Clemson S.C.—The 17th ranked Clemson men’s golf team returns to the course on Sunday at the John Hayt Collegiate at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra, Fla. The Tigers are the highest ranked team in the field of 14 teams that will compete for the championship. The teams will play 36 holes on Sunday and 18 on Monday.
Six teams in the field are ranked in the top 30 in the nation according to Golfweek. The field includes ranked teams Clemson (17), host school North Florida (18), Louisville (19), Alabama (25), North Carolina (26), and NC State (28). Teams from TCU, UAB, Tennessee, Purdue, Coastal Carolina, Jacksonville, Charlotte and North Texas are also in the field.
Larry Penley’s Tigers have played in eight tournaments so far this academic year and have finished in the top four six times. Clemson finished fourth of 18 teams in the Palmetto Intercollegiate earlier this month in its most recent tournament. Clemson’s most impressive performance in stroke play took place at the Golf Club of Georgia where Clemson finished second in a national field of 14 teams. Clemson was co-champion of the Jack Nicklaus Collegiate Match Play in the fall.
Bryson Nimmer will lead the Tigers at the John Hayt. The senior has a 69.10 stroke average, on pace to be the best in Clemson history for a season. He has six top 10 finishes, including a record tying three wins. He is 40-under-par for his 21 rounds so far this year and is ranked 11th in the nation by Golfweek.
Freshman Jacob Bridgeman has a 70.76 stroke average and four top 10 finishes in his seven events. He is coming off a team best fifth-place finish at the Palmetto where he shot a three-under-par 207. He has scored under par in 12 of his 21 rounds so far this year.
Junior William Nottingham will also be in the lineup. He has a 72.05 stroke average for the year and has seven under-par rounds. Rounding out the Clemson lineup are Kyle Cottam and Colby Patton. It will be the first action for both since helping Clemson to a fourth-place finish at the Puerto Rico Classic back in February. Cottam has a 72.08 stroke average for the year and Patton is at 74.83.
Live scoring will be available on golfstat.com
