Luke Hopkins Captures South Carolina Amateur

Aug. 5, 2007

Clemson, SC — Clemson sophomore golfer Luke Hopkins won the South Carolina Amateur by seven shots on Sunday with a 72-hole score of 276. The native of Greer, SC had a final round 71 to complete his week with a 12-under par score. The event was held on the par 72 Country Club of South Carolina course in Florence, SC.

Hopkins is the first Clemson golfer to win the South Carolina Amateur since 2002 when current PGA Tour player D.J. Trahan won the event. It marks the seventh time in the last 11 years a Clemson golfer has won the South Carolina Amateur, and the 12th time since 1975. (See list of past former Tigers to win the South Carolina Amateur below.)

Hopkins had rounds of 70-65-70-71 for his 276 score, seven shots better than Brent Roof of Columbia, SC. Hopkins had a five-shot lead entering the final round and started Sunday’s round with five straight pars. He then birdied the par five sixth hole and finished the front nine at two-under par for the day, eight shots ahead of his nearest competitor on the leader board.

Hopkins had a birdie on the 10th hole to go to three under for the day, then had his only bad hole of the day on the par four 15th when he double bogeyed. He then made pars on the last three holes to take the seven-shot victory.

While Hopkins was the big story from a Clemson standpoint, two other Tigers finished in the top 10. Zack Siefert, a senior at Clemson this coming year, had a strong, consistent tournament and finished tied for fifth with a 286 score, two-under par. Siefert had scores of 71-72-71-72 in his best finish in an amateur event this year. The native of Simpsonville was one of just three golfers in the original 137 player field to shoot par or better in all four rounds.

Ben Martin, who was a first-team All-ACC golfer as a red-shirt freshman for the Tigers this year, had a 68 on Sunday ,the top round of the day, to finish with a one under par 287 total, good enough for ninth place. Phillip Mollica of Anderson, SC and a junior on the Clemson team this coming year, was 25th with a 295 score.

Clemson Champions of the South Carolina AmateurYear – Player 1975 – Parker Moore 1982 – Dillard Pruitt 1987 – Larry Penley 1988 – Larry Penley 1992 – Tommy Biershenk 1997 – Charles Warren 1998 – Lucas Glover 1999 – Lucas Glover 2000 – Lucas Glover 2001 – D.J. Trahan 2002 – D.J. Trahan 2007 – Luke Hopkins