Clemson Third after First Round of ACC Tournament

April 16, 2004

New London, NC – Jack Ferguson and Matt Hendrix both fired under-par rounds to lead Clemson to a four-under par 284 team total and a third-place standing after the first round of the ACC Golf Championships at The Old North State Club in New London, NC. Clemson trails first round leader North Carolina by just three shots on the par 72 course that is 7100 yards in length.

The Tar Heels fired a 281 for the first round, while Wake Forest is in second place at 283, one better than the Tigers. Duke, who has beaten the Tigers each of the last two occasions they have been in the same tournament, had a 287 score, while NC State was fifth at 288. Five of the nine schools shot par or better on the difficult course that is serving as the host site of the ACC Tournament for the eighth time in history. Georgia Tech stands in sixth place at 290, while Florida State and Virginia are tied for seventh place at +7 295. Maryland is ninth at 297.

Ferguson, who has been Clemson’s most consistent golfer over the course of the year, had a three-under par 69 on Friday. His round included four birdies and one bogey and nine-hole scores of 35-34. Ferguson was Clemson’s top finisher last year when Clemson won the ACC Championship for the third time at The Old North State Club. He stands in fourth place after the first round, one spot worse than his third-place individual finish off a 214 total last year.

Hendrix, who leads the team in stroke average this year with a 71.00 average, shot a 70 on Friday. The senior had four birdies, two bogeys and 12 pars. He finished the front side on a down note with bogeys on eight and nine to shoot 36, but he came back to shoot a 34 on the back. It was his 17th under-par round of the year, best on the Clemson team. He stands in sixth place individually. He leads the team in top 10 finishes this year with five.

Stephen Poole, who has two top 10 finishes in his four events this year, had an opening round 72. His day also included a 34 on the back, one of three Tigers with that exact same score on the back nine. Poole had three birdies, a bogey and a double bogey. Like Hendrix, Poole also struggled with the eighth hole, as the native of Spartanburg had a double bogey six.

Brian Duncan, a sophomore from Greenville, had a 73 on Friday with two birdies, three bogeys and 13 pars. He stands in 19th place after recording nine-hole scores of 37-36.

Senior Gregg Jones had more pars than any other Tigers, 15, but had a 76 for the round. He had two bogeys and one double bogey, but failed to record a birdie. He stands 40th individually after the first round.

Play will begin Saturday morning at 8:30 AM at the Old North State Club. The 54-hole event concludes on Sunday. Admission is free.

Clemson at ACC Tournament

April 16, 2004

Old North State Club, New London, NC

Clemson Results

Jack Ferguson 35 34 69 -3 4th

Matt Hendrix 36 34 70 -2 6th

Stephen Poole 38 34 72 E 14th

Brian Duncan 37 36 73 +1 19th

Gregg Jones 38 38 76 +4 40th

Clemson team 284 -4 3rd