Top-Ranked Clemson Golf Team to Compete in Ping/Golfweek Preview

Sept. 18, 2003

Clemson, the nation’s No. 1 golf team, will travel to Hot Springs, VA this weekend to compete in the Ping/Golfweek Preview. The 54-hole, two-day tournament will be held at the Cascades Golf Course September 22-23, which will also play host to the NCAA National next June. The course is a par 70 and is 6,679 yards in length.

The Tigers won the Ping Preview in 1990 and also in 2001. Clemson won two years ago at the Scarlet Course in Columbus, OH behind the play of D.J. Trahan and current senior Gregg Jones. Clemson finished second in last year’s Ping Preview at Karsten Creek, the same site where the Tigers claimed the National Championship the Penley way.

Leading the way for Clemson will be Matt Hendrix, the nation’s #2 collegiate golfer according to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. Hendrix did not appear in Clemson’s first tournament this fall, The Ridges Collegiate, due to competing for the United States in the Walker Cup the week before. He is a preseason All-American and earned third-team honors one year ago.

Jack Ferguson finished sixth individually for the Tigers at The Ridges tournament last weekend. He shot a two-under-par 214 to lead Clemson in that event. Ferguson will be competing in his third Ping Preview. His best previous finish in the event occurred last season, when he finished eighth in the individual race.

Gregg Jones placed 18th at The Ridges and finished with the second-highest 54-hole score among Clemson golfers. His 218 total included consistent rounds of 73-73-72. Jones will also be competing in his third Ping Preview. He finished ninth individually in the 2001 tournament, helping the Tigers to the team title.

Brent Delahoussaye will be competing for the Tigers in his second straight event since becoming eligible after transferring from South Carolina. Delahoussaye fired rounds of 73 and 72 before shooting a 78 in the final round at The Ridges. His 223 total was 41st in the individual race. He never competed in the Ping Preview in his two previous years with the Gamecocks.

Brian Duncan, a red-shirt sophomore from Greenville, SC, will complete the five-man roster for Clemson in this event. Duncan fared very well in just his second career stroke event for the Tigers at The Ridges, when he finished third on the team and 25th overall with a 219 total score. This will also be his first experience in the Ping Preview.

Clemson has finished in the top three in 19 consecutive events and will be looking to continue that streak Monday and Tuesday. However, the tournament will boast a nationally competitive field. Included in the 15-team field is Florida, who won The Ridges last weekend, and Oklahoma State, who finished second to Clemson a year ago in the NCAA National.