Clemson Heads to ACC Championship Friday

Clemson, S.C.—Larry Penley’s Clemson golf team will attempt to continue its outstanding spring performance this weekend when the ACC Tournament returns to The Old North State Club in New London, NC. Clemson will be one of the favorites to claim the team championship in the 12-team field that includes six of the top 30 teams in the nation. Each team will play 18 holes Friday, April 20 through Sunday, April 22 on the par 72 course that is 7102 yards in length.

Live scoring will be available on golfstat.com and the tournament will be carried live on ACC Network Extra beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday, with Mac McDonald and Brandon Turner on the call. There is no charge for admission for fans.

Clemson won the tournament in 2016, the last time the event was held at the Old North State Club. The Tigers finished second last year when it was held at Musgrove Mill in Clinton, SC. The Clemson program has won the ACC Tournament 10 times, nine under Larry Penley. Five of Clemson’s championships under Penley have taken place at The Old North State Club.

Georgia Tech is the favorite based on national ranking. The Yellow Jackets are fifth in the latest Golfstat poll and seventh according to Golfweek. Clemson is 15th by Golfstat and 16th by Golfweek. North Carolina and Florida State also have top 20 national rankings.

Clemson has had a strong spring season with tournament victories at the Puerto Rico Classic and the Irish Creek Invitational, and second-place finishes at Bandon Dunes Championship and the Clemson Invitational. Clemson is 50-2 against the field in the four spring events so far.

Clemson’s lineup this weekend will feature the return of All-American Doc Redman, who has missed the last three Clemson tournaments while playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Masters and The Heritage. He made the cut at he Arnold Palmer and The Heritage, the first active Clemson golfer to make the cut at a PGA Tour event in 28 years.

Redman has played in just four tournaments for Clemson this year and has a 71.42 stroke average. His career average of 70.92 is the best in Clemson history. He will be with the Clemson team the rest of the season.

Turk Pettit has been the Clemson team leader while Redman has been absent. All the freshman has done is average 70.29 this year and he has four consecutive top three finishes entering the ACC Tournament.   His 70.29 average is on pace to be the best in Clemson history. All five of his top 10 finishes are top three finishes, including a victory at the Irish Creek Invitational. He has shot under par in 16 of his 24 rounds.

Bryson Nimmer, first-team All-ACC each of the last two years, lost in a playoff for the ACC Championship last year. He has five top 10 finishes this year and has a 70.17 stroke average so far this year with 13 rounds under par.

Kyle Cottam and Colby Patton are two more freshmen in the Clemson lineup. Cottam has a 72.42 stroke average so far this year, while Patton stands at 72.71.  Cottam is coming off consecutive top 10 finishes, while Patton has three top 12 finishes this year. This is the first time in five years Clemson has played three freshmen at the ACC Tournament.

ACC Championship

April 20-22, 2018

Old North State Club

New London, NC

Format: 12 teams play 18 holes per day, Friday through Sunday, April 20-22. Five players compete, top four scores each day count towards team score.

Course Data:   Par 72, Length: 7102 Yards

Course Address: 201 Old North State Club Lane, New London, NC 28127

Scoring: Golfstat.com

Clemson Tee Times on Friday: 10 a.m.

Teams (Golfweek-Golfstat national ranking)

Georgia Tech (7-5), Clemson (16-15), North Carolina (17-18), Florida State (19-20), Wake Forest (27-27), Duke (28-29), NC State (37-36), Louisville (47-45), Virginia (60-53), Notre Dame (66-67), Virginia Tech (94-94), Boston College (124-122).

Clemson Lineup

Turk Pettit (Fr., Auburn, Ala., 70.29), Bryson Nimmer (Jr., Bluffton, SC, 70.71), Doc Redman (Soph., Raleigh, NC, 71.42), Kyle Cottam (Fr., Knoxville, Tenn., 72.42), Colby Patton (Fr., Fountain Inn, SC, 72.71)

Clemson History in ACC Tournament:

• Clemson has won the ACC championship 10 times, nine under current Head Coach Larry Penley. Those years were 1982 (at Northgreen Country Club in Rocky Mount), 1987 and 1988 at Cardinal Country Club in Greensboro, tied for first in 1990 with NC State at Northgreen Country Club in Greensboro, 1997 at Whitewater Country Club in Fayetteville, Ga., 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2016 at Old North State Club in New London, NC.
• Clemson has had the individual medalist six times: Kevin Johnson in 1988, Danny Ellis in 1992, Charles Warren in 1997 and 1998, John Engler in 2001, and David May, co championship in 2009.
• The low round by a Clemson golfer at the ACC Tournament is a 63 (-9) by Brad Clark on April 20, 1985 at Bryan Park Country Club in Greensboro, NC.
• The low 54-hole tournament by a Clemson individual is a 203 by John Engler at the 2001 ACC Tournament.
• The low team round by Clemson at the ACC Tournament is a 268 (-20) at Old North State Club on April 22, 2006.