Rich Wills Season 2025-26

Career Bests
Round: 67, NCAA Arizona Regional, 5/20/26
Score vs. par:  (-5), 67, NCAA Arizona Regional, 5/20/26
Tournament:  210,  (-6), Briar’s Creek, 2/3-4/ 25
Tournament vs. Par (-6), 210, Briar’s Creek, 2/3-4/25
Birdies/Eagles: 13 (13-0), Briar’s Creek, 2/3-4/25

Overview: Starter each of his first two years at Clemson…third on the team as a sophomore with  with 72.57 stroke average, he was  fourth as a freshman with 73.19 average…Clemson’s best player at the 2026 ACC Tournament with a 15th place finish thanks to 214 score (-2)…has played 20 tournaments and 57 rounds over his first two years…has nine rounds in the 60s, 14 under-par and nine at par for 23 total at par or better…has scored 75 or better in 47 of 57 rounds….has 158 birdies and six eagles… his score counted in 45 of his 54 rounds in the team lineup….has been in the team lineup 20 of 22 tournaments over the last two years… had solid summer of 2025…finished eighth at the Carolinas Amateur and 25th at the Monroe Amateur…also played in the British Amateur in England.

In 2025-26:  Third on Clemson team in stroke average with a 72.57, much improved over 73.19 his freshman year…had one top 10 , the Marquette Intercollegiate when he helped Clemson to the team championship at Erin Hills…had four top 25 finishes, including 20th at first tournament of the year at Myrtle Beach Classic…had season opening round of 68, he finished at two under par 214 for the 54 holes…had 24th place at Bryan Brothers with solid 212, (-1)…Clemson’s best player at ACC Tournament with a 214, 15ht place, he had consistent rounds of 71-71-72…had bogey free round in the first round of the Hootie…solid at NCAA Regional with 213 (-3) to finish 26th…was -5 for his last six rounds of the year…also picked up match play win over Carson Bertagnole of North Carolina…finished the year with 94 birdies and three eagles…his 71.2 stroke average in opening rounds was best on the team…had 72.2 average in final rounds…posted 3.21 stroke average on par three holes, 41.3 on par 4s and team best 4.68 on par fives…his score counted in 23 of 27 team rounds…had best round among Clemson golfers eight times, but only best player at a tournament once.

In 2024-25: Fourth on the team in stroke average with a 73.19 figure…had 22 rounds at 75 or better in 27 rounds…had 72.11 stroke average in opening rounds, second best on the team, and 73.10 in final rounds…had 3.25 average on par three holes, 4.16 on par fours and 4.8 on par fives…had 66 birdies to rank fourth on the team and had three eagles…had four rounds in the 60s…had best score in three rounds and was Clemson’s best golfer once…had his best tournament of the year at Briar’s Creek with a six-under-par 210 score to finish fourth…had rounds of 68-73-69, the only tournament he had a pair of rounds in the 60s…had career high 13 birdies in that tournament…helped Clemson to team victory at the Palmetto with a 15th-place finish…had best performance of the fall at the Golf Club of Georgia with 20th place finish against a strong field…had a one-under-par 215 total.

Before Clemson:  Ranked as the 76th best player in the country in his class in 2023….finished 32nd in stroke play qualifier at 2024 United States Junior Amateur with a 142 score…lost in first round of match play to Trevor Gutschewski (University of Florida) in 23 holes…finished second (lost in playoff) at the 2024 AJGA Carolina Trace after scores of 69-71-69/209…tied for eighth at 2024 Western Junior Championship with a 279 score for 72 holes…shot consistent rounds of 70-69-70-70…earned top 20 finishes at the 2023 Beth Daniel Junior Azalea (12th with 212 score), 2023 Carolinas Amateur Championship (19th)  and the 2023 North-South Junior Amateur (13th)….youngest winner of the Chick Miller Invitational in 2022 when he was just 16…in eight amateur events in 2022 had two first-place finishes and five top three finishes….helped lead Stuart Cramer High School to a 2023 runner-up finish in the NCHSAA state championship….as a senior in 2024, was state championship medalist at the 3A level at Longleaf Golf club in Southern Pines…shot 136 for 36 holes with rounds of 67-69…won the tournament by two shots to help his team to third-place finish…his 136 score was the sixth best in North Carolina High School State Championship history…named the Big South 3A Conference Player of the Year…played his high school golf for Ben McMillan…his hometown of Cramerton proclaimed August 15, 2024 as Rich Wills Day.…has made three hole-in-one shots over the last two years of high school….helped team to two conference championships.

Personal: Born on Feb. 22, 2006….majoring in business administration at Clemson.

Getting To Know Rich Wills:
Home Course: Cramer Mountain
Favorite Current Professional Golfer: Brooks Koepka
Favorite Athlete outside of golf: Deshaun Watson
Favorite course I have played: Mountain Park
Toughest Course I have played: Oakland Hills
My Best Shot Ever: Hole in on hole 12 at my home course. 197 out 6 iron
My best all-time round: 60 (-12) at Cramer Mountain
The Best Part of my game is: Tee shots
My favorite club: Driver
The part of the game I must improve: long irons
The Biggest influence on my golf career: Bruce Sudderth
My dream foursome includes: myself and: Dad, Michel Jordan, Brooks Koepka