Three Tigers Ranked in Top 50 of Sagarin/Golfweek Poll

May 24, 2006

Three of Clemson’s starting five players for the NCAA National golf tournament are ranked among the top 50 players in the nation according to the latest Sagarin/Golfweek national rankings. Larry Penley’s Tigers open play in the national tournament at Sunriver, OR May 31.

Brian Duncan is the highest ranked Clemson player at #32 with a computer rating of 70.77. Duncan has been in the top 40 all season with a high rating of #17. His 73.23 stroke average is second best on the Clemson team. The native of Greenville who graduated from Clemson on May 12, has recorded eight top 20 finishes in his 10 events so far this year.

Stephen Poole, Clemson’s leader in stroke average at 73.15, is ranked 46th in the latest Sagarin/Golfweek rankings. The native of Spartanburg, who also graduated from Clemson on May 12, leads the team in under par rounds with 11. He is the only Tiger to win a tournament this year as he took medallist honors at the United States Collegiate April 10-11.

Vince Hatfield is the third Clemson player ranked in the top 50. The freshman from Greenwood moved from 61st to 48th with his performance at the NCAA Central Regional in Cleveland last week. Hatfield had a 216 score to finish 12th individually, the best finish by a Clemson freshman at a regional in 12 years.

Clemson is one of six schools nationally to have three players ranked in the top 50 of the latest individual rankings. The other schools are Georgia (5), Florida (4), Georgia Tech (3), Oklahoma State (3) and Arizona State (3). Clemson did not have a player ranked in the top 50 at the end of last season and the last time Clemson had at least three players in the final top 50 was 2003 when the National Championship Clemson team had four top 50 players in D.J. Trahan (2), Jack Ferguson (5), Matt Hendrix (9) and Gregg Jones (41).

As a team, Clemson is eighth in the nation with a 71.17 rating according to the Sagarin/Golfweek poll. Georgia is ranked first with a 69.75 rating and Oklahoma State, champion of the Central Regional, is second at 69.78. Georgia Tech is the highest rated ACC team at #4 with a 70.54 ranking, while Clemson is second among ACC schools.

Clemson continues to have the highest ranked schedule ranking according to Golfweek with a 71.83 rating. Georgia Tech’s schedule is second, followed by Georgia.

Sagarin/Golfweek National Golf Rankings

Rk SchoolRating 1. Georgia 69.75 2. Oklahoma State 69.78 3.Florida 70.16 4. Georgia Tech 70.54 5. UCLA 70.82 6. Texas A&M71.01 7. Arizona State 71.11 8.Clemson 71.17 9. UNLV 71.23 10.BYU 71.25 11. Georgia State 71.41 12. Texas Tech 71.47 13. WakeForest 71.47 14. North Carolina 71.49 15. East Tennessee State71.56 16. Arizona 71.60 17. Northwestern 71.61 18. Texas 71.63 19.Baylor 71.65 20. Duke 71.66 21. Lamar 71.69 22. Washington 71.6923. Charlotte 71.71 24. Coastal Carolina 71.72 25. Auburn 71.74

Sagarin/Golfweek National Schedule Rankings