Clemson, S.C.—Senior Bryson Nimmer fired a six-under par 66 on Monday to pull within a shot of the lead at the Puerto Rico Classic at Rio Mar Country Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Nimmer’s performance helped Clemson to an even-par team score on Monday and a fifth-place standing in the 15-team field entering Tuesday’s final round.
Clemson is the two-time defending champion of the Puerto Rico Classic, but finds itself 12 shots behind Georgia Tech entering the final round. Georgia Tech’s total stands at 565, followed by NC State at 566. Georgia stands in third place at 568 and Oklahoma is fourth at 572. Clemson stands in fifth place at 577, while host school Purdue and Marquette, the highest rated team in the Big East, are tied for sixth at 579. Fifth-ranked Alabama is 15th at 597.
As a team, Clemson leads the tournament in scoring on par three holes at one-under par, four shots better than any other team. Clemson has not taken advantage of the par five holes however, as the Tigers are four-over par on those holes, next to last in the field.
Nimmer made a big improvement over his opening round 74 by playing all 18 holes without a bogey in the second round. His 66 on Monday was eight shots better than the average score for the field. The native of Bluffton, S.C. got off to a hot start with birdies on six of his first nine holes, including four in a row at one point. He made par on each of his last nine. It was Nimmer’s 10th round in the 60s this year and the 36th of his career.
Nimmer was tied for 38th in the individual race after the first round, but his 66, the best score among the 75 players in the field so far this week, jumped him to a tie for fifth. Incredibly, there are 11 players within one shot of the lead entering the final 18 holes.
Freshman Zack Gordon had his second consecutive under par round. The rookie from Gaffney, S.C. has 11 birdies through 36 holes, best among Clemson golfers and tied for fourth in the field. He had five birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on Monday and stands in a tie for 12th at three-under-par entering Tuesday’s final round. Through two rounds, Gordon is three-under on the par three holes, best in the field.
Kyle Cottam was Clemson’s third best golfer on Monday and has been Clemson’s third best golfer so far in the tournament. The sophomore from Knoxville, Tenn. has had rounds of 73 and 72. He had four birdies and four bogeys on Monday.
Colby Patton had an opening round 72 on Sunday, but slumped to a 79 on Monday. Turk Pettit has had rounds of 77 and 84.
Live scoring is available on golfstat.com
