CLEMSON, S.C. — Thomas Higgins fired a six-under-par 66, Lucas Augustsson added a 67 and Colin Salema had a 68 to lead Clemson to its best team round vs. par in nearly two years at the Mountaineer Invitational at Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, W.Va. on Monday afternoon. The Tigers have a one-shot lead over host school West Virginia entering Tuesday’s final round.
It was a remarkable turnaround over the long day that saw all 19 teams in the field play 36 holes on the par 72 course. Clemson was 10th place trailing leader Arkansas, the number five team in the nation, by 15 shots after the morning round.
But the Tigers shot 14-under-par 274 in the afternoon, the best score of the second round by far. The key stretch for Clemson came early in the round when the Tigers played holes 10-12 in 10-under-par as a team.
Clemson beat fifth-ranked Arkansas by 17 shots in the second round, bested number-six Oklahoma State by 11 and scored nine shots better than eighth-ranked Texas Tech.
Entering the final round, Clemson is in first place at eight under par 568, while West Virginia its second at seven-under par. Fifth ranked Arkansas its third at six-under and eighth ranked Texas Tech is fourth at five-under-par. Oklahoma State, the sixth ranked team in the nation, is fifth at -3.
Higgins is Clemson’s best player in the individual race after rounds of 71-66. His seven-under par total is second by one shot to Preston Stout of Oklahoma State, the number three player in the nation, who had rounds of 69-67. Higgins had seven birdies and just one bogey in his second round. It was his best round since shooting a 63 at the Chapel Hill NCAA Regional on May 14, 2024.
Augustsson’s 67 was bogey free with five birdies. It was his second bogey free round of the year and his fourth score at 67 or better this year. The senior from Sweden finished third at The Hootie, Clemson’s most recent tournament, when he had a 10-under-par score of 206. Augustsson had an opening round 73 on Monday and stands in fourth place after two rounds with a 140 total.
Salema tied his career best round with his 68 in the Monday afternoon round. It was the fourth 68 of his two-year career. Salema played holes 10-14 in five under par. That streak included an eagle two on the par four 341-yard 12th hole when he made a 46-yard shot from off the green. It was his sixth career eagle. Salema had an opening round 75 and his 143 total is good enough for 15th after 36 holes.
Rich Wills had rounds 75-73 and his 148 total after two rounds is in 36th place out of the 104 players in the field. Oscar Bredkjaer had rounds of 78-74 and stands in 63rd place with a 152 total.
Freshman Sam Duran is playing the tournament as an individual and posted rounds of 77-76.