Men's Golf is at the Top of the Record Books

This year's play has been nothing short of record-breaking.

May 12, 1999

Current Tigers 1-2-3 in Career Stroke Average
An example of the level of play and depth of this year's Clemson golf team is reflected in the list of the school's all-time leaders in career stroke average. The top three leaders in Clemson history in this category are on the current Clemson team. And, all are underclassmen.

The career stroke average leaders list is based on a minimum of 50 rounds played in a career. Sophomore John Engler has a 72.19 career average for 67 rounds, first in Clemson history. He is followed by classmate Lucas Glover at 72.64. Junior Jonathan Byrd, a veteran of 111 rounds, is third at 72.68. That is saying something for a program that boasts recent All-Americans Chris Patton, Kevin Johnson, Charles Warren and Richard Coughlan.

All three of the current Tigers have enhanced their career averages this season. They have combined for 17 top 10 finishes, including Engler's fourth place finish at the ACC Tournament. Byrd has a 71.70 average for the year to go with his 72.68 career average. Engler is second on the team this year with a 71.76 stroke average, while Glover stands at 72.61 for the year, below his 72.64 career average. All three players have 33 rounds and 11 tournaments so far this season.

Clemson Career Stroke Average Leaders
Rk  Name            Years   Rds Stks    Ave
1.  John Engler     1997-pr 67  4,837   72.19
2.  Lucas Glover    1997-pr 64  4,649   72.64
3.  Jonathan Byrd   1996-pr 111 8,067   72.68
4.  Chris Patton    1986-90 139 10,106  72.71
5.  Kevin Johnson   1985-89 147 10,711  72.86
6.  Charles Warren  1994-98 144 10,510  72.91

Clemson has Five Tournament Victories
Clemson's win at the Schenkel Invitational was the fifth of the academic year for Larry Penley's program, tying the Clemson single year record. Clemson also won The Ridges Intercollegiate in Johnson City, TN, the Jerry Pate Intercollegiate in Birmingham, AL and the Mauna Kea in Hawaii in the fall and the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico in the Spring.

The school record for tournament titles in the same academic year is five, set in 1986-87 and 1987-88. Clemson had three wins in 1997-98, the Jerry Pate, the Carpet Classic and the ACC Tournament. Clemson has won at least one tournament every year since 1980-81.

Tigers 20-under Six times in the last Year
Perhaps the greatest documentation of Clemson's level of play over the last couple of years has been an examination of the team's scores versus par. Clemson shot -34 for the 54 holes of the San Juan Shootout, an all-time record for any Clemson tournament, regardless of the number of holes. That was the third time this year and the sixth time since the start of last spring that Clemson has been 20-under par or better for a 54-hole tournament. In the previous 68 seasons of Clemson golf, Clemson had just two tournaments of -20 or better.

Clemson's top Tournaments vs. Par
Par Score  Place Year   Tournament
-34 830     1st 1998-99 San Juan Shootout
-31 1121    2nd 1997-98 NCAA National Championships
-29 847     1st 1986-87 Gamecock Invitational
-28 836     1st 1997-98 ACC Tournament
-22 842     2nd 1985-86 Schenkel Invitational
-20 844     1st 1998-99 The Ridges  
-20 844     2nd 1997-98 NCAA East Regional
-20 832     1st 1998-99 Jerry Pate Intercollegiate

Clemson 28-18-1 against Top 10 Teams
Clemson was ranked number-one in the nation by Sagarin and number-three by Mastercard on May 5th. Clemson has a fine 28-18-1 record against top 10 teams this year and thus deserves the high ratings. Of the top 10 teams only UNLV and Georgia have winning records against the Tigers and only UNLV has a stroke advantage and that is by just five shots over five tournaments.

Clemson has a 6-2 record against third ranked Georgia Tech and is 3-1 against Arizona State and 3-1 against state rival South Carolina. Clemson certainly has played a national schedule and has an average stroke margin of 32 strokes against the other top 10 teams this year.

