Clemson Finishes Fourth at ACC Golf Championships

April 22, 2012

CLEMSON, SC – Corbin Mills fired a final round 69, including a birdie on the last hole that allowed Clemson to tie Virginia Tech for fourth place at the 59th annual ACC Men’s Golf Championships. The three-day 54 hole event was played for the 11th straight year at the par 72 Old North State Club in New London, NC.

Georgia Tech won the tournament with a 27-under par score of 837. Tech was on pace to set a tournament record for most strokes under par entering the final round, but difficult weather conditions saw all the scores go higher on Sunday. Tech had a 293 score on Sunday, one stroke more than Clemson’s 292, but still won by seven shots over Virginia. The Cavaliers finished with a 20-under par score of 844, while Florida State was third at 17 under par 847.

Clemson and Virginia Tech tied for fourth at 857, while 15th ranked Duke was sixth at two under par 862.

Mills had a strong final two rounds and in fact was the only player in the field to shoot in the 60s on Saturday and Sunday. His round on Sunday included six birdies and three bogeys. He was three under par through six holes and some wondered if he would make a run at the individual championship. But he had three bogeys between the seventh and 10th holes. But he played the last eight holes two under to finish with the 69.

For the tournament, Mills was four under par on the par four holes, third best in the field, and was seven under on the par fives, tied for second best in the field. His 14 birdies for the tournament tied for third best in the field of 55 golfers. He made 11 birdies in his last 26 holes.

Mills finished sixth overall in the individual race, four shots behind champion Ben Rusch of Virginia. It marked the second straight year Mills finished sixth at the ACC Tournament. He had a 212 score last year.

Freshman Billy Kennerly was Clemson’s second best player on Sunday and second best player for the tournament. He had a one over par 73 on Sunday and finished with a one over par 217 for the 54 holes, 21st in the field. Known for his consistent play, Kennerly made 39 pars in the 54 holes, tied for second in the field. He played the back nine in three under par for the week and he made six of his seven birdies on the back nine, including the 11th and 13th holes on Sunday.

Kennerly now has a 72.37 stroke average for the year, second best in Clemson history among freshmen. Only Kyle Stanley’s 70.87 in 2005-06 is better.

Crawford Reeves had a 74 on Sunday and finished tied for 32nd for the tournament with a 220 total. He had rounds of 80-66-74 for the weekend and now has an average of 71.44 for the year. Reeves second round 66 was the best round of his career and third best by a Clemson golfer this year.

Thomas Bradshaw had a 76 on Sunday and finished with a 220 total for the 54 holes, tied with Reeves for 32nd place. He had a strong round except for two holes, double bogeys on the seventh and 18th holes. Bradshaw was among the tournament leaders on the par four holes this weekend as he played those holes in four under par.

McCuen Elmore had a final round 77 and finished with a 225 score, tied for 45th place. He did have an opening round 70 that helped the team to a 287 team score.

Clemson will now await its assignment for the NCAA Regionals, which will be played May 18-20.