Clemson to Compete in Ping Preview

Sept. 30, 2006

CLEMSON, SC – Fourth-ranked Clemson will be one of 15 teams who will compete in the Ping Preview at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, VA October 2-4. The event is the top tournament of the college season in the fall because it is also the site of the NCAA Championship next May.

Clemson will play the first two rounds of the three-day event with Arizona State and Minnesota. Clemson’s first player will tee off at 8:00 AM on Monday.

Each of the top five teams in the nation and 11 of the top 15 in the latest Coaches poll will compete on the par 70 course that is 6,809 yards in length.. Also competing will be Arizona State, Brigham Young, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Lamar, Minnesota, UNLV, defending NCAA champion Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Washington and host school Virginia Commonwealth.

Clemson will bring two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior to the Ping Preview. Leading the way is freshman Ben Martin, who finished third at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Dalton, GA September 17. He had a 208 score for the 54 holes, including a 64 in the second round that was the second best round in history by a Clemson freshman.

Joining Martin in the lineup will be classmate and fellow native of Greenwood, SC, Vince Hatfield. Hatfield is the leading returning Clemson player in terms of stroke average and he finished 19th in the opening tournament with a 213 score, including a career best 66 in the first round.

Kyle Stanley is a first-year freshman who will be in his second tournament as a Tiger. The native of Gig Harbor, WA finished 11th at the Carpet Classic when he shot a four-under-par 212. His first round 68 was the lowest opening round of the season for a Clemson first year freshman in Clemson history.

Sophomore David May will also be in the lineup for the Tigers at the Ping Preview. The native of Auburn, NY had a consistent 73-73-72 in the opening tournament at the Carpet Capital Collegiate. A starter as a freshman, May had a 74.26 stroke average in 2005-06.

Tanner Ervin will also be in the lineup for Larry Penley’s team. The veteran of the lineup as a junior, Ervin did not play in the opening tournament of the year, but had a solid 73.57 stroke average last year, helping Clemson to a seventh place finish at the NCAA Championships in Oregon. Ervin won the team qualifier for this event with a 70 at The Reserve last Friday ,a round that included an 31 on the back nine.