Clemson vs. the Sagarin Top 10
(As of May 5 poll, through May 3rd)
Rk  Team            W-L Stk Mar.
1.  Clemson     
2.  Georgia         3-4     -13 
3.  Georgia Tech    6-2     -14
4.  UNLV            2-3     +5
5.  Oklahoma State  2-2     -8
6.  Arizona State   3-1     -31
7.  Houston         4-2     -63
8.  South Carolina  3-1     -25
9.  Florida         3-1-1   -71
10. Minnesota       2-2     -72
    Total           28-18-1 -292

Clemson Among National Stat Leaders
Clemson was ranked first in the Sagarin poll last week and Larry Penley's team has the stats in various golf performance categories to back up that ranking. As a team, Clemson ranked in the top 10 in the nation in five of the eight possible areas computed by GolfStat (May 4). That includes a number-two ranking in par 4 scoring (4.11) and greens in regulation (.700)

Individually, four different Clemson players rank in the top 10 in the nation in various categories. John Engler is ranked in the top five in three different areas. The native of Augusta, GA is the national leader in fairways hit (.900) and in greens in regulation (.831). He is also third in par four scoring. Freshman Michael Hoey is ninth in the country in fairways hit with a .821 figure and is second in greens in regulation with a .778 figure. Sophomore Lucas Glover is fifth in subpar strokes per round (.3.90). Junior Jonathan Byrd is fourth in total short game.

Clemson Team in GolfStat Rankings (As of May 4)
*Par 4 Scoring--2nd--4.11
*Greens in Regulation--2nd--.700
*% Fairways hit--6th--.722
*Subpar strokes/Round--3rd--3.20
*Putts on Greens in Regulation--5th--1.857

Individual Rankings in Golfstat (As of May 4)
Jonathan Byrd--
*4th--Total Short Game (.686)
John Engler--
*1st--Fairways Hit (.899)
*1st--Greens in Regulation (.831)
*3rd--Par 4 Scoring (4.01)
Lucas Glover--
*5th--Subpar Strokes/Round (3.90)
Michael Hoey--
*9th--Fairways Hit (.821)
*2nd--Greens in Regulation (.778)

Byrd Seven-Under for the Year
Jonathan Byrd led Clemson to victory at the Schenkel Invitational. He fired a two-under-par 214 to finish in a tie for fourth. Byrd has seven top 10 finishes this year, including a #9 at the ACC Tournament, Clemson's most recent tournament. Byrd's final round 69 at the Schenkel was the best individual round of the tournament for a Tiger and it was his 22nd career round in the 60s.

Byrd won medalist performer honors in the first tournament of the year, as his 207 won the Ridges intercollegiate at Johnson City, TN. He was also second at the Golf World in November. For his career, Byrd now has a 72.68 career average, third in Clemson history behind only teammates John Engler and Lucas Glover.

Byrd has 20 top 10 finishes in 37 career events, and he is the only Clemson golfer in history to have over 50 percent of his tournaments end in top 10 finishes. Kevin Johnson is the closest with 27 top 10s in 54 career tournaments.

Byrd now has 42 career under-par rounds, already fifth in school history and is fourth in rounds in the 60s with 22. Remember he is only a junior. Byrd needs just one round under par to pass former Clemson All-American and current Mississippi State coach Nicky Goetze for fourth place.

The native of Columbia recently became the first Clemson golfer in history to be first-team All-ACC as a freshman, sophomore and junior.

Engler Breaks 12-year-old Record
John Engler punctuated his 205 performance with a 65 at the San Juan Shootout and won co-medalist honors with East Tennessee State's David Christensen. Engler's 205 score and -11 rating versus par broke school records in both areas for a Clemson sophomore, another indication of the young talent on this Clemson team.

Engler broke the sophomore tournament record held by Kevin Johnson, who had a 206 (-10) at the Homberg Intercollegiate in 1986-87. The 205 by Engler this year tied for the second best overall tournament in Clemson history. Chris Patton had a 204 for a 54-hole All-American Tournament in 1990. That was at the Sun Bowl Tournament. Patton also shot a 205 at the event in 1989. Thus, Charles Warren and Engler are the only Clemson players in history to have a 205 in a team tournament.

Engler was Clemson's top golfer at the BELLSOUTH with a third-place finish and a 215 score. This season, Engler has finished in the top 20 in every event, including a first-place finish at the San Juan Shootout and a second place finish at the Preview. He also has a fourth place at the ACC Tournament, and a fifth place at the Jerry Pate, meaning he has five top five finishes this year.

Hoey Has Had an Impact
Last season John Engler and Lucas Glover both shattered the school record for season stroke average by a freshman. That record might be in jeopardy again, as freshman Michael Hoey has had a strong showing for his first year.

