Clemson, S.C.—Colby Patton and Turk Pettit both had even-par scores of 72 on Friday to lead Clemson during the first round of the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate in Alpharetta, Georgia. The Tigers stand in a tie for 12th place with Tennessee out of 14 teams after the first round on the par 72 course.
The Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate features 12 of the top 34 teams in the nation, including seven of the top 16 teams in the nation. The 15th ranked Tigers are in 12th place, but are just 10 shots out of first after the first of three rounds. Pepperdine leads the way with a 12-under-par 276 score. Stanford is second at 283 and Duke is third at 284. Clemson is just four shots behind top ranked Georgia Tech and five behind fourth-ranked Wake Forest.
Patton had scores of even par 36 on each side, but the junior had a wild ride over the round. He started out three-over-par through the first six holes, then played the next six holes at five-under-par, including an eagle three on the par-five ninth hole, just the fourth eagle of his career. He then played the final six holes at two-over to finish at even-par to stand in a tie for 22nd place in the field of 78 golfers that includes 21 of the top 100 players in the nation according to Golfstat.
Pettit also had nine-hole scores of 36-36 in recording his even par score. Pettit was three-under-par on the par five holes, fourth best in the field, and played the par three holes in one-under-par, one of just six players to score under-par on the par-three holes. Pettit finished third at this tournament with a 206 score last year.
William Nottingham was Clemson’s third best player on Friday with a two-over-par 74. The senior had four birdies on the day and was one-under-par through his first 12 holes.
Jacob Bridgeman, Clemson’s stroke average leader entering the tournament, was the fourth counting score for the Tigers with a 76. He had one birdie and one bogey, but double bogeys on the sixth and 12th holes hurt his score. Kyle Cottam started birdie-birdie, but finished with a 78. Zack Gordon is playing the tournament as an individual and he shot a three over par 75.
All 14 teams will continue play on Saturday morning. Live scoring is available on golfstat.com. Clemson will play with Tennessee and five individuals, and will begin play on the back nine at 10:26 a.m.
