Golf Team Heads to Ohio for NCAA Regional

May 15, 2006

NCAA Central Regional Livestats

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Clemson Receives NCAA Tournament BidTigers in NCAAs for 25th Straight YearClemson received a bid to the NCAA men’s golf tournament for the 25th consecutive year on May 8.  It is the longest streak  of NCAA team tournament appearances in any sport in Clemson athletics history and the  sixth longest active streak among Division I golf programs. The Tigers will travel to the Central Regional for the first time ever and will compete at the Sand Ridge Golf Club in Cleveland, OH May 18-20.  Clemson had been sent  to the East Regional each of the last 17 years.

This will be the first NCAA Tournament held at Sand Ridge, a Tom Fazio Course that opened in 1998.  The course  is ranked 52nd best in the United States by Golf Digest.

Clemson will be the fourth seed in the Central Regional. Oklahoma State is seeded one, followed by Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, Clemson, Duke and Texas. Clemson, Georgia Tech and Duke are the only three ACC teams in the Central Regional.Clemson had made the cut at the NCAA Regional to reach the national stage of the event 16 consecutive years prior to last year when Clemson missed advancing by two shots.  Clemson had competed in the national championship tournament 23 consecutive years, including 22 in a row under Larry Penley prior to last year.

Clemson has shown considerable improvement this year and enters the regional off a streak of three consecutive top three finishes, the first time the Tigers have entered the NCAAs with three straight top three finishes since 2003, the year Clemson won the national championship.

Clemson has been chosen to the NCAA Regional every year since the NCAA adopted the format in 1989.  Prior to 1989, 30 teams were chosen for a national tournament.  Clemson has won a regional championship seven times in its history, more than any other school.  Clemson won NCAA East Regional in 1993-94-95, 2000, 2002-03-04.  Larry Penley has been the head coach each year Clemson has won the regional championship, and he is obviously the NCAA leader in regional championships by a coach.

Clemson will take a team of two seniors, two freshmen and a sophomore to the NCAA Central Regional.  All-ACC golfers Stephen Poole and Brian Duncan will lead the Tigers. Duncan has a 72.81 stroke average this year and has eight top 20 finishes in his nine events. 

Poole has a 73.10 stroke average for the season and has Clemson’s only individual victory of the year.  His 211 score won the United States Collegiate Championship at the Golf Club of Georgia on April 11.  Poole was Clemson’s top golfer at the NCAA East Regional in Nashville, TN last year when he shot a three-under par 210 score to finish in  18th place.  He has been Clemson’s top golfer during 12 of the team’s 30 rounds this year.

Tanner Ervin is the only sophomore in the Clemson lineup.  The native of Mount Pleasant had a 73.33 stroke average for the year and has finished strong with four consecutive top 20 finishes, including a top 10 at the United States Collegiate. Duncan, Poole and Ervin all competed for the Tigers in last year’s regional.

Two freshmen will be in the lineup for the Tigers in the NCAA Regional for the first time since 1998 when current PGA Tour players Lucas Glover and John Engler  helped Clemson to a second-place finish at the Melrose Course on Daufuskie Island, SC.  Vince  Hatfield and David May are a pair of freshmen who will be in the lineup as a pair for the third consecutive tournament.

Hatfield has a 74.00 stroke average for his five events this year. He was Clemson’s top golfer at Augusta State where he finished in seventh place with a 215 score. He is ranked 61st in the nation in the latest Sagarin rankings. May owns the top two rounds of the year by a Clemson golfer with a pair of 65s.  He is the first freshman in Clemson history to have two 65s in the same year. May has a pair of top 10 finishes, including a second-place at the Carpet Classic back in November.  He recently finished ninth at the ACC Tournament with  211 score, including a second round 65, the first Clemson freshman to record a top 10 at the conference tournament in six years.

Clemson Advances to NCAA Tournament for 25th Straight YearClemson was invited to the NCAA Tournament on Monday, May 8, the 25th consecutive year  Clemson has been invited to the event as a team.  This is the longest streak of NCAA team selections for one sport in Clemson history. Clemson’s 25 consecutive years in the NCAA Golf Tournament ranks seventh longest among active Division I schools.

