winner. Both players birdied the hole the first two times, then Trahan made a five-footer for birdie and Durant made par, the third time around, giving Trahan the victory.

Trahan's victory was the sixth by a former Clemson golfer.

It marked the third consecutive year that a Clemson golfer had won a PGA Tour event. Jonathan Byrd won the BC Open in 2004, Lucas Glover won the Funai Classic in 2005 and Trahan won the Southern Farm Bureau Classic this year.

PGA Tour Victories by Former Clemson Golfers

Year Player Event

1991 Dillard Pruitt Chattanooga Classic

1996 Clarence Rose Sprint International

2002 Jonathan Byrd Buick Challenge

2004 Jonathan Byrd BC Open

2005 Lucas Glover Funai Classic

2006 D.J. Trahan Southern Farm Bureau Classic

Clemson To Compete in Ping Preview

Clemson, SC-Fourth-ranked Clemson will be one of 15 teams who will compete in the Ping Preview at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, VA October 2-4. The event is the top tournament of the college season in the fall because it is also the site of the NCAA Championship next May.

Clemson will play the first two rounds of the three-day event

with Arizona State and Minnesota. Clemson's first player will tee

off at 8:00 AM on Monday.

Each of the top five teams in the nation and 11 of the top 15 in the latest Coaches poll will compete on the par 70 course that is

6,809 yards in length.. Also competing will be Arizona State, Brigham Young, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Lamar, Minnesota, UNLV, defending NCAA champion Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Washington and host school Virginia Commonwealth.

Clemson will bring two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior

to the Ping Preview. Leading the way is freshman Ben Martin, who

finished third at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Dalton, GA

September 17. He had a 208 score for the 54 holes, including a 64

in the second round that was the second best round in history by a Clemson freshman.

Joining Martin in the lineup will be classmate and fellow native of Greenwood, SC, Vince Hatfield. Hatfield is the leading returning Clemson player in terms of stroke average and he finished 19th in the opening tournament with a 213 score, including a career best 66 in the first round.

Kyle Stanley is a first-year freshman who will be in his second tournament as a Tiger. The native of Gig Harbor, WA finished 11th at the Carpet Classic when he shot a four-under-par 212. His first round 68 was the lowest opening round of the season for a Clemson first year freshman in Clemson history.

Sophomore David May will also be in the lineup for the Tigers at the Ping Preview. The native of Auburn, NY had a consistent

73-73-72 in the opening tournament at the Carpet Capital Collegiate.

A starter as a freshman, May had a 74.26 stroke average in 2005-06.

Tanner Ervin will also be in the lineup for Larry Penley's team. The veteran of the lineup as a junior, Ervin did not play in the opening tournament of the year, but had a solid 73.57 stroke average last year, helping Clemson to a seventh place finish at the NCAA Championships in Oregon. Ervin won the team qualifier for this event with a 70 at The Reserve last Friday ,a round that included an

31 on the back nine.