Clemson Finishes Ninth at ACC Tournament

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Lauren Salazar shot a final round 74 to lead Clemson to a tie for ninth place team finish at the 2014 ACC Women’s Golf Championship on Saturday.  The 11-team event was held at the par 71 Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, the home of the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship.

It was Clemson’s first appearance in the ACC Women’s Golf Tournament as the program is in its first season.  Clemson, ranked 12^th nationally by Golfstat and 14^th by the Golf World Coaches Poll entering the event, was the only team in the field to play an all freshman lineup on the historic Donald Ross designed course that opened in 1926.

J.T. Horton‘s team finished with a 921 score, tied with Maryland.  Duke won the tournament for the third straight year and the 19^th time overall with an 864 score, 25 shots ahead of second-place Virginia.

Salazar had four bogeys and one birdie in scoring her three-over-par 74 on Saturday.  Her birdie came on the par four eighth hole, her 17^th hole of the day. Salazar had an opening round 75 and a second round 83 to finish in 37^th place individually.

Ashlan Ramsey was the top Tiger for the tournament with a 15^th place finish with a 225 score.  The freshman from Milledgeville, Ga, had rounds of 73-75-77 for the three days.  She got off to a rough start on Saturday with a seven-over-par 43 on the back nine, her first nine of the day.  But she made three birdies on her second nine and shot 34, her best nine hole score of the tournament.  She made 20-foot birdie putts on the par three third hole and the par four seventh.

Sloan Shanahan was Clemson’s second best player for the tournament with a 229 score and 25^th place finish.  The freshman from Suwanee, Ga was eight-over-par 79 for her first and third rounds, but had an even-par 71 in the second round, the only Clemson golfer to shoot even par for a round on the Sedgefield Country Club Course for the weekend.

McKenzie Talbert and Jessica Hoang finished in a tie for 49^th place with identical 241 scores for the three days.  Talbert had rounds of 80-79-82, while Hoang had rounds of 82-79-80.  Hoang, Clemson’s number-five player, saw her score count two of the three days and she led the team in birdies for the weekend with seven, one more than Ramsey.

Clemson now awaits a bid to one of three NCAA Regional sites.  That tournament will be held May 8-10.

2014 ACC Women’s Golf ChampionshipApril 17-19, 2014

Team Results1. Duke 864, 2. Virginia 889, 3. NC State 890, 4. North Carolina 896, 5. Notre Dame and Miami (FL) 905, 7. Florida State 908, 8. Wake Forest 919, 9. Clemson and Maryland 921, 11. Boston College 959.

Clemson Individuals15.  Ashlan Ramsey 73-75-77-225; 25. Sloan Shanahan 79-71-79-229; 37. Lauren Salazar 75-83-74-232; 49.  McKenzie Talbert 80-79-82-242; 49. Jessica Hoang 82-79-80-241.