Golf Opens Spring Season Sunday

Feb. 26, 2005

Clemson will open its spring golf season Sunday in Rio Mar, Puerto Rico at the Puerto Rico Classic. The Tigers have finished second at the event three of the last four years, including last year when the Tigers shot a 856 score.

Clemson will take two seniors, and three juniors to Puerto Rico, three of whom played in Puerto Rico last year when Clemson finished second in the field of 18 teams. Jack Ferguson has earned second-team All-America honors each of the last two years and will be making his fourth appearance in this event. He finished seventh individually at the Puerto Rico Classic last year when he shot a 213 score, three-under par. He was 40th as a freshman and 24th as a sophomore, so he has made significant improvement at this event each season.

Ferguson has a 72.13 stroke average for his career, fourth in Clemson history, and a 72.73 stroke average so far this season. He has had 14 of his15 rounds between 70-74 so far this year. His sixth place finish at The Ridges in the first tournament of the year is his top finish so far.

Brian Duncan, a junior from Greenville, SC will actually play as Clemson’s number-one player in the lineup at Puerto Rico. The junior had three top 11 finishes in the fall when he had a team best 72.47 stroke average. Duncan traveled to the Puerto Rico Classic last year, but had to withdraw in the last round due to illness.

Brent Delahoussaye joins Ferguson as a second senior in the Clemson lineup. Delahoussaye had a 73.40 stroke average in the fall when he had three rounds in the 60s and five rounds at par or better. He finished 19th in the Puerto Rico Classic last year, including a final round 70 on the way to a 218 total.

Stephen Poole and Martin Calalioto, a pair of juniors, will round out the Clemson lineup in Puerto Rico. Poole did not play in Puerto Rico last year, but had a 73.05 stroke average for the year, fourth on the team. Poole had a 75.60 stroke average in the fall of 2004. Catalioto played in three tournaments in the fall and had a 75.67 average. He has never played in the Puerto Rico Classic.

This will be Clemson’s 13th appearance in the Puerto Rico Classic, all consecutively since the spring of 1993. The Tigers won the event in 1999 with an 830 score. Clemson has finished second four times and third once. The Tigers have had a top five finish in nine of their previous 12 appearances. Clemson has had two former individual champions. Jonathan Byrd won the Puerto Rico Classic with a 212 score in the spring of 1997 as a freshman, and Lucas Glover won in the spring of 2001 with a 205 score as a senior. Matt Hendrix won the tournament last year with a 207 score over the 54 holes.