Clemson Wins Carpet Classic

Sept. 29, 2002

Clemson, SC – Clemson overcame a 10-stroke deficit to the University of Florida early in the final round and went on to win the Carpet Classic in Dalton, GA on Sunday. Ben Duncan, Gregg Jones and D.J. Trahan all recorded rounds of 70 or better in leading Clemson to a two-stroke victory over a hard charging Augusta State team.

The victory was the 50th tournament championship in Larry Penley’s career as Clemson head coach. Clemson has now won each of its first two tournaments this year, the first time in history Clemson has won each of its first two events. It is the first time since the 1999-00 season that Clemson has won consecutive tournaments at any time in a season. It was the fourth time Clemson has won the Carpet Classic, all under Penley.

Clemson finished with a team total of 850 for the three days, 14 under par. Clemson shot a 281 as a team on Sunday to capture the event, the sixth straight under-par team round for Penley’s Tigers. It was two shots better than Augusta State, who shot a 277 as a team on Sunday and finished with a three-day total of 852. UNLV came on strong on Sunday to finish third at 856, while Florida, owners of a seven-shot lead heading into the final round, shot seven-over as a team on Sunday and finished fourth at 857, seven shots behind Clemson. Through three holes on Sunday, Florida was 17-under-par as a team, while Clemson was at seven-under.

The individual co-champions were Troy Matteson of Georgia Tech and Bill Haas of Wake Forest who were both 11-under-par for the 54 holes. Seven of the top 15 golfers in the event were from the ACC. Fourteen of the top 20 teams in the nation were in the 18-team field.

Ben Duncan and Gregg Jones both led the way on Sunday with final round scores of 69. Duncan was Clemson’s top finisher for the tournament, as it was his second straight round of 69 and his 211 total was good enough for fifth place. It marked the first top 10 finish for the Clemson senior. He had 12 birdies and just seven bogeys in his best tournament as a Clemson Tiger.

Jones started the day with a double bogey, but came back to record six birdies and finished at 69 for the day and 213 for the tournament, good enough for 10th place.

D.J. Trahan, the reigning National Player of the Year in college golf and the number-one ranked player in the nation, also made a big contribution with a final round 70 and a two-under-par total 214 for the event. Trahan finished 16th overall in the individual race. His birdie on the 16th hole was a key to Clemson’s victory.

Jack Ferguson fired a 73 on Sunday, but he also performed well in the clutch. The sophomore from Seneca birdied three out of four holes between 12 and 15 to move Clemson from a one-stroke deficit to a two-stroke lead. Ferguson finished the event at 219, good enough for 33rd place individually.

Matt Hendrix shot a 74 on Sunday and his score did not count towards the Clemson team, but he had an even par 216 for the tournament, good enough for 23rd.

Clemson will next be in action October 7-8 when it competes at the Preview at Oklahoma State, the site of the NCAA Championships in the spring. Clemson is the defending champion at that tournament.

Clemson at Carpet ClassicSeptember 27-29, 2002The Farm, Dalton, GA

Ben Duncan 73 69 69 211 -5 5th Gregg Jones 71 73 69 213 -3 10th D.J. Trahan 74 70 70 214 -2 16th Matt Hendrix 69 73 74 216 E 23rd Jack Ferguson 76 70 73 219 +3 33rd Totals 287 282 281 850 -14 1st