Oklahoma State holds the lead with a national record 60 consecutive years in the NCAA Tournament, every year since 1947 (including 2006).  Clemson’s 25 years in a row is first among ACC schools, while Georgia Tech has a streak of 22 straight.

The three longest NCAA Tournament streaks are active.  Clemson’s baseball team has been to the NCAA Baseball Tournament 19  consecutive years heading into this year.  The top 10  team of 2006 is a lock to receive another bid this year.  Clemson’s active streak of 19 straight years with a team bid is third longest in the nation behind Miami (FL) and Florida State.  Clemson’s women’s soccer team has gotten a team bid to the NCAA Tournament each year of its existence (12 years).

#Clemson Baseball team should receive a bid to 2006 tournament, but the 19 does not include this year$Active Streak

Clemson vs. The Central RegionalClemson has competed in the same tournament as 13 of the other 26 schools in the field for the 2006 NCAA Central Regional. Clemson has a 20-17-1 combined record against the other teams with a -111 stroke advantage. Obviously the teams Clemson has faced the most has been the two other ACC teams in the field, Georgia Tech and Duke. Clemson is 0-4 against Oklahoma State, 3-1 against Texas and 3-1 against TCU.  Those are the only other schools Clemson has faced as many as four times this year.

Duncan, Poole Ranked in Top 50Clemson seniors Stephen Poole are both ranked among the top 50 golfers in the nation according to the latest Sagarin-Golfweek rankings.  The rankings are dated May 10, 2006 and include the results of the ACC Tournament.Duncan is ranked 17th in the individual ranking  nationally and is second among ACC golfers. Only Duke’s Ryan Blaum is ranked ahead of him. The native of Greenville, SC  has been ranked in the top 25 for most of the season. He has three top 10 finishes this year, but has been in the top 20 in eight of his nine events.  His recent third place finish at the ACC Tournament was his best of the year and tied for his best ever as a Tiger.Duncan’s  72.81 stroke average is the best among Tigers so far this year.  He is trying to become the first Clemson golfer to rank in the top 20 in the final Sagarin rankings since Matt Hendrix (10th) and Jack Ferguson (17th) both had top 20 finishes in 2003-04.  The highest final ranking ever by a Clemson golfer is #2 by D.J. Trahan in 2001-02 and 2002-03.Poole is a senior from Spartanburg jumped from 67th to 43rd on the Sagarin  rankings over the last two events, including his medallist honors at the United States Collegiate on April 10-11.  That field included five of the top 10 teams in the nation so that title jumped his ranking 21 spots.  Poole has two tops 10s and five top 20 finishes this year and has a 73.10 stroke average for his 10  tournaments.  He is the only Tiger golfer to compete in all 10 events so far this season.

Duncan in top 20, Eight of Nine tournamentsBrian Duncan is one of the most improved players in the nation. That is especially the case when it comes to consistency. The senior from Greenville, SC has finished in the top 20 in eight of the nine events this year, the first Tiger to do that since Brian Duncan score has counted towards Clemson’s team score in all 27 rounds he has played this year, he best figure on the team.  That is another demonstration of his consistency. Twenty-three of his 27 rounds have been at 75 or lower.Duncan is the last link to Clemson’s 2003 National Championship team.  He played in  one event that year as a freshman and finished 45th at the Chris Schenkel. His brother, Ben, was a starter on that 2003 Clemson National Championship team.  Ben had very similar numbers to Brian over his four years at Clemson.  Ben had a 74.21 stroke average for 99 rounds, while Brian is at 73.90 for 88 career rounds. Ben had 25 rounds at par or better and Brian is at 27 heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Poole Gaines Victory at US CollegiateStephen Poole is the only Tiger to gain individual medallist honors this year.  He was the first Clemson golfer to win a tournament since Matt Hendrix won the Augusta State Invitational in the spring of 2004. Poole played  steady for all three rounds in firing a five-under–par 211 for the tournament.  He trailed Wake Forest’s Webb Simpson by five shots entering the final round, but Simpson shot a 77 and Poole a 71 on the final day.  Poole had three birdies and two bogeys in his one-under-par final round.  He had just one score of double bogey or worse over the 54-hole tournament. Clemson also won the team competition at the US Collegiate with an even par score of 864.  It marked the first time since the 2002 NCAA East Regional that Clemson won the team title and had the individual champion in  the same event.

