Tigers Return to Action at The Brickyard

Oct. 5, 2007

CLEMSON, SC – Clemson’s men’s golf team is set to compete in the inaugural Brickyard Collegiate Golf Championship this weekend (Oct. 7-9), to be played at The Brickyard at Riverside in Macon, GA. This will mark the third tournament of the fall season for the Tigers, as they previously competed in the Topy Cup held in Japan and the Carpet Classic at The Farm in Dalton, GA.

Competing in the field at The Brickyard are 2007 national runner-up Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hartford, Middle Tennessee, Troy, Furman, Akron, Eastern Michigan, Gonzaga, Kennesaw State, and host Mercer. Four of the competing teams, including Clemson, participated in the 2007 NCAA Regionals. Georgia Tech finished eighth in the national championships, and both Hartford and Eastern Michigan are the defending champions in their respective conferences. Clemson is ranked 10th in the nation in the latest Golf World Coaches poll.

Leading the Tigers in the field will be red-shirt sophomore Ben Martin, who currently leads the team with a 73.67 stroke average through two tournaments. His play includes one top-10 finish at the Topy Cup in Japan in early September. Also representing the Tigers will be Luke Hopkins, a red-shirt sophomore from Greer, SC. He has a stroke average of 74.5 through two tournaments, including a 14th place finish at the Topy Cup. Hopkins won team qualifying for this tournament with an 18-under par 268 score over four rounds at local courses.

Sam Saunders, a sophomore from Windermere, FL, will be competing in his second tournament of the fall season for the Tigers. Earlier he participated in the Carpet Classic, finishing with a stroke average of 75.0.

Senior Tanner Ervin and sophomore Kyle Stanley will be in the Clemson lineup for the second time this year. Ervin, a red-shirt senior from Mount Pleasant, SC, has a stroke average of 76.0 after competing in the Topy Cup. Stanley, last season’s All-American and ACC Player-of-the-Year, is also competing in his second tournament of the fall for the Tigers. He competed for the United States in the Walker Cup in September.