Clemson Golf In First At Ping

Sept. 28, 2001

Columbus, OH- Red-shirt freshman Jack Ferguson shot a one-under-par 70 on Friday to lead Clemson to a first place standing after the first round of the 54-hole Ping/Golfweek Preview. The event, which features 10 of the top 12 teams in the nation, is being played at The Scarlet Course on the Ohio State University campus. It is the site of the NCAA National tournament which will be held in late May and early June of 2002.

Ferguson was Clemson’s top golfer at the first event of the year, The Ridges Intercollegiate. He got to Tigers off to a good start in this event with his round of 70 that featured four birdies and three bogies. He played the final 13 holes three under par and stand tied for fourth with Bill Haas of Wake Forest and Brendon De Jonge of Virginia Tech. Three players lead the event with two-under-par 69s, Jason Hartwick of Texas, Brent Wanner of Wake Forest and Cody Freeman of Oklahoma.

D.J. Trahan shot a par 71 on the 7,239-yard course and stands in seventh place. The Clemson junior had two birdies and two bogeys in his consistent round. Sophomore Gregg Jones pitched in with a 72, while freshman Martin Catalioto fired a 75. It was the first-year freshman’s first round of college golf. Matt Hendrix shot a 79.

Clemson, with a 288 team score, has a one-shot lead over ACC rival Wake Forest (289). Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Georgia are all tied for third at 290. The field is competitive as nine teams are within six shots of each other. Defending NCAA Champion Florida is in 10th place, but certainly not out of the tournament with a 296 score.

The action continues on Saturday and Sunday at The Scarlet Course.

Clemson Individuals:

Jack Ferguson 36-34 70 -1 4thD.J. Trahan 36-35 71 E 7thGregg Jones 35-37 72 +1 13thMartin Catalioto 39-36 75 +3 38thMatt Hendrix 41-38 79 +8 67thTeam 288 +4 1st