Stanley Tied for the Lead after Three Rounds of NCAA Golf

June 1, 2007

Clemson, SC — Clemson freshman Kyle Stanley tied the school record for the low round in an NCAA tournament with a career best 65 on Friday in the third round of the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship at The Golden Horseshoe in Williamsburg, VA. Stanley is tied for the individual lead with two other golfers heading into Saturday’s final round on the par 70 course that is 6803 yards in length.

Stanley is looking to become just the second golfer in Clemson history to win the NCAA Individual national championship. Former Clemson All-American and current PGA Tour professional Charles Warren won the championship in 1997 at Conway Farms outside Chicago, IL.

A difference between Stanley and Warren is that Warren never led the tournament until he made a final putt for par on the first playoff hole to defeat Brad Elder of Texas by one shot. Stanley is tied for the lead entering Saturday’s final round. A 68 by Stanley will tie Warren’s Clemson record for low tournament in an NCAA Championship. Warren shot 272 in the 1998 NCAA Tournament in Albuquerque, NM when he finished runner-up.

Stanley is tied at six -under par, 204 after three rounds with Ron Grube, Stanford’s number-five player, and Cameron Tringale of Georgia Tech. Grube has had rounds of 64-71-69 and Tringale has had rounds of 67-68-69.

Stanley’s 65 on Friday tied the Clemson record for the low round in an NCAA Tournament round. Mark Swygert also had a 65 in the third round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament in McKinney, TX. Swygert still holds the Clemson record for strokes under par in an NCAA Tournament round as he had his 65 on a par 72 course.

Stanley’ 65 was obviously a Clemson freshman record for an NCAA Tournament round, breaking the mark of 68 held by Gregg Jones (2001) and D.J. Trahan (2000).

Stanley played the back nine first, and had a solid 33 on the inward nine, including birdies on the 11th and 15th holes. He then bogeyed the par four first hole to start the second nine on a downer. But, the native of Gig Harbor, WA closed with a rush, making birdies on five of his last six holes to score a 32 on the front nine. Stanley has now played the eighth and ninth holes at four under-par combined for the first three rounds.

The ACC Player of the Year has made a steady improvement over the tournament. He shot an opening round 70 and stood in 29th place. He then fired a 69 in the second round and stood in14th place with a 139 score. He is now tied for first at 204 after his third round 65.