Clemson Men’s Golf Finishes Sixth At The Ridges

Sept. 12, 1999

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – John Engler shot a four-over-par 220 to lead Clemson to a sixth-place team finish of the Ridges Intercollegiate at Johnson City, TN. Clemson shot a 298 in the final round and concluded the event with an 890 team score.

The Tigers were playing without senior All-American and number-one player Jonathan Byrd, who was playing in for the United States in the Walker Cup in Scotland.

Michael Hoey was a sixth Clemson player taking part in the tournament, but his score did not count towards Clemson’s team total. His 222 score for the event was good enough for 23rd. He provided a highlight of the tournament by making the first hole-in-one in the history of Clemson golf. In the second round on Saturday he scored an ace with a three-iron from 192 yards out on the 16th hole.

Engler was the Tiger leader with his 220 score, good enough for 11th place. He had rounds of 75-71-74. His 71 in the second round was the only under-par round by a Tiger for the tournament.

Lucas Glover also had a top 20 finish. The native of Greenville fired a 221 score for the 54-hole event off consistent rounds of 74-73-74 and finished 16th. Ben Duncan was the third best Tiger golfer with a 224 score off rounds of 73-75-76. He finished in a tie for 31st.

Jani Saari, also of Greenville, shot a 74 on Sunday, his best round of the tournament, and finished with a 226, good enough for 42nd. Ben Johnson, playing in his first career event for the Tigers, had a 76 on Sunday and finished at 230.

Oklahoma won the team competition with an 870 score for the 54 holes. Arizona was second with an 875, while Virginia was third at 879. South Carolina was fourth at 885, while North Carolina was fifth at 888. Clemson finished in a tie with Auburn at 890.

The individual champion was Max Harris of North Carolina, who fired a 211 score for the three rounds, including a 71 on Sunday. He was the only player in the tournament under par for all three of his rounds.