Men’s Golf Finishes 9th at Carpet Classic

April 3, 1999

DALTON, Ga. – The Clemson men’s golf team finished ninth out of 18 teams at the Carpet Classic at Dalton, GA on Saturday. Clemson shot a 18 over par 882 team score to tie Florida for the number-9 spot.

Georgia, who lost in a playoff to Clemson for the championship of the Chris Schenkel Invitational last weekend, won the event with an 858 score. Georgia Tech finished second at 860, while South Carolina was third at 867. It was the first time this year that Georgia Tech had finished higher than the Tigers in a tournament.

It was the most disappointing performance of the year for Larry Penley’s #1 ranked Tigers. Clemson had finished out of the top four in just one tournament all year and the number-nine finish was Clemson’s worst ranking in an event this year. Clemson finished sixth out of the six ACC teams who competed. Clemson was 20-0 against ACC teams entering the event.

Jonathan Byrd was the Tiger Clemson player with a 217 score, one over par for the 54-hole event. He finished 19th overall after a 75 on Saturday. His top round of the tournament was a 70 in the second round. Sophomore John Engler fired a 72 on Saturday, the best score by a Tiger in the final round, and the native of Augusta, GA finished at 218, tied for 19th with Byrd.

Those were the only two Clemson players who challenged par. Lucas Glover, who tied for co-medalist honors in this event last year, shot a 226, 10-over par and finished 55th out of the 90 players. Freshman Michael Hoey had a 78 on Saturday after a 69 on Saturday and finished at 227, 11 over par and tied for 60th. Senior Elliot Gealy had an 84 on Saturday and finished 79th with a 235 score.

Clemson will be in action in Cary, NC next weekend for the 54-hole Ping Intercollegiate, which will be held at McGregor Downs Country Club.

Clemson at Carpet Capital Classic (9th of 18 teams)

Jonathan Byrd       73-70-75      218   19thJohn Engler         70-76-72      218   19thLucas Glover        73-78-75      226   55thMichael Hoey        80-69-78      227   60thElliot Gealy        77-74-84      235   79thTeam             293-289-300      882    9th