Jonathan Byrd

Jonathon Byrd is a man of firsts among Clemson golfers. He was the first golfer in Clemson history to be named first-team All-ACC as a freshman. During his career from 1997-2000, he became the first Tiger in 22 years to be a starter on four Clemson top-10 teams. He was also the first Tiger in any sport in 11 years to start on three ACC Championship teams. In his final two years at Clemson, Byrd was named IPTAY Student-Athlete of the Year, the first Tiger student-athlete to win the award in consecutive seasons.

In his junior year, Byrd was named a first-team All-American. He also posted his best finish at the NCAA Championships, where he came in 16th. Byrd again made history by becoming the first student-athlete in Clemson history to be named a first-team Academic All-American and an on-the-field All-American, twice. At the end of the season, he was named Amateur Golfer of the Year by the South Carolina Golf Association.

His senior season, he earned third-team All-America honors and was named a first-team All-ACC selection for the fourth straight year. He was the first Clemson golfer to make the ACC first-team four times. As an amateur, Byrd played on the 1999 Palmer and Walker Cup Teams.

After his days at Clemson, Byrd played on the Nationwide Tour, where he won one event to start his professional career. He earned his PGA Tour card in 2002 and won two tournaments in his first year. He was honored with the PGA Rookie of the Year Award. Since then, he has won another tournament and recorded the best finishes for a former Tiger golfer in the Masters and the U.S. Open.

In 2002, Byrd was named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary Team. He was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2006.