Clemson, S.C.—Clemson will open its 2018-19 men’s golf season Friday, September 7 at the 30th annual Carpet Classic in Dalton, Georgia. The 15-team tournament that includes six SEC teams and three ACC teams, will be played at the par 72 The Farm.
Clemson has won the tournament that has traditionally opened Clemson’s season four times, but not since 2003. The Tigers do have 17 top four finishes in their 29 previous appearances at The Farm. The Tigers finished seventh last year.
Head Coach Larry Penley will bring a senior, a junior, a sophomore and two freshmen for his lineup in the season opener. The five-person team includes three natives of the state of South Carolina and two from Tennessee. Bryson Nimmer will lead the way and already has a pair of top five finishes at The Carpet Classic. The senior finished fifth as a sophomore and second last year.
Nimmer is third in Clemson history in career stroke average (71.58) trailing only former teammate Doc Redman and longtime PGA Tour player D.J. Trahan. Nimmer is a three-time All-ACC player and was a second-team All-American last year.
William Nottingham is a junior coming off an injury plagued season last year. He did return to play in the NCAA National Tournament, but was still limited by injury. As a freshman, Nottingham had five top 10 finishes and set the Clemson record for the lowest round in history with a 62 at the Lonnie Poole Invitational in Raleigh.
Kyle Cottam is a sophomore from Knoxville, Tenn. who had a strong freshman year that included six rounds in the 60s. His score counted 28 times and he had the top round of the day seven times on the way to a 72.91 stroke average.
A pair of freshmen will make their debut for the Tigers this Friday. Jacob Bridgeman is a rookie from Inman, SC who is coming off an active summer. He was a member of the victorious United States Junior President’s Cup team and played for the US in the Junior World Cup, where he had a top 25 finish. The second-team AJGA All-American reached the Sweet 16 of the US Junior Amateur.
Zack Gordon is a freshman from Gaffney, SC who won the National High School Coaches Association Male Golfer of the Year, an honor that had been won previously by Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler. Gordon is the first native of the state of South Carolina to win that national award. He won the state 5A High School Championship with a record score of 128.
Clemson senior Coleman Self will play in the event as an individual.
Clemson Men’s Golf Season Opener
Tournament: Carpet Classic
Course: The Farm, Par 72
Address: 187 S Goose Hill Rd, Rocky Face, GA 30740
Dates of Competition: Friday, September 7 through Sunday, September 9. 54 total holes, 18 per day.
Live scoring: Golfstat.com
Competing Teams: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Auburn, LSU, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Chattanooga, Kennesaw State, North Florida, California, Dalton State, Colorado State.
Clemson Lineup: Bryson Nimmer (Sr., Bluffton, SC), Kyle Cottam (Soph., Knoxville, Tenn.), William Nottingham (Jr., Kingsport, Tenn.), Jacob Bridgeman (Fr. Inman, SC), Zack Gordon (Fr. Gaffney, SC).
Individual: Coleman Self (Sr., Greenwood, SC)
Head Coach: Larry Penley (4 wins at Carpet Classic, Fall seasons of 1992, 1995, 1997, 2002)