Golf to Compete in the Carpet Classic

Oct. 2, 2003

Clemson will travel to Dalton, GA this weekend to compete in the 54-hole Carpet Classic at The Farm. The tournament will take place Friday through Sunday. The second-ranked Tigers have finished in third place in the two fall events they have competed in, the Ridges Invitational and the Fall Preview. Clemson will be looking to extend its streak of top-three finishes to 21 consecutive tournaments.

Clemson has won the Carpet Classic on four different occasions. The Tigers claimed the trophy in 1992, ’95, ’97, and 2002. The Tigers’ most recent win in the event came last year, when Clemson won six tournaments. Ben Duncan led the way for Clemson last year with a fifth-place, five-under-par performance.

Clemson’s most consistent golfer through two events has been senior Gregg Jones. He finished fifth at the Fall Preview, and is the only Tiger to finish in the top 20 in both tournaments Clemson has competed in. Jones fared very well in last year’s Carpet Classic, as he finished in 10th place at three-under-par.

Jack Ferguson was Clemson’s top finisher at The Ridges in early September. He is currently second to Jones on the team with a stroke average of 72. Ferguson, a second-team All-American last season, finished +3 in the Carpet Classic a year ago.

Matt Hendrix, the nation’s #2 ranked amateur, will compete in his second event for the Tigers this year. He missed the opening tournament due to competing in the Walker Cup. Hendrix shot a pair of 73s at the Fall Preview, and finished in a tie for 28th place. He shot even par at the Carpet Classic last season.

Brent Delahoussaye will be the fourth member traveling to the event for Clemson. He finished 41st in the Ridges Invitational, but came back strong with a top 10 finish at the Fall Preview. Delahoussaye is not a stranger to this event. He played in the 2001 Carpet Classic for South Carolina.

Brian Duncan will complete the five-man team for Clemson. He has competed in both events so far this year for the Tigers. He was +3 at The Ridges and +8 at the Fall Preview. Duncan, a red-shirt sophomore, has never competed in the Carpet Classic.

Clemson’s streak of top three finishes dates to the Schenkel Invitational in the spring of 2002. The Tigers have had four consecutive finishes in the top four at the Carpet Classic, including the victory last season.