Clemson Finishes 6th in Puerto Rico

Clemson, S.C.—Billy Kennerly shot his third consecutive two-under-par 70 and finished third individually to lead Clemson to a sixth-place finish at the Puerto Rico Classic at the Rio Mar River Course in San Juan, Puerto Rico.    The 54-hole, three-day event on the par 72 course concluded on Tuesday afternoon.

Clemson finished sixth out of 15 teams with an 873 team score.  Georgia was first at 852, followed by Georgia Tech at 859.  Oklahoma and defending NCAA Champion Alabama were third at 865, followed by Purdue in fifth-place  at 867.   After sixth place Clemson was Michigan at 874, Virginia Tech at 877 and ninth-ranked North Carolina at 881.

Kennerly continued his outstanding play from the fall with his 210 tournament score that was six-under par for the 54 holes, just one shot behind  medalists Dru Love of Alabama and Scott Vincent of Virginia Tech.  It was the fourth top 10 finish of the season for Kennerly and the highest tournament finish of his career.

The senior from Alpharetta, Ga., had the most consistent tournament of his career as he had 42 pars, nine birdies and just three bogeys.  At one point he made just one bogey in 35 holes over three rounds.  He was second in the 75-player field in total pars and led the tournament in par three scoring with a -3 total.

Miller Capps, defending co-champion of this event, gave Clemson a second top 10 finisher with a 212 score, four under par.  He had rounds of 69-70-73 for the three days., good enough for a tie for seventh.  Capps played the par five holes in five under par for the tournament, third best in the field and best among Clemson golfers.

Carson Young was Clemson’s third best golfer on Tuesday with a three-over-par 75 and he finished with a 231 score for the tournament. Freshman Josh Fickes had a 77 on Tuesday.  He had one bad hole, a seven on a par four on the back nine, that ruined his round, but he finished in a tie for 45^th for the three days with a 225 score, third best among Clemson golfers.

Cody Proveaux, who was playing the tournament with a pulled muscle and could play just two of the three rounds, had a 77 on Tuesday. 

Clemson returns to action at the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Invitational on March 9-10. The Tigers are the defending champions.

Puerto Rico Classic

Feb. 22-24, 2015

Rio Mar Country Club, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Team Results

1.    Georgia 852, 2. Georgia Tech  859, 3. Oklahoma 865 and Alabama 865, 5. Purdue 867, 6. Clemson 873, 7. Michigan 874, 8. Virginia Tech 877, 9. North Carolina 881, 10. N.C. State 888, 11. East Tennessee State 889, and UNC Greensboro 889, 13. Minnesota, 894,  14. Tulsa 899 and Nebraska 899.

Individual Clemson Results

3. Billy Kennerly,  210 , 7. Miller Capps 212, 45. Josh Fickes 225, 64. Carson Young 231, WD to injury Cody Proveaux