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May 31, 1997
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Clemson junior Charles Warren fired a four-under-par 67 on Saturday, then won the NCAA Individual Golf Championship in a playoff. Warren, a native of Columbia, S.C., became the first Clemson golfer in history to win the NCAA Championship.
Warren's performance led Clemson to a third-place finish as a team, tied for its highest finish in Clemson history. Clemson was also third in 1989. The Tigers had a team score of 284 on Saturday, even part, their best of the tournament. Pepperdine won the event with a 1148 score and Wake Forest had a 1151. Clemson was third at 1153. The Demon Deacons had a 279 team score on Saturday, the best round of the tournament.
Warren finished 72 holes in a tie with Brad Elder of Texas (279), then won the playoff hole on the par five 18th hole. Warren made par and Elder, who hit his second shot into the creek on the left side of the fairway, made a bogey.
Neither player expected to be in the playoff when they finished their respective rounds. Jason Gore of Pepperdine was six-under-par in the last group of the day. But, he double bogied the 18th hole to finish at four-under-par.
Warren's round of 67 included birdies on the 13, 14 and 16th holes. His birdie on the 16th hole was extraordinary. He drove the ball into the bunker then hit a six-iron 172 yards to within two feet of the cup. "This is by far the biggest thrill of my life," said Warren, who had won only one previous tournament in his Clemson career (1997 ACC Champion). "This really has not sunk in yet. It will be nice to go home and reflect on this."
"The shot on 16 was one of the best shots of my life. I was in trouble in the bunker and then I hit the shot and just stayed straight at the flag the entire time."
Warren had a conservative approach to the playoff hole. "I just wanted to get the ball on the fairway with my drive. Brad hit in the rough and that made the difference. The wind caught my scond shot a bit, but it stayed up. When he hit his second shot in the water I just wanted to get the ball on the green and make par."
Warren's 5-under score for the tournament is the second best score in Clemson history in NCAA Tournament play. Mark Swygert finished 11-under, when he came in third in 1994. Swygert's third-place finish that year and Thump Delk's third-place finish in 1993 were the previous best finishes by an individual in Clemson history.
Warren finished the season on a roll. After averaging 75 strokes for his first four tournaments of the spring, he switched to his old set of clubs and finished the year with five consecutive top 10 finishes, including winning the ACC and NCAA Championships. He was six-under-par for his last 14 rounds of golf.
Kevin Johnson would have won the tournament in 1989, but was disqualified for failure to sign his scorecard after the second round. "I was thinking of Kevin Johnson the entire day when Charles was in the hunt," said head coach Larry Penley. "To finish third as a team and have the individual champion puts a great cap on the season. You have to give credit to Jonathon Bryd and Joey Maxon. Jonathon birdied 18 to finish with a 72 and Joey birdied the last two holes. Obviously, Charles had a superb day, but Bryd and Maxon wer big factors in us finishing in the top three in the nation."
Clemson had two top-10 finishers in the tournament. In addition to Warren's championship, senior Richard Coughlan had a final round 73 and finished the 72 hole tournament at even-par 284, he tied for sixth place.
Maxon shot a 72 on the final day and his 297 score was good enough for 58th. Elliot Gealy had a 75 on Saturday and concluded at 299, tied for 63rd. Byrd finished at 301 for 70th place.
Four of Clemson's top five players return for next season. The Tigers finish is Clemson's 10th top-20 finish in the last 11 years. it was the fifth top-10 finish in Clemson history.
May 30, 1997
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Pepperdine posted a two-over par 286 to take a two-stroke lead after three rounds at the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships at Conway Farms Golf Club. The Waves currently stand at 861 while host Northwestern, team leader ater rounds one and two, have a team total of 863. The Waves and Wildcats will be paired in the final round with Oklahoma State, which shot one-under-par 283 on Friday to improve to 867 for the tournament.
"We definitely came out tight," said Northwestern head coach Pat Goss. "They pulled it together coming in (on the back nine)."
