Clemson, S.C.—Turk Pettit fired a four-under par 68 and Bryson Nimmer and Jacob Bridgeman added scores of 69 to lead Clemson to a 12-under-par 276 team score and a second-place standing with Wake Forest after the first round of the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational in Alpharetta, Georgia .
Clemson, ranked 15th in the nation by Golfstat, and Wake Forest are six shots behind leader and host school Georgia Tech, who had an 18-under-par day on the par 72 Golf Club of Georgia Lakeside Course. Southern California is fourth at 10-under-par 278, while second-ranked Duke and fifth-ranked Alabama are two of the four teams tied for fifth at two-under par 286.
Pettit had his best score versus par this year with his 68 on Friday. He shot a 33 on the back and had five birdies and a bogey for the round. The sophomore stands in seventh place individually after the first round, three shots behind leader Noah Norton of Georgia Tech.
Nimmer had six birdies and three bogeys in recording his eighth round in the 60s of the young season. He finished with a birdie on the final hole to shoot 69 and stands in a tie for 11th place in the 75-player field.
Bridgeman, a freshman, had it to five-under-par at one point, but played the last five holes at two-over-par. The highlight of his round was an eagle on the par-five ninth hole, the first eagle of his career and just the second eagle by a Clemson player this year.
William Nottingham came into the tournament with a 70.56 scoring average and he enhanced that with a two-under par 70 on Friday thanks to a round with three birdies and just one bogey. The junior is in a tie for 15th place.
Freshman Zack Gordon was Clemson’s non-counter, but he had a solid round with an even par 72 after starting three over par for the first five holes. He is in a tie for 30th place.
The 14-team field will play the second round on Saturday at the Golf Club of Georgia. Scoring is available on golfstat.com.