The freshman from Ireland has a 73.22 stroke average so far this year and has finished in the top 20 in seven of his nine events. The 73.22 stroke average is currently third best in school history for a freshman. John Engler had a 72.62 last year and Lucas Glover fired a 72.68 for the year.

Hoey has four top 12 finishes, including his 212 score at the San Juan Shootout. He finished 13th at the Schenkel, but he was Clemson's second best competitor, a key to Clemson's team victory. He was 12th at the ACC Tournament with a 220 score.

Hoey finished sixth in his first event as a Clemson golfer, the Jerry Pate Intercollegiate when he had a 207, best tournament score in Clemson history for a freshman. He was tied for first after a 67 in the opening round of the San Juan Shootout. A final round 75 knocked him out of the top 10, but his four under par performance was still outstanding.

Active Tigers have Five Medalist Honors
Three different current Tigers have won a tournament in their careers. Jonathan Byrd, who has been first-team All-ACC as a freshman, sophomore and junior, has won two titles, the 1997 San Juan Shootout, and The Ridges, this past fall. Lucas Glover also has a pair of wins, last year's Carpet Classic and the Mauna Kea this past November. John Engler, perhaps Clemson's most consistent golfer, won his first career event at the San Juan Shootout this year.

Clemson #1 in Sagarin Poll, #2 in Mastercard
Clemson is ranked number-one in the nation in the latest Jeff Sagarin Computer poll and second in the Mastercard poll (May 5). This is the first year that Sagarin Computer rankings have been used to rate college golf teams and individuals.

Clemson has three consensus top 20 players, the only school in the nation that can make that claim. Jonathan Byrd would be considered Clemson's highest ranked player. The junior is ranked in the top 5 of all three stat rankings of college players. John Engler is ranked ahead of Byrd in the Mastercard poll, but is seventh in the nation in the other two rankings. Lucas Glover is 17th in the Sagarain and 22nd in Mastercard.

Clemson Individual Player Rankings
(As of May 5, 1999)
Player          Sagarin         Mastercard      Golfstat
Jonathan Byrd   5th (69.27)     4th (287.33)    5th (71.70)
John Engler     7th (69.43)     3rd (291.925)   7th (71.76)
Lucas Glover    17th (70.24)    22nd (183.198)  26th (72.61)
Michael Hoey    37th (118.195)  

Mastercard Rankings (May 5)
1.Georgia, 2. UNLV 3. Clemson, 4. Georgia Tech 5. Arizona State 6. Houston, 7. Oklahoma State 8. Texas 9. Florida 10. Minnesota, 11. South Carolina, 12. Washington, 13. Nebraska, 14. North Carolina, 15. Northwestern, 16. New Mexico, 17. East Tennessee State, 18. Oregon, 19. NC State, 20. BYU

Sagarin Top 10 (May 5)
1. Clemson, 2. Georgia, 3. Georgia Tech, 4. UNLV 5. Oklahoma State 6. Arizona State 7. Houston 8. South Carolina 9. Florida 10. Minnesota, 11. Texas, 12. BYU, 13. North Carolina, 14. Northwestern, 15. UCLA, 16. New Mexico, 17. Washington, 18. Nebraska, 19. Oregon, 20. East Tennessee State

Young Clemson Team Headed to Regionals
This will be the second youngest Clemson golf team to compete in an NCAA Tournament. The Tigers will bring three sophomores, a freshman and a junior to the NCAA Tournament in Rhode Island. That is a combined total of 10 years of experience in college golf. The only Clemson NCAA team in history that is younger is the 1995 team that featured freshmen Charles Warren, Chad Starliper and Joey Maxon, sophomore Richard Coughlan and junior Mike Byce.

The 1987 Clemson team also had 10 total years of experience. That team had sophomore Kevin Johnson and freshman Chris Patton in its lineup. Three Clemson teams have gone to the NCAAs with a combined 11 years of experience (1982, 1990 and 1991).

Tigers Open Play in NCAA East Regional
Clemson's next action will be May 20-22 at the Rhode Island Country Club in Providence, RI. Clemson will be one of 23 teams from Districts I, 2 and 3 (north and south). The top Eleven of the 23 teams will advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held at Hazeltine Country Club in Edina, MN on June 2-5.

