Clemson, S.C.—Bryson Nimmer became just the fourth player in Clemson history to record 25 career Top 10 finishes on Monday when he led Clemson to a sixth-place finish in the 15-team John Hayt Intercollegiate at famed Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra, Fla.
Nimmer recorded his seventh top 10 finish of the year and 25th of his career in finishing second with a score of two-under-par 214 for the 54 holes that were played over two days. Nimmer joins Kevin Johnson (27), Jonathan Byrd (26) and D.J. Trahan (26) as the only Tigers in history with at least 25 career top 10s.
The senior from Beaufort, S.C had scores of 67-71-76 for the event that faced more difficult playing conditions as the tournament progressed. Nimmer finished second behind Hunter Wolcott of Tennessee who shot a 211 score for the 54 holes, including a one-under-par 71 on Monday. He was the only player to shoot under par in the 88-player field on the final day.
Only four players shot under par for the tournament. Joining Wolcott and Nimmer were Zack Taylor of Coastal Carolina and Mathias Schmid of Louisville, who both finished at one under par 215.
The playing conditions on Monday were very difficult. “Today was among the worst days I can remember in terms of weather conditions,” said Head Coach Larry Penley, who is in his 36th year leading the Clemson golf program. “The combination of high winds, low temperatures and steady rain made for a tough day because it lasted all day.”
The scores reflected the weather as the average score for the final round was 79.33. The field included seven of the top 30 teams in the nation. As a result all but one school shot at least 24-over-par for the tournament.
Tennessee finished first at 875, including a final round 294 that was 10 shots better than any other team. Louisville, who at one point had the team lead on the first day at eight-under-par, shot a 312 in the final round to finish at 888, tied with league rival North Carolina, who also shot 24 over on Monday.
Host school North Florida shot 310 on Monday to finish fourth at 889, tied with N.C State. Clemson was sixth at 892, just four shots out of second. TCU was seventh at 898.
Kyle Cottam and Colby Patton, who returned to the lineup for the first time in a month, both recorded top 25 finishes. Cottam had a 224 score for the 54 holes to finish 21st and Patton had a 225 score to finish tied for 25th. Freshman Jacob Bridgeman, Clemson’s number-two player in terms of stroke average entering the tournament, finished 40th with a 229 score. William Nottingham shot a 239 to finish 77th.
Clemson returns to the course this weekend to play host to the Clemson Invitational at the Keowee Falls Course in Sunset, S.C. The tournament will run Friday through Sunday with Tee times and results available on golfstat.com.
