Tigers Return to Action at Hootie Intercollegiate

March 26, 2010

CLEMSON, SC – Larry Penley’s Clemson golf team returns to action at The Hootie at Bulls Bay Golf Club in Mount Pleasant, SC, March 28-30. The Tigers are coming off a victory at the 24-team Furman Invitational last weekend. Clemson enters the event with four consecutive top three finishes, the longest streak for the program in seven years.

Ben Martin will lead the Tigers into the 15-team field at Bulls Bay. It will be his final college tournament before playing in the Masters. He will miss Clemson’s participation in the Augusta State Invitational, as he will be practicing for the Masters that weekend. He will return to action for Clemson April 23-25 when Clemson plays in the ACC Tournament.

So far this year, Martin has a team best 72.75 stroke average. He was co-medalist at the Furman Invitational last weekend when he shot a six-under-par 210 for the 54 holes. He has four top 10 finishes this year and leads the team with nine under-par rounds.

Martin was Clemson’s best golfer at the Hootie last year when he finished eighth, including a second round 66 when he made six birdies.

Luke Hopkins will also be in the lineup for the Tigers at The Hootie. The native of Greer, SC has a 73.50 stroke average to rank second on the team. He has a pair of top 10 finishes in his last three tournaments and is the only Clemson golfer to finish in the top 25 in each of his last six events.

Corbin Mills is third on the Clemson stat sheet in stroke average with a 73.65 average. He is coming off a third-place finish at Furman, including a final round 67 that helped the Tigers to the tournament title. He has three top 11 individual finishes in his last four events.

Jacob Burger is coming off a top 10 at the Furman Invitational and will be in Clemson’s lineup at The Hootie. The native of Orangeburg, SC shot a 220 at Furman to finish eighth. He has a 73.82 stroke average for the year.

Rounding out the lineup is freshman Crawford Reeves. The native of Greenville, SC has a 75.82 stroke average, but is coming off a fourth-place individual finish at the Furman Invitational when he shot an even-par 216 for the three rounds.

Clemson enters the Hootie ranked 17th in the nation in the latest Golf World Coaches poll. Also in the field are four other ACC teams (Duke, Wake Forest, NC State and Virginia) and four SEC teams (South Carolina, Kentucky, Auburn and LSU).

This will be Clemson’s fifth trip to The Hootie. Clemson was seventh last year. and its best finish is a second place in 2008.