Clemson Has Three Veterans of NCAA Tournament PlayThree current Tigers have competed in the NCAA Tournament previously.   Seniors Stephen Poole and Brian Duncan and current sophomore Tanner Ervin all have been in NCAA tournament play.Poole has the most experience, as he has already played in two regional tournaments and one national tournament.  Poole was a member of Clemson’s 2004 Regional Championship team at the Yale University Course.  He had a 218 score on the par 70 course and finished 29th. He then had a 228 for three rounds at the NCAA National Tournament at The Homestead.  Last year, Poole was Clemson’s top golfer at the regional with a three-under-par 210 score, good enough for 18th place.Duncan and Ervin played in the 2005 NCAA Regional in Nashville. Duncan had a 218 score for the three rounds on the par 71 course and finished 61st. He had a solid final round 70.  Ervin  had a 229 score for the three rounds and finished 112th. His second round 73 was his best round of the tournament.

Duncan, Poole, Catalioto Earn DegreesThree current members of the 2006 Clemson golfer roster earned undergraduate degrees on May 12th.  The list includes two Tiger golfers who will be playing in the NCAA Central Regional in Cleveland.Stephen Poole, Brian Duncan and Martin Catalioto all received their degrees during ceremonies at Littlejohn Coliseum. Catalioto earned his degree in business and finance, Duncan earned his degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, and Poole earned his in marketing. Poole and Duncan will be in the Clemson lineup at the NCAA Regional.Larry Penley’s program has had a high graduation rate over the years.  The sport had a 100 percentage rating in the recent NCAA graduation rates study released last December and also had a perfect score when it came to the latest APR figures. Seven of the eight Clemson golfers on the PGA Tour or the Nationwide Tour,  have their undergraduate degrees.

Tigers Move into Top 10Clemson moved into 8th place nationally on the Sagarin/Golfweek computer rankings released on May 10, 2006.  The Tigers moved into the top 10 with the victory at the United  States Collegiate at the Golf Club of Georgia, April 10-11. This is Clemson’s highest ranking of the 2005-06 academic year.

Clemson is ranked 12th in the latest Golf Coaches Association poll,  released in April. A new poll will be released prior to the regional this week. Clemson ranked 17th in the preseason Golf Coach’s Association poll and finished the fall ranked 21st. The Clemson program ranked in the final top 10 every year between 1996 and 2003, including the number-one ranking in 2003 when Clemson won its only national championship in golf.

Clemson Schedule Ranked Second BestClemson has been noted for its difficult national schedule over the years.  In 2003, when Clemson won the national championship it also had the top rated schedule in the nation. Clemson is 8th in the latest Sagarin Computer ranking overall, but the Clemson schedule is ranked second most difficult. Georgia is ranked first overall and in schedule ranking and is attempting to duplicate Clemson’s feat of 2003.

Clemson Captures United States CollegiateThe Clemson golf team captured the U.S. Collegiate Championship, giving the Tigers their first team title since the NCAA East Regional in New Haven, CT in May of 2004. Stephen Poole also earned individual medalist honors, the first Tiger golfer to do that since Matt Hendrix won the Augusta State Invitational in April of 2004.

The last time Clemson won both the team and individual title at the same tournament was on May 18, 2002, when the Tigers won the NCAA East Regional and D.J. Trahan earned medalist honors.

The #13 Tigers shot a final round two-over par 290 on the Lakeside Course at the Golf Club of Georgia and finished at even par for the tournament, three strokes ahead of third-ranked Florida.  Rounding out the top five at the event were Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, and Georgia, the top-ranked team in the nation by Golfweek. The win also gives Clemson head coach Larry Penley 58 career tournament victories.

