CLEMSON, S.C.— Clemson Head Coach Jordan Byrd has announced the addition of three student-athletes to his golf program. Justin Burroughs of Pensacola, Fla. and Thomas Higgins of Ireland, will enter Clemson in the fall of 2022 as freshmen, while Alberto Dominguez will enter Clemson at the same time as a senior after playing three years at Erskine. He will have two years of eligibility at Clemson and will be able to compete for the Tigers in the fall of 2022.
“We are extremely excited about our 3 players we have signed this week,:” said Byrd. “Thomas Higgins and Justin Burroughs are two big, strong players who have great fundamentals that generate incredible speed with seemingly little effort. These two players are the longest players we have ever signed.
“If you look back at some of the greatest players in Clemson history they drove it as well as anyone in all of golf. Both of these guys do that at the highest level and we will be able to mold and shape their short games to highlight this ability.
“Alberto Dominguez comes to Clemson as a transfer from Erskine. Alberto has been as consistent as anyone at competing at the top of the leaderboard this fall. He has finished in the top four in all five of his events. He was a Division 2 first-team All American last year and brings a wealth of international experience. He has the competitive desire to be great. We can’t wait to get these three student-athletes on campus next fall.
Burroughs is a three-time area Golfer of the Year in Pensacola, Fla. who has been named to the Class A All-State team each of the last two years. He has finished in the top 25 of the Florida State Championship each of the last three years, including seventh in 2020 and 16th this year.
This past summer he had a pair of top 20 finishes in national AJGA Tournaments, 18th at the Arnold Palmer Junior and 19th at the AJGA Junior at Canebrake Golf Club.
Burroughs has four SJGT wins in his career. In the fall of 2020 he won the Visit Tallahassee Junior Championship thanks to a bogey free 66 in the final round. It was one of three top 10s he recorded in 2020. As a sophomore in 2020 he won the Class A Region championship.
Burroughs received significant acclaim in Florida as a freshman in 2018 when he made a hole-in-one on a 330-yard par four at the District Tournament.
Higgins is the third player from Ireland to join the Clemson program. Richard Coughlan was an All-American and Co-ACC Player of the Year for the Tigers between 1993-97, and Michael Hoey was a starter on Clemson NCAA Tournament teams between 1999-2001.
Higgins is a veteran of many national tournaments in Ireland and has been a regular on the Faldo Series. He has recorded eight top 10 finishes in prominent tournaments over the last two years, including four top three finishes.
His most impressive finish recently was a third place at the Irish U18 Amateur, where he shot a 72-hole total of 287. He finished 21st at the Irish Amateur this year as well, and finished second at the Mallow Golf Club Senior Scratch Cup with a score of 209. He finished second at the Faldo Irish Championship as well. In 2019, Higgins had a second-place finish at the Irish U16 Amateur.
Dominguez comes to Clemson after considerable college experience at Erskine in Due West, SC. The native of Spain finished fourth at the 2020 National Christian College Athletic Association Championship, leading Erskine to the National title. He won medalist honors at the NCCAA Regional Tournament that year.
That is one of three tournament wins in his Erskine career. In addition to the 2020 NCCAA Regional, he also win the 2020 Donald Ross Intercollegiate and the 2021 Carolinas Conference Championship.
Dominguez has shown improvement each year of his college career, as his stroke average has gone from 71.84 as a freshman, to 71.25 as a sophomore to 70.07 in the fall of 2021.
In the 2021 fall portion of the schedule just completed he had five top five finishes and 13 or his 14 rounds were scores of 72 or better. For his 53-round career at Erskine, Dominguez Avila has a 71.15 stroke average with 15 top five finishes, three wins and 15 rounds in the 60s. He will compete for Erskine in the Spring of 2022.
