Clemson Women’s Golf to Open Inaugural Season Sunday

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson Women’s Golf team will begin its inaugural season this Sunday as they compete in the 11th annual Cougar Classic at Yeamans Hall in Hanahan, SC. The three day, 54-hole tournament will be played Sunday, Sept. 8th – Sept. 10th and includes 20 teams.

“We are very excited. This has been a long time coming,” said Head Coach J.T. Horton. “The recruiting process is now coming to fruition and we are finally able to play. The Cougar Classic is one of the best tournaments in the country. It’s been a traditional powerhouse women’s event and it is at a great course in Yeamans Hall. I think it’s one of the best courses not only in the southeast but in the country. We are really excited about our opportunity there.”

Playing in the tournament are WGCA nationally ranked Florida (10), NC State (20), LSU (22), and Baylor (24). Also playing in the tournament are the ACC’s Wake Forest and Maryland and the SEC’s Auburn, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina and Tennessee. Local teams such as Charleston Southern and College of Charleston compete as well, and Coastal Carolina, Furman, UNCG, Penn State, and Wisconsin round out the field. Fifteen of the 20 teams were represented at the NCAA Regionals last season.

Camilla Hedburg of Florida will be back to defend her Cougar Classic individual title, while her Florida team will look to defend their 2012 title as well. They come in as the highest ranked team in the field at 10th.

Clemson comes in to the tournament ranked 21st in Golfweek‘s preseason poll. Competing for Clemson will be Ashlan Ramsey, Sloan Shanahan, McKenzie Talbert, Jessica Hoang, and Lauren Salazar. All but Salazar, who is a redshirt freshman, are true freshmen. Ramsey is coming off of a fantastic summer that included four wins, two runner-up finishes and solid performances in the U.S Amateur and the PING Junior Solheim Cup. She is currently ranked as the number one female amateur in the world.  All four of the true freshmen are ranked in the top 50 of the Golfweek Junior rankings for the class of 2013.

Live scoring will be on GolfStat.com throughout the tournament.