Poole played a steady round for the third consecutive round and finished with a one-under par round of 71, giving him a three-round total of 211 (-5). His previous best finish was sixth at both the Atlanta Intercollegiate and ACC Tournament in 2004. On Tuesday, he carded three birdies and two bogeys for his 71. He had just one score of double bogey or worse over the 54-hole tournament. He moved ahead of second-place finisher Webb Simpson from Wake Forest, who shot a five-over 77 on Tuesday. Poole trailed him by five shots heading into the final round. Tanner Ervin shot a one-over par 73 to tie for 10th place, the best collegiate finish ever for the sophomore from Mt. Pleasant, SC. He totaled a one-over par 217 for the tournament. On Tuesday, he shot 35 on the back nine by totaling eight pars and a birdie. His previous best finish had been 13th, which he did at Augusta State on April 2.

Brian Duncan tied for 14th after finishing with a total of 219, three-over par. He shot 73 on Tuesday and posted four birdies, three of which came on the front nine. Duncan now has four top 15 finishes this season.

Vince Hatfield continued his strong play from Augusta State, as he posted a 220 total (+4) and finished in a tie for 17th. He was crucial in getting Clemson the victory, as he carded two birdies for a 34 on the back nine Tuesday. He shot a one-over 73 Tuesday, meaning each of his three rounds was at 75 or better.

Penley Captures 58th Tournament VictoryClemson head coach Larry Penley won his 58th tournament as the head coach of the Tigers when Clemson won the United States Intercollegiate at the Golf Club of Georgia on April 11.  It was Clemson’s first win since the Tigers captured the 2004 NCAA East Regional at the Yale University Course in New Haven, CT.Penley,s 58 career wins rank second on the all-time ACC list behind Jesse Haddock, who had 83 tournament wins at Wake Forest between 1960-92. Penley’s 58 wins rank third among active college golf coaches.  Jim Brown of Ohio State has 162 tournament wins dating to his first year with the Buckeyes in 1973.  Buddy Alexander of Florida has 64 wins, including three this year.  Penley is next at 58, followed by Rick LaRose of Arizona, who has 57 in his career, including one this season.Penley,s victory total includes an NCAA record  seven NCAA Tournament regional titles, plus a national championship (2003).  He also has won the ACC Championship eight times, including 2003 and 2004. (That total also  includes a co-championship at the 1990 ACC Tournament).

Clemson Enters NCAA Tournament Playing its Best GolfClemson enters the 2006 NCAA Central Regional Tournament on a roll.  The Tigers won their first tournament of the year when they defeated a field that included Georgia, Georgia Tech and Florida at the United States Intercollegiate in April. Clemson then finished third at the ACC Tournament. Clemson has now had three straight top three finishes entering the NCAA Regional the first time since 2003, Clemson’s national championship season, that the Tigers have been able to make that statement.Clemson had an even par tournament at the Augusta State and US Collegiate events and a -24 at the ACC tournament.  This is the first time since the 2003 National Championship season that Clemson has had three straight tournaments at par or better.  That year Clemson had a run of three straight under par tournaments at Las Vegas (-6), The Schenkel (-17) and Augusta State (-42).

Tigers Have Two Freshmen in LineupClemson will have two freshmen in its lineup at the NCAA Tournament The lineup will include Lucas Glover were both in the Tiger lineup. Youth did not hurt the Tigers in that tournament as Clemson finished second at the regional tournament at the Melrose Course on Daufuskie Island in South Carolina.  Engler and Glover both had three-under-par scores of 213 for that tournament and tied for 16th place. Clemson was second out of 23 teams at the regional.Hatfield is fourth on the team in stroke average with a 74.00 figure for his five events and 15 rounds. He is ranked 60th in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankings.  He had a top 10 individual finish at the Augusta State Intercollegiate when his 215 total was seventh best.

