Clemson, S.C.- Ivy Shepherd and Grayce Burgess both shot one-under par scores of 71 on Wednesday and keyed a strong team finish as the Clemson women’s golf team finished eighth in a 14-team field at the White Sands Invitational at Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The tournament completed the fall portion of the team’s 2019-20 season.
The Tigers played the final three holes at six under-par as a team, a run that was led by Burgess, who played her final three holes at three-under par thanks to a birdie eagle on the 402-yard par four fifth hole, and an eagle on the par five 482-yard sixth hole. The tournament was played in a shotgun format.
Clemson’s strong finish allowed the Tigers to finish ahead of 21st ranked Mississippi State and 25th ranked Ohio State. The field included five top 25 teams and seven of the top 31. Clemson was ranked 31st entering the tournament.
Texas won the tournament in dominant fashion. The third-ranked Longhorns finished with a 36-under-par score of 828. They were led by Sophie Guo with a 17—under par score of 199 for the three days. Texas had three of the top four players at the event. Seventeenth-ranked Arkansas finished second at 857 and Oklahoma was third at 858. Clemson was tied for eighth with Georgia.
Shepherd was Clemson’s top player for the 54-hole, three-day event with a score of one-under-par 215 after consistent rounds of 72-72-71. She finished 12th a field of 82 golfers that included 17 of the top 100 women’s golfers in the nation according to Golfstat. Shepherd led the Clemson team in birdies for the week with 10.
Burgess, who was playing her first tournament of the year, finished at even-par 216 for the week and gave Clemson two of the top 15 players in the tournament with a 14th place finish. Her first round 68 was the top round of the tournament by a Clemson golfer. She played the par-four holes at two-under for the tournament, tied for fifth best in the field.
Ana Paula Valdes got off to a rough start with an opening round 78, but finished with consecutive rounds of 73. She was Clemson’s second best player over the last 36 holes and finished with a 224 score, good enough for 51st place.
Savanah Grewal and Alexandra Swayne both had final round scores of 74. Grewal finished 59th with a 225 total, while Swayne was 70th with a 228 score.
Calista Rice played the tournament as an individual and also had a final round 74 and finished at 226, good enough for 63rd place.
White Sands Invitational
Ocean Golf Course
Paradise Island, Bahamas
Par 72, 6,415 yards
October 28-30, 2019
Team Scores
Texas 828, 2 Arkansas 857; 3. Oklahoma 858; 4. Houston 866; 5. Tennessee 867; 6. North Texas 870; 7. Baylor 871; 8. Clemson and Georgia 873; 10. Mississippi State 874; 11. SMU 882; 12. Ohio State 883; 13. Tulane 889; 14. New Mexico 903.
Clemson Individuals
Clemson Individual
