Clemson Retains No. 5 ranking at ACC Tournament

Greensboro, N.C.—Alice Hewson shot one-over par 73 and Sydney Legacy added a two over par 74 to lead Clemson to a 299 team score and a fifth-place standing after two rounds of the Women’s ACC Golf Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. The 12-team field will complete the championship on Sunday afternoon on the par 72 course.

Clemson has a 597 team score after 36 holes, fifth best in the field that includes 10 of the top 50 teams in the nation.. Virginia holds the team lead with a three under-par score of 573, six shots ahead of Wake Forest (579). Third-ranked Duke is third with a 590 team score, just four shots ahead of fourth place N.C State and just seven shots ahead of Clemson. North Carolina is in sixth place at 598 and Miami is seventh at 602. Clemson has a nine-shot advantage over 19^th ranked FloridaState and Miami.

Clemson is in position to have its top finish at the ACC Tournament. The third year Tiger program has finished ninth and eighth in the last two years, respectively.

Clemson played the front nine in 13 over par and stood in eighth place in the team standings. But Legacy and Marisa Messana both played the back nine in two under par to lead Clemson to a two-under-par team score for the second nine and bring Clemson back to fifth place entering the final round.

“I am very proud of what I saw on the back nine,” said Head Coach J.T. Horton. “It was a super performance by all five ladies. At the turn I told them to play with confidence and to be aggressive. They changed their approach and everyone shot +1 or better. That is outstanding play on this course.

“The 16^th hole was big for us because it allowed us to keep our momentum going to the finish. We had two birdies and three pars on the hole where the pin placement was very difficult. Jessica had a great up and down, Alice rolled in a birdie and Lauren made a 50-footer with a huge break. We are in position to have a good finish tomorrow.

The 11^th hole was also big for the Tigers, who played the hole in four under par on Saturday. Jessica Hoang started the fine play on that hole with an eagle two on the 334- yard par four. The junior made her second shot from 105 yards out with a nine-iron. It was the first eagle of her Clemson career. Hoang went on to shoot a five-over-par 77.

Hewson was the only Tiger who shot worse on the back nine than the front, but the freshman from the United Kingdom had shot an even par 35 on the front nine. Hewson moved into the top 25 individually with her team best 73 on Saturday.

Legacy is the top Tiger after two rounds with a two over par 146. The sophomore junior college transfer had a 74 on Saturday after shooting four over on the front and two under on the back. She is in seventh place entering the final round.

Messana shot a solid 75 on Saturday. The sophomore from Fort Lauderdale was five over on the front, but made three birdies and one bogey on the back. She finished with a 10 foot birdie putt on the 18^th hole to give her momentum entering the final round. Her 148 total for two rounds is in a tie for 14^th place.

Stephenson was six over on the front, but shot even par on the back, including three birdies. She finished with a 78.

ACC Championship Team Score

Virginia 573, 2. WakeForest 579, 3. Duke 690, 4. N.CState 594, 5. Clemson 597, 6. North Carolina 598, 7. Miami 602, 8. FloridaState and Louisville 606, 10. Notre Dame 609, 11. BostonCollege 613, 12. Virginia Tech 630.

Clemson Individuals

7. Sydney Legacy 146, 14. Marisa Messana 148, 25. Alice Hewson 150. 39. Lauren Stephenson 154, 51. Jessica Hoang 157