Clemson Golf to Play in Ping Preview Starting Sunday

Sept. 24, 2004

Nick Biershenk will make his first career tournament appearance Sunday when Clemson’s third-ranked golf team begins play in the Ping Preview. The top national tournament of the fall will take place at Caves Valley Golf Club near Baltimore, MD and will feature 36 holes on Sunday and 18 on Monday. Eighteen teams will be in the field, including 10 of the top 15 in the Coach’s preseason poll released on Thursday.

Biershenk is a red-shirt sophomore who won a qualifying tournament from among his teammates last week with rounds of 73-66 at the Pickens Country Club. The brother of former Tiger Tommy Nick Biershenk has had a strong amateur career, including winning the 2003 South Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship.

Joining Biershenk in coach Jack Ferguson. Ranked among the top 10 college golfers in the nation by Golf World entering this year, Ferguson had a sixth-place finish at The Ridges in Clemson’s opening tournament two weeks ago. It was his 13th career top 10 finish, best among all active Tiger golfers.

Brian Duncan was Clemson’s top golfer at The Ridges with a 211 score, the best 54-hole tournament of his career. The native of Greenville had rounds of 68-69-74 in finishing at five-under par for the three rounds. It was the first under-par tournament of his career.

Brent Delahoussaye and Stephen Poole also will be in the lineup for the Tigers. Delahoussaye had an even par 216 score at the Ridges to finish in a tie for 10th, his fourth top 10 finish as a Clemson golfer, but his second in the last three events. Poole had a 226 score in his first event and hopes to return to his Spring of 2004 form when he had three top 10s in a four-tournament stretch.

Clemson finished third out of 18 teams at last year’s Preview. The Tigers were led by now graduated Gregg Jones, but current Tigers Delahoussaye (9th) and Ferguson (28th) both played well. This will be Clemson’s 15th appearance at the Preview, all since the fall of 1990. Clemson has won the event twice (1990 and 2001) and finished in the top three eight times, including each of the last four years.