Clemson Returns to Course at US Collegiate Championships

April 3, 2009

Clemson, SC-Clemson will travel to Alpharetta, GA for the April 5-7 United States Collegiate Championship. It promises to be one of the most competitive tournaments of the college season, as each of the top 11 teams in the latest Golf World Coaches poll will be in the field that will compete on the par 72, 7017 yard Lakeside Course at The Golf Club of Georgia.

The field includes the fourth-ranked Tigers along with Georgia Tech, Georgia, Southern California, UCLA, Stanford, Oklahoma State, Florida, Florida State, Texas A&M, East Tennessee State, Alabama, Indiana, South Carolina and Washington. Southern California won he 2008 Tournament and Trent Leon of Oklahoma State is the reigning individual medalist.

Kyle Stanley will be back in the lineup for the Tigers. The junior did not play for Clemson in the most recent event at Bulls Bay last weekend because he was playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA Tour. Stanley has a team best 71.44 stroke average for his six tournaments and has eight under-par rounds. He won the Carpet Classic in Dalton, GA in September.

Ben Martin is Clemson’s second best golfer in terms of stroke average this year with a 72.20 average. He has been Clemson’s top golfer in each of the last three Clemson events and has finished in the top 11 in each tournament. David May has a 72.95 stroke average for seven tournaments, third best on the team. He is the only Clemson golfer to play in all seven events so far this year.

Clemson won the 2006 US Collegiate at The Golf Club of Georgia, the program’s most recent tournament victory. May was in the Clemson lineup for that event and finished 29th in the individual race.

Phillip Mollica, a senior from Anderson, will be in his seventh tournament of the year. He has a 73.89 stroke average, fourth best on the team. He has three rounds under par his year, including a 69 in the second round of The Hootie, this past Monday.

Luke Hopkins rounds out the Clemson lineup this weekend. Hopkins had a 218 score for his first tournament of the year at Bulls Bay, including a 68 in the second round that was his career best.