May has a 74.52 stroke average for nine tournaments and 27 rounds.  His best performance of the year came in the fall when he finished second at the Carpet Classic with a 207 score.  That 207  tied the Clemson record for a 54-hole score by a Clemson freshman.  He was also strong at the ACC Tournament where he finished ninth with a 211 score.  It was the first top 10 by a Clemson freshman at the ACC Tournament since 2000 when D.J. Trahan had a top 10.  May’s ACC Tournament included a blistering 65, tied for the second best round by a Tiger in ACC Tournament history.

Tigers from South CarolinaClemson’s roster is dominated by players from the state of South Carolina.  That has been the case for many years as David May, who lists Auburn, NY as his hometown.  Martin Catalioto, a senior not in the lineup for the Tigers this week, lists Hilton Head, SC as his hometown, but he went to high school in New Jersey.Next year Clemson will add two players from outside the state. Kyle Stanley will be a freshman from Gig Harbor, Washington and Sam Saunders will be a freshman on the 2006-07 roster from Orlando, FL.

Clemson Travels to OhioThis will be Clemson’s seventh trip to the state of Ohio for a golf tournament.  The previous six tournaments have all been in Columbus, OH at The Scarlet Course at The Ohio State University. Clemson has appeared in four NCAA National tournaments at the Scarlet Course and in two Ping/Previews, events that take place in the fall at the site of the following spring’s NCAA finals.Clemson’s first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament took place at Ohio State in 1980.  Clemson’s finished 12th  in the 32-team field.  Current Clemson Coach D.J. Trahan, who won the event in the 15-team field.  Clemson then finished a strong third at the NCAA Championships out of 30 teams in the Spring of 2002.Ohio has been the home state of six Clemson golf lettermen over the years.  The most prominent has been Julian Taylor, a starter on Clemson’s 1980 NCAA Tournament team that played at Ohio State.  Taylor was a native of Youngstown, OH.

Tigers Have Record Seven Regional TitlesClemson has won seven NCAA regional championships, more than any other school Clemson won the East Regional in 1993-94-95, 2000, 2002-03-04. Clemson’s seven titles are two more than second place Oklahoma State, Arizona and Arizona State who have won five apiece. UNLV and Georgia Tech have four apiece.D.J. Trahan won the individual title at the East Regional in 2002 at Settindown Creek in Roswell, GA.

Clemson is one of six schools to play in all 18 NCAA regional tournaments.

Clemson Finishes Third at ACC Golf TournamentSenior Stephen Poole fired a final round 67 and classmate  Brian Duncan finished third overall with a 208 tournament score to lead Clemson to a third-place finish at the  2006 ACC  Golf Tournament at The Old North State Course in New London, NC. It marked the 12th straight year that Clemson finished in the top four at the ACC Tournament.

It was also the last regular season tournament for David May was Clemson’s second best golfer for the 54 hole event on the par 72 Old North State Course.  He had a disappointing 74 in the final round as he had four bogeys in his last seven holes, but the native of Auburn, NY had a Clemson team best 65 in the second round.  He completed that round on Sunday morning before turning in the 74 in the third round.  His 65 in the second round tied his own Clemson single round individual best of the year.  He also had a 65 at the Carpet Classic back in he fall.  That 65 was also the second best score in an ACC Tournament by a Clemson freshman.  Brad Clark had a 63 at the 1985 ACC Tournament during his freshman season.May finished ninth overall with his 211 score, five-under par.  It was the best finish by a Clemson freshman at the ACC Tournament since D.J. Trahan was fourth at the 2000 ACC Tournament, also at The Old North State Club. May’s  211 total was the best by a Clemson freshman since 1998 when Vince Hatfield finished 35th overall wit ha 220 score  He shot a three over par 75 on Sunday that included bogeys on each of his last five holes.

Clemson Shows it Can Go LowClemson showed it can go low with its second round 20-under-par 268  team score at the ACC Tournament on  April 22. The 268 score tied for the lowest gross round in Clemson history and the 20-under-par was the best round versus par in school history. Clemson had shot a 268 on the par 71 Old Overton Course in Birmingham, AL at the fall of 2000 Jerry Pate Invitational. The previous record for low round versus par was 18 under set at the Augusta State Invitational in Augusta, GA on April6, 2003.  Clemson shot a 270 on the par 72 course that day.Clemson had  four players 68 or better during the 20-under-par performance, a first in school history.  It marked the seventh time in Clemson history the Tigers had four golfers in the 60s in the same day, but each of those previous occasions included at least one round at 69.Clemson finished with a 24-under-par score for the event in finishing third.  That was the 10th best team score versus par in school history, the best since  the Jerry Pate of 2003 when Clemson shot 26 under par for the three rounds.

