Tigers Sixth after Two Rounds of Jerry Pate

Oct. 13, 2003

Gregg Jones fired rounds of 68 and 66 to lead Clemson to a 17-under-par 551 team score and a sixth-place ranking after two rounds of the Jerry Pate Intercollegiate at the Old Overton Course in Birmingham, AL. The 12 nationally ranked teams played 36 holes on Monday and will conclude the event on the par 71 course that is 6958 yards in length with 18 holes on Tuesday.

While Clemson is in sixth place with its 551 team score, Larry Penley’s Tigers are just six strokes out of first place. Oklahoma State and Wake Forest are tied for the lead at 545 with Georgia ranked third with a 547 team score. UNLV is in fourth place at 548,while Augusta State is fifth at 550.

Arizona is in seventh place, six shots behind the Tigers, while Texas is eighth at 561. Georgia Tech, the third ACC team in the prestigious field, is ninth at 566. Alabama (566), UAB (576) and Auburn (577) round out the field.

Clemson shot a 282 team score in the morning, two-under par, but just the eight best total in the field. Clemson responded in the afternoon with a season best 269 team score, tied for the second best figure in the field for any round. Only Oklahoma State’s 268 in the second round was better.

Jones led the way in both rounds with his 68 in the morning round and a 66 in the afternoon round. His 134 total is tied for fifth in the individual race. Bill Haas of Wake Forest and a native of Greenville, SC is in first place with a 129 total, 13 under par for the two rounds. He had rounds of 63 and 66. Oklahoma State’s Alex Noren is in second individually after a pair of 65s. Oklahoma State’s Casey Wittenberg, a freshman who played on the United States Walker Cup team last month, had rounds of 71 and 64 and ranks in a tie for seventh heading into the final round.

Matt Hendrix, Clemson’s top performer this year with a 71 average and a Walker cup teammate of Wittenberg and Haas, had rounds of 70 and 66 on Monday and his 136 score stands 10th in the individual race. Brent Delahoussaye had a pair of 70s and ranks 19th. Jack Ferguson had a disappointing 74 in the morning round, but came back with a 67 in the afternoon. His 141 total is tied for 26th.

Martin Catalioto, playing his first tournament for the Tigers since the 2002 NCAAs, had rounds of 80 and 72.

Clemson is the defending champion at the event and has won the Jerry Pate Intercollegiate five of the last six years. D.J. Trahan led Clemson to the victory last year with a 136 score for the 36-hole event.