Clemson has a 34-12-1 record with a -667 stroke advantage against the 23 teams in the East Regional field. Clemson has gone against just 11 of the other 22 teams in the field. Georgia (3-4) is the only team in the field with a winning record against Clemson this year, but the Tigers still have a -13 stroke advantage against the Bulldogs.

The East Regional could be considered the most competitive in the nation. The top three teams in the Sagarin poll, Clemson, Georgia and Georgia Tech, will all be competing in Rhode Island.

Facts on Clemson Head Coach Larry Penley
*Larry Penley and former Georgia Tech Coach Puggy Blackman have four ACC Coach of the Year awards apiece, co-holders of the league record for golf. Penley has won the award three straight years (1996-97-98) and is already the only ACC golf coach in history to win the honor three straight seasons. Penley is one of just five men's coaches in any sport in ACC history to win ACC Coach of the Year three or more consecutive years. Bob Pollock, Clemson's men's track coach had a five-year streak (1989-93).

*Has Clemson ranked number-one in the nation in the Sagarin poll, the third different season Clemson has been ranked number-one.

*Has coached Clemson to 42 tournament championships in his career, including five ACC titles, more than any other Clemson golf coach. The Tigers have won five tournaments this year, tying the Clemson school record.

*Has taken Clemson to the NCAA Tournament 16 years in a row, longest streak by any Clemson coach in any sport in history.

*Has taken Clemson to the NCAA National Tournament all 15 years he has been the head coach. He and Mike Holder of Oklahoma State are the only active coaches to take a team to the national tournament 15 straight years.

*Has coached Clemson to four Final Four finishes as the NCAA tournament, including each of the last two years. Clemson finished third in 1997 and second in 1998.

Clemson Returns to NCAA East Regional
This is the 11th year of the NCAA regional format and Clemson has now been invited all 11 years to the East Regional. In fact, Clemson has now been invited to the NCAA Tournament 18 consecutive years, 16 under Larry Penley. Clemson has been to the national tournament every year since 1982. Only Oklahoma State and Arizona State can also make that claim.

Clemson has been very successful in the NCAA East regional. In the last six years Clemson has finished first or second five times. That includes consecutive first-place finishes in 1993-94-95. Clemson is the only school to win three straight regional championships.

Clemson has been second each of the last two years. Clemson has finished in the top five of the event that has had between 19-23 teams eight of the last 10 years, so it has been a good springboard for the Tigers. Each of the last two years Clemson has finished second at the East Regional, then gone on to a top three NCAA national finish.

Mark Swygert is the only Clemson player to win medalist honors at the NCAA East Regional. He won the 1994 event with a 213 score, including a 67 in the final round. That performance helped Clemson to its second of three straight regional team championships.

Clemson Dominates Palmer Cup Field
Three of the 16 golfers in the Third Annual Palmer Cup matches this summer will be current Clemson Tigers. The United States team will feature Jonathan Byrd and John Engler, while the Great Britain/Ireland team will have Michael Hoey on its squad. Clemson is the only school with three representatives in the field.

The Palmer Cup is a Ryder Cup format competition between college players from the United States and Great Britain/Ireland. The event will take place June 12-13 at the Honors Course in Ooltewah, TN.

This will be the second time Clemson has had multiple representatives in the prestigious event. In 1997, Richard Coughlan was a member of the GBI team, while Charles Warren was on the United States team. That event was held at Bay Hill in Florida.

In addition to Byrd and Engler, the United States team will include Jeremy Anderson of UNLV, Ben Curtis of Kent, Matt Kuchar of Georgia Tech, Hank Kuehne of SMU, Bryce Molder of Georgia Tech and Michael Morrison of Georgia.

Clemson will also be represented at the United States vs. Japan Matches this summer. The United States team will include Clemson sophomore Lucas Glover and the squad will be coached by Tiger mentor Larry Penley.

Three Tigers first-team All-ACC
For the fourth straight year Clemson has three first-team All-ACC players. Clemson is the only ACC school that can make that claim. Tigers Jonathan Byrd, Lucas Glover and John Engler were all selected to the 13-man team that was the result of a vote of the nine ACC coaches.

For Engler and Glover, both sophomores, it is their first year on the team. For Byrd, it is his third consecutive year on the team. He is the first Clemson player in history to make the team as a freshman, sophomore and junior and he is just the seventh three-time first-team All-ACC golfer in school history. Obviously, next year he will have a chance to become the first four-time selection in Clemson history.