Clemson Improved over Last SeasonClemson saw its streak of 23 consecutive years in the NCAA national tournaments end a year ago when Clemson finished 11th at the NCAA East Regional in Nashville, just two shots from qualification for the national tournament. 

Larry Penley was obviously looking for improvement this year in hopes of returning to the national event. So far the Tigers have demonstrated significant improvement.  The Tigers have a 73.10 team stroke average this year, improved from the 73.78 of a year ago.  Clemson’s average team finish is 6.4, improved from the 9.5 of last year.  That includes three straight team finishes in the top three heading into the NCAA Tournament.  This is the first time since the 2003 spring that Clemson has entered the regional with a streak of at least three straight top three finishes.

Clemson’s Byrd Named to Hall of Fame Former All-America golfer Jonathan Byrd is one of seven former Clemson athletes, coaches or administrators who will be inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame this fall.  The ceremonies will take place September 1-2 in conjunction with Clemson’s season opening football game against Florida Atlantic

Byrd will be the  seventh golfer, including the fourth in the last five years to be inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame.  Last year, current PGA Tour professional and former NCAA Champion Charles Warren was accorded the honor. Parker Moore, Dillard Pruitt (current PGA Tour rules official), Chris Patton, Kevin Johnson and Clarence Rose are the other former Tiger golfers  in the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame.Byrd, a 2000 Clemson graduate was voted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in just his second year of eligibility. It is the earliest induction into the Clemson Hall of Fame of any former Tiger golfer.

Byrd is one of two student-athletes in Clemson history to be named an on the field of competition All-American and  academic all-American in the same year, twice.  The only other student-athlete to do it is former Clemson football player Kyle Young (1998-01), who will also be inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame this fall.

Byrd was a starter on four Clemson top 10 golf teams between 1997-00, the first Tiger athlete in any sport to do that in 22 years.  He was also the first Clemson student-athlete to start on three ACC Championship teams in 11 years. A four-time first-team All-ACC selection, Byrd was afirst-team All-American as a junior in 1998-99 and a third-team selection in 1999-00.Named to the ACC’s 50-Year Anniversary Men’s Golf team in 2002, Byrd established school records for rounds under par and rounds at par-or-better when he graduated in 2000. The native of Columbia, SC  was the first Clemson athlete to be named IPTAY Athlete of the Year in two different academic years (1998-99 and 1999-00).  He also represented the United States in the 1999 and 2000 Palmer Cups and the 1999 Walker Cup.Byrd is currently in his fifth year on the PGA Tour.  He has won two PGA tournaments, including the 2002 Buick Challenge that helped him win PGA Tour  Rookie of the Year honors.  He finished eighth at the 2003 Masters and was 15th at the US Open that same year, the highest finishes by a former Clemson golfer in both major tournaments.Former women’s  basketball All-American Shandy Bryan, former track All-American Terrance Herrington, former All-ACC football player Steve Kenney, former Clemson President and football player  Dr. Robert F. Poole, and former women’s  track coach Wayne Coffman are also members of the Clemson Hall of Fame Class of 2006.  The group  will be formally inducted during ceremonies on Friday, September 1 and Saturday, September 2 in conjunction with Clemson’s season opening football game against Florida Atlantic.

