Byrd To Compete In Walker Cup This Weekend

Sept. 8, 1999

Clemson, S.C. – Clemson All-American Jonathan Byrd is one of 10 men who will represent the United States in the Walker Cup matches this weekend in Scotland. Byrd, a first-team Academic and on-course All-American last year, is the third player in Clemson history to be chosen for the event. The others are Kevin Johnson (1989) and Richard Coughlan (1997).

Byrd’s participation in the Walker Cup will force him to miss Clemson’s season opening tournament at The Ridges in Johnson City, TN. Byrd is the defending champion of that event and Clemson is the defending team champion.

The Walker Cup will be held this Saturday and Sunday at the Nairn Golf Club in Nairn, Scotland, a 6602-yard, par-71 layout. The competition features a 10-man United States team against a 10-man team chosen from Ireland, Great Britain, Scotland and Wales. There will be four foursomes and eight singles matches each day. Each match is played over 18 holes, and one team point is awarded for each win. One-half point is awarded to each side for halved matches. A total of 12.5 points are needed to win the Walker Cup.

Three will be no live television of the event, but The Golf Channel will air a three-hour highlight show on the Walker Cup from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM on Thursday, September 16. The United States is the defending champion, having won the Walker Cup 18-6 at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, NY by an 18-6 margin.

The top two college players in the nation will be taking part in the event and could face each other. Clemson’s Jonathan Byrd is ranked second according to the latest college ranking by Mastercard and the College Golf Foundation, while Luke Donald, who won the individual National Championship last year playing for Northwestern, is a member of the Great Britain and Ireland team.

Clemson Has Three of Top 16 Golfers in US, Clemson Team No. 1

Princeton, NJ – Clemson’s three returning All-Americans are all ranked in the top 16 in the nation according to the preseason Mastercard College Golf Rankings as announced by the College Golf Foundation. Jonathan Byrd, John Engler and Lucas Glover, all returning All-Americans from Clemson’s top 10 team, are ranked in the Sweet 16 of the poll.

Clemson is ranked number-one as a team in the preseason poll. The Tigers are just ahead of UNLV and Oklahoma State. Georgia, the defending national champion, is fourth, whileArizona State is fifth and Georgia Tech is sixth. Houston is seventh, followed by Florida, Northwestern and South Carolina.

Byrd, the only senior on this year’s Clemson team, is ranked second in the nation behind Luke Donald of Northwestern. Engler, a junior, is listed as the eighth best player in the country, while Glover, also a junior, is 16th. All three players are from within 120 miles from Clemson. Byrd is a native of Columbia, SC, while Engler hails from Augusta, GA and Glover is a native of Greenville.

All three players were ranked in the final top 14 in the nation in the final poll last year. Byrd was sixth, Engler ninth and Glover 14th.