The three Tigers on the team rank 1-2-3 in school history in career stroke average. Engler is first, followed by Glover and Byrd. All three came to Clemson from within a two hours drive of the school. Engler is from Augusta, GA, Glover from Greenville and Byrd is a native of Columbia.

Byrd joins an elite group of Tigers who were three-time first-team All-ACC selections. The others include Dilliard Pruitt (1982-84), Kevin Johnson (1987-89), Chris Patton (1988-90), Nicky Goetze (1991-93), Richard Coughlan (1995-97), and Charles Warren (1996-98).

Saari to Compete in East Regional
Sophomore Jani Saari will be in Clemson's lineup for the NCAA East regional at Rhode Island Country Club May 20-22. Saari has played just one tournament this year, a 224 score at the Chris Schenkel, helping Clemson to the championship. Saari, who played at J.L. Mann High in Greenville, finished 34th in that event. His score counted in two of the three rounds.

Playing someone in the NCAA Tournament after seeing limited action in the regular season is not new for Penley. In 1993 senior Thump Delk had played just five tournaments in his career, then started in the NCAA Tournament. He shot one-under-par for the event and finished third overall, leading Clemson to a number-four national finish. The next year Britt Jones started in the NCAA Tournament after playing just five events earlier that year. He finished 65th.

Clemson Spring Review

Tigers Win San Juan Shootout
John Engler fired a seven-under par 65 to take co-medalist honors and lead the Clemson golf team to the championship of the San Juan Shootout at the River Course at Rio Mar Country Club in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The victory was the fourth of the year in six tournaments for Larry Penley's Tigers, who did nothing to hurt their #1 ranking in all three college golf polls.

Clemson won the event by four strokes over Georgia Tech (834). Georgia and East Tennessee State were tied for third at 858, six-under par. NC State was fifth at 860, while Texas was sixth at 870. North Carolina was seventh at 873, Duke was 10th at 888, Virginia 12th at 894, Wake Forest 13th at 898 and Florida State 15th at 903. The 18-team field included 10 of the top 25 teams in the nation.

Engler fired a 65 on Feb. 23rd to tie David Christensen of East Tennessee State. Engler had rounds of 70-70-65 for his 205 score, the lowest tournament of his career. His 65 was not a season low, as the native of Augusta, GA had a 64 in the second round of the Jerry Pate Intercollegiate. He did become the first Clemson golfer in history to have two rounds at 65 or better in the same year. It was the first victory of Engler's career.

Clemson won the event with a 34-under team score, 830. That is a Clemson record for a 54-hole tournament score, breaking the record of 832 set earlier this fall at the Jerry Pate Intercollegiate. It also broke the record for strokes under-par in a tournament. The previous best was -31 at the NCAA Championships last year.

All five Clemson golfers finished at four-under par or better for the event and all five finished in the top 12. Both of those accomplishments were Clemson firsts. Elliot Gealy, Clemson's number-five golfer, shot a 71 on Tuesday and finished at five-under par 211. That was the best 54-hole score of his career by six shots. Lucas Glover tied Gealy for eighth place with a consistent 71-70-70 for a 211 score.

Jonathan Byrd won the team comeback award for the event. After an opening round 76, Byrd had rounds of 69 and 67 over the final two days for a 212 total, four-under par. He tied for 12th along with Clemson freshman Michael Hoey. The 12th-place finish ended Byrd's string of top 10 finishes at five.

Tigers Finish 4th at Golf Digest Collegiate
Lucas Glover fired a career best six-under-par 66 to lead Clemson to a 278 team score on the final day and a fourth-place team finish at the Golf Digest Collegiate at Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas. The Tigers had the second lowest team round of the final day, but defending National Champion UNLV was two strokes better and won the tournament by four shots over Georgia.

UNLV had a team score of 855 to win the event, nine-under par. The host team had shot 298 on the first day, but finished with scores of 281 and 276 on the last two days over the course they play often during the season. Georgia had a 285 score on the final day, seven strokes more than the Tigers, but the team from Athens had an 859 score to finish second.

Oklahoma State, who has been to the NCAA National Tournament a record 52 consecutive years, was third at 862, one stroke better than the Tigers, who have been to the National event 17 consecutive years.

