Clemson, S.C.—Turk Pettit shot a bogey-free final round 68 and Colby Patton had his third consecutive under-par round of the tournament, leading Clemson to a sixth place finish at the Valspar Collegiate at The Floridian in Palm City, Florida. The 11-team tournament featured six of the top 10 teams in the nation, including ninth ranked Clemson.
Clemson shot an even-par 284 as a team in Tuesday’s final round to finish with a score of five-under-par 847 for the 54 holes played on the par 71 course that measured 6,921yards. Top ranked Florida State won the event with a score of 829, while third-ranked Wake Forest was second at 835. Ohio State was third at 838 and seventh-ranked Arizona State was fourth at 843. South Florida was fifth at 845. The Tigers were sixth, one shot ahead of fourth-ranked Pepperdine and three shots ahead of 10th ranked SMU.
Pettit, who did not play for the Tigers last week at the Palmetto Intercollegiate so he could go through qualifying for this summer’s Canadian Tour, had his second bogey free round of the year thanks to three birdies and 15 pars. He finished in a tie for fourth place at six under-par 207, his best 54 hole score of the year. Alex Fitzpatrick, brother of PGA Tour pro Andrew Fitzpatrick, won medalist honors with a 12-under-par score of 201.
Patton had rounds of 69-70-70 in finishing in 10th place at 209. He led the Tigers with a career best 16 birdies for the tournament and ranked second in the 63-player field in par three scoring at 2.80. Patton has had five consecutive under-par rounds and has eight under-par rounds for the year.
Those were the only players to finish in the top 10 for the Tigers for the tournament. Jacob Bridgeman was on pace to join them, but struggled for the first time all year and finished with a 77. He had a 216 score for the tournament to finish 28th. He had shot under-par in 11 consecutive rounds, to tie the Clemson record that is also held by Charles Warren and set 1997-98.
Kyle Cottam was Clemson’s fourth best golfer at the tournament with a 220 score of 54 holes after rounds of 75-71-74. William Nottingham was Clemson’s third best player on Tuesday with a one-over par 72.
A few big scores throughout the tournament kept the Tigers from a higher team finish as counting players had seven double bogeys and two triples over the course of the tournament.
Clemson returns to action in two weeks, March 28-29, at the John Hayt Collegiate at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra, Florida.
Clemson at Valspar Collegiate
The Floridian, par 71, 6,921 Yards
Team Scores
1. Florida State 831, 2. Wake Forest 835, 3. Ohio State 838, 4. Arizona State 843, 5. South Florida 845, 6. Clemson 847, 7. Pepperdine 848, 8. SMU 850, 9. Houston 872, 10. Duke 875, 11. Marquette 888.
Clemson Individuals
4. Turk Pettit 67-72-68/207, 10. Colby Patton 69-70-70/209, 26. Jacob Bridgeman 69-70-77/216, 36. Kyle Cottam 75-71-74/220, 60. William Nottingham 77-82-72/231.
