2005 Golf Outlook

Feb. 24, 2005

Clemson’s men’s golf program has been the most successful athletic program on the Clemson athletic landscape over the last 25 years. As we head into the spring of 2005, Larry Penley’s teams have qualified for the NCAA Tournament every year he has been the head coach (since 1983-84) and finished in the nation’s top 20 in 18 of those 21 seasons.

That list of accomplishments also includes the 2003 National Championship of college golf, the first national title in the program’s history and just the fourth team title in Clemson sports history.

The architect of the success has been Penley, but he will be the first to tell you it is all about the golfers and their drive to bring the program to among the best in the nation. The list of All-Americans to have a positive impact on the program date to Clarence Rose, a teammate of Penley in 1979 and 1980, who was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in the fall of 2004.

All-Americans Kevin Johnson and Chris Patton continued the tradition in the late 1980s and led to the recruitment of early 1990s All-Americans Danny Ellis, Nicky Goetze and Bobby Doolittle. Recent years have featured star players Richard Coughlan, Charles Warren and Jonathan Byrd, Lucas Glover and John Engler. The national championship team featured 2002 National Player of the Year D.J. Trahan. The 2004 Clemson team was led by seniors Matt Hendrix and Gregg Jones, who both earned All-America status in their respective careers.

Who will be the leader of the 2004-05 Tigers? It is a question that Penley ponders with diligence. “Over the years we have had a standout player, a golfer who would compete to win individual championships and that would carry over to the rest of the team,” said Penley, who has coached 13 first-team All-Americans. “We have golfers capable of leading this team and that will have a direct baring on our level of success this spring.”

Two seniors could fill that role in 2004-05. The most likely is returning two-time second-team All-American Jack Ferguson. The native of Seneca had a 71.39 stroke average last year when he had five top 10 finishes, including a second-place finish at the ACC Tournament.

Ferguson entered his senior season with a 72.03 career stroke average, fourth best in Clemson history, and 12 career top 10 finishes, best among active Tigers. Ferguson had a strong summer, including winning the championship of the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur, a victory that led to a top 10 world amateur ranking by Golfweek entering this college season.

Another reason Ferguson is a candidate to provide leadership on and off the course is his level of experience in the Clemson program. He has played in 32 career tournaments, including 13 as a starter on Clemson’s 2003 National Championship team. He is the only starter from that team still on the squad. He sank the winning putt at the ACC and NCAA Tournaments that year, two of eight wins for the Tigers since he has been a member of the squad. That victory total includes three NCAA East Regionals and two ACC Tournament titles.

Ferguson had a consistent, but not spectacular fall of 2004, as he had 14 of his 15 rounds at 75 or under, but no rounds in the 60s. He started his spring of 2005 strong with a top 10 finish at the Jones Cup.

Brent Delahoussaye, another senior who is in his second year playing for the Tigers, but his fourth as a Division I player, is another candidate to lead the Tigers and compete for tournament titles. The native of Greenville had a 73.97 stroke average last year, but he finished the year strong with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA East Regional, leading Clemson to the team title for the second straight year.

Delahoussaye also had a strong summer with six top 11 finishes in top amateur tournaments. He had a fourth-place ranking at The Players Amateur in July, his fourth straight top 10. He finished off the impressive summer with a seventh place at the South Carolina State Amateur.

This past fall he had a 73.40 stroke average, an improvement over last year, and had a top 10 at The Ridges when he shot a 213 total. He also played well at the Collegiate match Play where he defeated Matt Wells of Kentucky and Nathan Tyler of Arizona, both by 4 and 3 scores.

Brian Duncan is a junior who is capable of becoming the team leader. In fact, he had the top stroke average on the team during the fall of 2004 with a 72.47 figure. He finished third at The Ridges and 11th at Isleworth and the Carpet Classic. He had four of his 15 rounds in the 60s. Another native of Greenville, Duncan won the Palmetto Amateur in August in Aiken, SC when he shot a final round 66. He also had a second-place finish at the Dogwood Invitational.

A member of the 2003 National Championship team, Duncan played in eight of the 13 events last year as a sophomore. A season highlight took place at the ACC tournament when he shot a 218 to help the Tigers to the ACC Tournament title. “Brian probably has the best chance to shoot a low number day in and day out,” said Penley. “He has great offense to his game.”

Stephen Poole is a top returnee from last year’s team that finished third in the final Sagarin computer poll. A seldom used player entering the spring, Poole finished 10th at the Chris Schenkel in March and jumped into the lineup for the rest of the year. He also had a sixth-place finish at the Atlanta Intercollegiate and the ACC Tournament with a pair of 210 scores.

Martin Catalioto is an experienced red-shirt junior who should see plenty of time in the lineup this year. Originally a native of New Jersey, Catalioto is the only player on the Clemson roster to make the national field at the US Amateur and the US Public Links each of the last two years. He played in three events this fall and was in the starting lineup when Clemson traveled to Puerto Rico to open the spring season. He shot a two-under-par 211 at the Jerry Pate when he was Clemson’s top performer.

Nick Biershenk is a sophomore who also will see action this year. The brother of former Tiger starter and Nationwide Tour player Tommy Biershenk competed for the Tigers at the Ping Preview in the fall and is a former South Carolina Match Play amateur champion. He was very solid at the Collegiate Match Play in November when he defeated Jace Moore of Texas and Josh Esler of Arizona.

Tanner Ervin and Zach Seifert will also challenge for playing time this year, while Frank Wrenn is a first year freshman who should red-shirt this year. Ervin played in the fall at the Carpet Classic, while Seifert had not gotten into the lineup entering the spring.

Clemson struggled compared to its standards of recent years in the fall of 2004 when it had three finishes outside the top five in five starts and dropped to 16th in the polls entering the spring. The team did have a solid showing at the Collegiate match Play and continues to have high goals entering the spring season.

“Our goals as always are first to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship, then make the NCAA Tournament. We have won the conference each of the last two years and the East Regional three consecutive years. It will be quite a challenge to win the conference again this season because Georgia Tech is among the best teams in the nation and there are four other top 20 teams from the ACC this year.

“We have the depth necessary to have a very successful season. What we need is someone to contend for the individual title each week. We need someone to step up as a dominant player. That is the difference between finishing in the top five and the top 15 in the nation.”