East Tennessee State's Keith Nolan continues to lead the individual standings, shooting 69 on Friday to improve to seven-under-par (206) for the tournament. Texas' Brad Elder is second at six-under-par 207, including four-under-par 67 in Friday's third round. Pepperdine's Jason Gore, the first round leader, stands in third place at five-under-par 208.
"I did not finish as strong as I'd like," said Nolan, "but I finished the front (nine) well, so I guess it evens out."
Saturday's final round will begin at 8:30 am CDT. ESPN will televise the conclusion of the round live from 1:30-3:30 p.m. CDT. Tickets for the final round are $15 and will be on sale Saturday morning at the entrance to Conway Farms Golf Club.
NCAA Men's Division I Golf Championship
Conway Farms Golf Club
Lake Forest, Illinois
Par 71; Team Par 284; Yardage: 6726)
Team Results (After three rounds)
1. 861 Pepperdine 287 288 286 --861
2. 863 Northwestern 282 289 292 --863
3. 867 Ohio State 292 289 286 --867
867 Oklahoma State 286 298 283 --867
5. 868 Arizona State 299 281 288 --868
6. 869 North Carolina 283 295 291 --869
869 Clemson 291 287 291 --869
8. 870 Houston 289 284 297 --870
870 East Tennessee State 286 289 295 --870
10. 871 Texas Christian 290 292 289 --871
11. 872 Wake Forest 290 295 287 --872
12. 874 Southern California 289 295 290 --874
13. 882 New Mexico 289 298 295 --882
14. 883 Texas A & M 286 297 300 --883
15. 884 Florida 292 295 297 --884
Top Individuals (After three rounds)
1 206 Keith Nolan, East Tennessee State
2 207 Brad Elder, Texas
3 208 Jason Gore, Pepperdine
4 211 Richard Coughlan, Clemson
5 212 Scott Rowe, Northwestern
212 Charles Warren, Clemson
212 Ross Bain, North Carolina
8 213 Chris Hanell, Arizona State
213 Mike Walton, Pepperdine
213 *Tim Clark, North Carlina State
11 214 Leif Westerberg, Oklahoma State
214 Bryant MacKellar, Auburn
214 Brian Guetz, Oklahoma State
214 Scott Johnson, Arizona State
214 Brian Hull, Southern California
214 Erik Ciotti, Northwestern
214 Craig Matthew, Ohio State
214 *Randy Leen, Indiana
* Playing as an individual
May 29, 1997
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Clemson junior Charles Warren continued his outstanding play over the last half of the Spring by firing a three-under-par 68 and lead Clemson to a fifth-place ranking after two rounds of the NCAA men's golf tournament at Conway Farms in Lake Forest, IL. Clemson made the cut for the eighth time in the last nine years with a 287 team score on Thursday, giving the Tigers a 36-hole score of 578.
Host team Northwestern continues to lead the tournament with a score of 571, while Houston is second at 573. Pepperdine and East Tennessee State are tied for third at 575, followed by Clemson and North CArolina at 578. Number-one ranked UNLV failed to make the cut. Three ACC teams made the cut, Clemson, North Carolina and Wake Forest, while only one SEC team made the top 15, Florida.
Clemson has averaged a three-stroke improvement from the first round to the second round this year and Larry Penley's Tigers kept that record going in the NCAAs. Clemson had shot a 291 on Wednesday and stood in 12th position. But, the four-stroke improvement on Thursday put the Tigers into the top five and into action for the final 36 holes.
The field started with 30 teams from around the nation and was cut in half after Thursday's play. By making the cut, Clemson is assured of finishing in at least the top 15 in the nation.
Warren's 68 on Thursday was his second lowest round of the season, bettered only by a 67 he shot at the ACC Tournament in April. He went on to win that tournament, his only tournament win as a Tiger. The native of Columbia, has been on fire of late. He has four straight top 10 finishes heading into the NCAAs and has had 11 rounds at par or better in his last 14 rounds. Warren averaged 75.7 strokes per round his first 10 rounds of the Spring and has a 71.0 average for his last 14 rounds.
