Clemson, S.C. — The Clemson women’s golf team will host the Fourth Annual Clemson Invitational at The Reserve at Lake Keowee starting Sunday, April 7-Tuesday, April 9. The 18-team field will play 18 holes a day, Sunday through Tuesday on the par 72 course that was designed by Jack Nicklaus.
The 54-hole tournament will begin at 8 a.m. on Sunday. Teams will begin on No. 1 and No. 10 each of the three rounds.
Clemson, which ranks 33rd nationally, will be joined in the 18-team field by five top 25 teams in sixth-ranked Florida State, seventh-ranked Vanderbilt, No. 14 Auburn, 15th-ranked Virginia, and 18th-ranked Michigan State, who were the runners-up just a season ago. The field also includes six other top 50 teams in No. 26 Purdue, 29th-ranked Illinois, No. 42 Tennessee, 45th-ranked Augusta, and No. 50 Virginia Tech. The 53rd-ranked Aggies, No. 56 LSU, 58th-ranked Indiana, No. 59 Kentucky, 61st-ranked Kansas, 95th-ranked UNCW and 99th-ranked Tulane will complete the field.
All seven players on the Clemson roster will play for Kelley Hester’s team or as individuals. The Tigers are led by senior Alice Hewson, a three-time All-ACC player who has a 71.86 stroke average and three top 10 finishes in her seven events so far this year. One of her top 10 finishes includes her fourth individual win that took place earlier this month at the ICON Invitational, where she finished with a nine-under par 207. Hewson is the defending Clemson Invitational champion as she won the tournament last year with a score of 206, ten-under par. Prior to the Clemson Invitational the England native will be representing Clemson in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amature which runs April 3-6.
Junior Ana Paula Valdes has the second-best stroke average on the team so far this year at 72.57. The native of Morelia, Mexico has two top ten finishes, one of which includes her first career win. She earned co-medalist honors at the Battle of the Beach in the last tournament of the fall. Valdes set a new career high in birdies at the Briar’s Creek Invitational, where she finished second with nine-under par 207.
Last year the Tigers had its best finish at the Clemson Invitational as they came in third with an 18-under par 846. The Furman Paladins won the tournament with a 30-under par 834, while the Spartans finished two strokes ahead of Clemson with a 844.
Admission is free and live scoring will be available on golfstat.com. Pairings will be announced later this week. For all your information regarding the Clemson Invitational at The Reserve at Lake Keowee visit the tournament home page by clicking HERE.
