Clemson, S.C. — A young Clemson team will compete in the ACC Women’s Golf Championship at the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, NC April 18-20. It will be the sixth appearance for the Clemson program in the conference tournament, as this is the sixth year of the school’s women’s golf program.
Due to inclement weather in the forecast on Friday, the decision has been made to play 36 holes on Thursday and play the final 18 holes on Saturday.
Clemson has shown improvement at the ACC Tournament each year, as the team has finished ninth, eighth, sixth, fifth and third over the last five years respectively. Clemson is ranked 28th by Golfstat entering the ACC Tournament. The ACC is having a strong season in women’s golf as there are two teams ranked among the top 50 teams in the nation according to Golfstat.
Leading the way is three-time All-ACC golfer Alice Hewson who has a 71.82 stroke average and three top 10 finishes in her eight events this year. One of her top 10 finishes includes her fourth individual win that took place earlier this spring at the ICON Invitational, where she finished with a nine-under par 207. Earlier this month the England native was one of 72 amateurs to compete in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She made history in becoming the first women golfer from England to compete at Augusta National Golf Club in a competitive setting during the final round of the ANWA on Saturday, April 6. She finished with an even par 72, finishing the three-day event at one-over par and tied 10th.
Junior Ana Paula Valdes has Clemson’s best individual finish by a Clemson’s women’s golfer at the ACC Tournament with an even par 216 in 2017, good for a tie for eighth. The native of Morelia, Mexico has two top ten finishes, one of which includes her first career win. She earned co-medalist honors at the Battle of the Beach in the last tournament of the fall. Valdes set a new career high in birdies at the Briar’s Creek Invitational, where she finished second with a nine-under par 207. She currently is third on the team in stroke average with a 72.52, but is leading the team in rounds in the 60s with seven.
Ivy Shepherd is second on the Clemson team in stroke average at 72.27. The freshman from Peachtree City, Ga. is tied second on the team in rounds in the 60s with six. In the second round of the Clemson Invitational, she set a new personal best with a 65, that consisted of eight birdies. The eight birdies mark the most an individual has had in a single round in program history. When play was stopped in the third round of the Clemson Invitational due to weather, Shepherd was at eight-under par for the tournament and in second place.
Freshman Gracyn Burgess is fourth in stoke average at 74.26. The Lexington, S.C. native will be in the four spot for Kelley Hester in the ACC Tournament. Burgress has the third best round in 2018-19 for the Tigers, with a 66 in the second round of the Gator Invitational.
Alexandra Swayne will complete the lineup for Hester. The freshman from Mainsville, Ohio has a 75.76 stroke average and has played in every round for the Tigers this season. Of her 25 rounds, 11 of them have been 75 or under, with her best round coming at the Gator Invitational at three-under par 67.
April 18-20, 2018Sedgefield Country ClubGreensboro, NC
Par 72, yardage 6089
3201 Forsyth Dr, Greensboro, NC 27407
Duke (3), Wake Forest (8), Florida State (12), Virginia (17), Miami (19), Clemson (28), North Carolina (31), Louisville (42), NC State (47), Virginia Tech (48), Notre Dame (79), Boston College (138).
Alice Hewson (Sr., Berkhamsted, United Kingdom, 71.82), Ana Paula Valdes (Jr., Morelia, Mexico, 72.52), Ivy Shepherd (Fr., Peachtree City, Ga., 72.27), Gracyn Burgess (Fr., Lexington, S.C., 74.26), Alexandra Swayne (Fr., Maineville, Ohio/The US Virgin Islands, 75.76)
– 9th of 11 in 2014; 8th of 11 in 2015; 6th of 12 in 2016; 5th of 12 in 2017, 3rd of 12 in 2018.
– Best Team Score at ACC Championship, 877 in 2018.
– Best Team Score vs. Par at ACC Championship, (+13) in 2017 and 2018.
– Best individual Round at ACC Championship: 68, Alice Hewson 3rd round, 2018
– Best individual 54-hole score at ACC Championship: 217 (-4), Alice Hewson, 2018
– Best Individual finish at ACC Championship, 8th by Ana Paula Valdes, 2017