Warren stands tied for tied for third with Ross Bain of North Carolina at 139, three-under par. Keith Nolan of East Tennessee State, who had a 66 on Thursday, and Jason Gore of Pepperdine, the first round leader, are both in first place individually at 137. Clemson's Richard Coughlan is also in the hunt at 143.
Coughlan shot a 72 on Thursday and stands at 143, one over par. Coughlan is the only senior in the Clemson lineup and this is his 50th and final tournament as a Clemson Tiger. Clemson's leading stroke average player this year is seeking his 19th career top 10 finish.
Elliot Gealy, Clemson's number-five player for most of the year, had his score count toward the team total for the second straight day as he shot a 73. It was the third straight round that his round has counted toward the team total. Freshman Jonathon Byrd had a 74 on Thursday, a five stroke improvement from the first round. Junior Joey Maxon had a 77.
Clemson Golfers after Two Rounds
Charles Warren 71-68 139
Richard Coughlan 71-72 143
Elliot Gealy 75-73 148
Joey Maxon 74-77 151
Jonathon Byrd 79-74 153
May 28, 1997
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Senior Richard Coughlan and junior Charles Warren both fired even par 71s Wednesday to lead Clemson to a 291 team score and a 12th place team ranking after the first round of the NCAA men's golf championship at Conway Farms in Lake Forest, IL.
Clemson is tied with South Carolina, who had a 291 in the morning round. Clemson shot its 291 in the afternoon rounds. The teams will switch Tee times on Thursday, as Clemson will T-off at 7:30 central time, the earliest possible start.
It will be quite a charge to the finish on Thursday. Clemson is just two strokes away from 16th place LSU (293), but just nine shots off the lead. Conversly, Clemson is just nine shots out of 26th position. The top 26 teams are separated by just 18 shots.
There were many team surprises on Wednesday. UNLV, the number-one ranked team in the nation for much of the season, shot a 300 team score and is tied for 23rd. Auburn, who defeated Clemson at the NCAA East regional, is in 29th spot at 304.
Clemson is trying to make the cut for the NCAA men's golf tournament for the eighth time in the last nine years. After Thursday's round the 30 teams will be cut to 15 slots. Those 15 teams will play in the final two rounds at the par 71, 6726 yard course.
Coughlan, playing in his four NCAA Championship, shot one over par on the front nine and one under on the back in carding his 71. Warren, Clemson's hottest golfer the last half of the Spring, was two over on the front, but two under on the back. Joey Maxon was Clemson's top golfer after nine holes with an even par score, but he was three over on the back and shot 74 for the round. Elliot Gealy fired a 75 for the round, the second straight round his score has counted. Gealy is Clemson's number-five man on the team. Freshman Jonathan Byrd had a 79 and his score did not count toward the team score.
Surprising Northwestern, the host of the tournament, had a 282 and has a one-stroke lead in the team race over North Carolina. Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and East Tennessee State are all tied for third with a 286 score.
Clemson Scores after first round
Richard Coughlan 71
Charles Warren 71
Joey Maxon 74
Elliot Gealy 75
Jonathon Byrd 79
Team 291 (12th place)
Team Scores
1. Northwestern 282; 2. North Carolina 283; 3. Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, East Tennessee State 286; 6. Pepperdine 287; 7. Houston, Southern Cal 289; 10. TCU, Wake Forest 290; 12. Clemson, South Carolina 291; 14. Ohio State, Florida 292; 16. LSU 293; 17. ARizona 294; 18. Texas 296; 19. Drake, Arkansas 297; 21. Virginia, San Jose State 299; 23. Duke, Tennessee, UNLV, Michigan 300; 27. Arizona State 301; 28. UCLA 303; 29. Auburn 304; 30. Washington 311.
  
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