Clemson, S.C.—Led by Bryson Nimmer, the ACC’s highest ranked golfer, fourth seed Clemson heads to the ACC Tournament at The Old North State Club in New London, NC this weekend. The competition will be held Thursday-Saturday, April 18-20 at the par 72 layout 45 minutes north of Charlotte.
Nimmer is ranked sixth in the nation by Golfweek entering the tournament, one of nine ACC players rated in the top 25 in the nation. Nimmer has already won four tournaments this year, most in school history by a Clemson individual. He has eight top 10 finishes, 16 rounds in the 60s and 19 rounds under par. His 69.04 stroke average is on pace to be the best in Clemson history.
Nimmer has played well at the ACC Tournament, but has never claimed medalist honors. Last year as a junior, he finished eighth with a nine-under par score of 207 after rounds of 69-71-67. He along with Doc Redman (2nd, 14 under-par) led Clemson to a second place team finish and 27-under-par score.
The native of Bluffton, N.C. lost in a four-man playoff at the 2017 ACC Championship played at Musgrove Mill in South Carolina, so he officially finished second. As a freshman Nimmer finished fourth. Nimmer’s father, Tony Nimmer, had three straight sixth-place finishes at the ACC Tournaments between 1981-83 and was the first Clemson golfer to have three straight top 10s at the ACC Tournament. Thus, the Nimmer family has had six straight top 10 finishes at the ACC Tournament.
Freshman Jacob Bridgeman will hold down the number-two position in the Clemson order. The native of Inman, S.C. has a 71.22 stroke average so far this year, second best on the Clemson team and on pace to be the fourth best in Clemson history by a freshman. Bridgeman has four top 10 finishes, 12 rounds in the 60s and 14 rounds under-par. His best performance might have come at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate where he finished seventh against a national field.
Colby Patton has a 72.92 stroke average this year and will be playing in his second ACC Tournament. A year ago he finished 38th with a 219 score, three-over-par. The sophomore is coming off his best tournament of the year, a 19th place at the Clemson Invitational that included a second-round 67 that tied his career best round.
William Nottingham has a 72.78 stroke average this year thanks to four rounds in the 60s and eight rounds that have been under par. He had a second-round 68 at the Clemson Invitational in his most recent outing. The junior had a Clemson record 62 at the 2018 Wolfpack Spring Open, a record that still stands.
Kyle Cottam rounds out the Clemson lineup with a 72.94 stroke average for the season, almost the same as his 72.91 figure last year. Cottam shot a two-under-par 214 at the ACC Championship at the Old North State Club last year in finishing 28th.
Clemson last won the ACC Championship in 2016 and has 10 championships overall, including nine under current Head Coach Larry Penley. The Tigers have finished second each of the last two years, including last year when Clemson was 27-under-par as a team. The Tigers lost in a playoff for the championship in 2015 to Georgia Tech. So Clemson has finished first or second each of the last four years.
On-line live coverage of the ACC Men’s Golf Tournament begins this Friday (April 19) at Old North State Club Golf Championship with the second round from 2 until 4 p.m. Final round action is set for Saturday from 1 until 3:30 p.m. Mac McDonald will handle the play-by-play, with Head Golf Professional at Pinewood Country Club Brandon Turner serving as analyst.
Live scoring is available at golfstat.com. The address for the Old North State Club is 201 Old North State Club Lane, New London, NC 28127.
Wake Forest (4,3), Georgia Tech (5,8), Duke (6,9), Louisville (16,21), Clemson (18, 18), North Carolina (23,23), NC State (24,26), Florida State (25,29), Virginia (53,54), Notre Dame (69, 64), Virginia (106, 97), Boston College (160, 163).
1982, 1987, 1988, 1990 (co-championship), 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2016. All but 1982 under Larry Penley.
1976 Parker Moore, 207; 1988 Kevin Johnson, 214; 1992 Danny Ellis, 208; 1997 Charles Warren, 212; 1998 Charles Warren, 205; 2001 John Engle, 203; 2009 David May, 206 (Co-Champion).
#1 Bryson Nimmer (Sr., Bluffton, S.C., 69.04); #2 Jacob Bridgeman (Fr., Inman, S.C, 71.22); #3 Colby Patton (So, Fountain Inn, S.C., 72.92); #4 William Nottingham (Jr., Kingsport, Tenn., 72.98); #5 Kyle Cottam (So., Knoxville, Tenn, 72.94).