Byrd is one of six former Clemson players on the PGA Tour this year.  The others are Stephen Poole, Clemson seniors ranked in the top 50 of the latest Golfweek/Sagarin college rankings, have both been named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference men’s golf team.  The 12-man team that was compiled by a vote of the 11 ACC Coaches, was announced on Monday.This marks the 11th consecutive year that Clemson has had at least two selections on the first-team.  It is the first time Duncan and Poole have been named to the team. Duncan, a senior from Greenville, SC, is ranked 17th in the nation in the latest Sagarin rankings.  He has the top stroke average on the Clemson team with a 72.81 figure. Clemson’s most consistent golfer has three top 10 finishes and eight top 20s in his nine events so far this year.  His top finish was a third-place at the ACC tournament April 21-23 when he shot a career best eight-under par 208.  He also finished ninth at Bulls Bay (March 26-28) and was seventh at Las Vegas (March 10-12).Poole is second among Clemson golfers in stroke average with a 73.10 figure for his 10 events He leads the team in under-par rounds with 11 and has a #43 national ranking according to the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. The native of Spartanburg, SC  won the United States Collegiate at the Golf Club of Georgia April 10-11 with a five-under-par 211 score.  He has five top 20 finishes this season, including three in a row entering the NCAA Tournament next week.Duncan and Poole give Clemson 33 different players who have earned All-ACC honors over the years. They are the 24th and 25th players under Larry Penley to be selected to the team since Penley became the head coach in the fall of 1983.   Clemson has now had 53 All-ACC selections in the Penley era.Clemson Signs Two in Men’s GolfKyle Stanley and Sam Saunders, two of the top 11 junior players  according to the Golfweek/Titleist World rankings,  have each signed a national letter of intent with the Clemson men’s golf program.  Head Coach Larry Penley made the announcement on Wednesday. The two student-athletes entering Clemson in August of 2006 will give Clemson seven freshmen and sophomores on the 2006-07 roster.”This might be the best pair of incoming freshmen we have ever had,” said Penley, who has been Clemson’s head coach since 1983. “Kyle and Sam are two nationally prominent signees who have the ability to bring us back to the level where we are in the national championship hunt on a consistent basis.”Stanley is the first native of the state of Washington to sign a golf letter of intent with the Clemson program. He was  a first-team American Junior Golf Association All-American in 2005 when he played on the 2005 Cannon Cup West team.  He was an honorable mention AJGA selection in 2004. He is ranked seventh in the world junior rankings by Golfweek/Titleist.Now a resident of Gig Harbor, WA, Stanley won the 2005 MCI Junior Heritage and the HP Boys championship.  He finished second at the AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions and was second at  AJGA Pacific Northwest International Junior tournament.Stanley is in his fourth year as a starter on the Bellarmine Prep High School team. He helped his team to the state championship in 2004 and he finished second in the state tournament individually that year.Saunders was the Florida State champion in 2004 and he finished second in 2005.  He won the regional championship as a freshman, junior and senior.  He helped his Trinity Prep team to four District titles and three regional championships during his career. He was a four-time first-team all-state selection in the state of Florida, including 2004 when he was named  the Florida Player of the Year. Saunders is currently ranked 11th in the world Golfweek/Titleist rankings. Saunders was a member of the United States team that competed in the Spirit International Amateur Championship in Trinity, TX in October, 2005. He also was the medallist during stroke play of  the United States Junior Amateur at Longmeadow, MA when he shot a 133 for the first two rounds.  He then advanced to the second round of match play.A native of Orlando, FL, Saunders is the grandson of four-time Masters champion Arnold Palmer.

Stanley Named to United States Junior World Cup TeamKyle Stanley,  a Clemson golf signee who will enter the school in August of 2006, has been named to the United States Junior World Cup Golf Team.  The native of Gig Harbor, WA, will compete for the US in the tournament that will be held June 20-23 at Chukyo Country Club in Toyota City, Japan.Stanley is currently ranked ninth in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index among juniors nationwide.  He was a 2005 AJGA First-team All-American and competed on the West Canon Cup Team. Stanley was named the Washington Junior Golf Association Player of the Year in 2004. He has won four AJGA Tournaments in his career.Also named to the team were Jordan Cox, a native of Redwood City, CA who will attend Stanford next year, James Swafford, a native of Tallahassee, FL who will attend Georgia in 2006-07 and Alex Volpenhein, a native  of Edgewood, KY, who will attend Kentucky next year.