Georgia Tech finished fifth with an 870 score, the fifth consecutive tournament this year and ninth time in the last 10 over two years Clemson has beaten the second ranked Yellow Jackets. Arizona State was sixth at 878, while Texas was seventh at 879. New Mexico ranked eighth at 880, while top 10 Houston finished ninth at 882. Defending champion Virginia was 10th at 887. There were 15 teams in the field and 13 are ranked in the top 20 in the nation.

Glover showed consistent improvement over the course of the event and his 211 score for the event was fifth best overall, best among the Tigers. His 66 on Sunday tied for the best individual round of the entire tournament. He fired an incredible 29 on the back nine, including an eagle on the last hole. John Engler made a 10-stroke improvement over his second round and finished 14th after a final round 67 and a tournament score of 217.

Jonathan Byrd had a 71 on Sunday and finished 18th with a two-over-par 218. Senior Elliot Gealy, among the leaders after the first day, had a 74 on Sunday and was 36th at 222. Freshman Michael Hoey had an 80 on Sunday and was 57th with a 230 score.

Clemson Takes Schenkel Invitational
STATESBORO, Ga. -- Clemson overcame a five-stroke deficit entering the final round, then defeated Georgia on the second hole of a sudden death team playoff to claim the championship of the Chris Schenkel Invitational at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, GA.

The victory was Clemson's fifth tournament title in eight events for the Tigers, who did nothing to hurt their consensus number-one ranking. The fifth victory of the year ties the Clemson record for tournament championships in a season. Clemson also won five tournaments in 1986-87 and in 1987-88. The 15-team field included seven of the top 20 teams in the nation.

Clemson shot a 291 on Sunday and had an 869 total for the 54 holes, the same score as Georgia, who had a 296 in the final round. Both teams counted four pars on the first extra hole, then Clemson won the event on the second extra hole.

Jonathan Byrd led the Tigers with a 69 in the final round and a fourth place overall ranking. It was his sixth top 10 finish in eight events this year and his final round 69 was his ninth round in the 60s this year. The native of Columbia is now -16 for his 24 rounds this season, best on the Clemson team.

Michael Hoey and Lucas Glover shot final round scores of 73 and both finished in the top 20 overall for the event. Hoey, a freshman from Ireland, finished 13th at the event with his 219 54-hole score, while Glover, a native of Greenville, and Wade Hampton High School, had a 221 score to rank 19th.

John Engler had a 76 on Sunday and finished 15th for the event with a 220 score. Jani Saari, playing in his first career tournament, shot a 79 in the final round for a 224 score and was 34th.

Clemson Finishes Ninth at Carpet Classic
Clemson's golf team, ranked number-one in the nation entering the Carpet Classic, will enter the BELLSOUTH Intercollegiate coming off its worst tournament finish of the year. The Tigers finished ninth out of 18 teams at the Carpet Classic and shot a +18 score of 882. Only an 896 at The Preview back in September is worse. Clemson did not have a top 10 individual finisher for the first time this year.

Clemson did have a pair of top 20 finishers as Jonathan Byrd and John Engler both shot 218 totals, good enough for a tie for 19th. Byrd's best round was a 70 in the second round, while Engler had a 70 in the opening round and a par 72 in the final round. It was only the fourth time this year in 27 rounds that Engler failed to score 75 or under.

Lucas Glover, the defending co-medalist at the event had a 226 and finished 55th. Freshman Michael Hoey had the best round by a Tiger with a 69 in the second round, but shot 80 and 78 in his other two rounds and finished 60th. Senior Elliot Gealy had a 235 and finished 79th.

Clemson Finishes Fourth at BELLSOUTH Intercollegiate
CARY, N.C. -- John Engler led a balanced Clemson performance as the Tigers finished in a tie for fourth at the BELLSOUTH Yellow Pages Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary, NC. UNLV won the event at 869, eight shots better than the Tigers, who tied for fourth with East Tennessee State.

New Mexico was second at 873, while Minnesota was third at 974. Clemson, ranked second in the nation entering this week, was the top ACC school with the 877 score, while Duke and North Carolina tied for sixth in the 12-team field at 883. Kansas and NC State were tied for eighth at 890. Wake Forest and Tulsa were tied for 10th at 894 and Texas A&M was 12th at 922.

Engler finished in a tie for third in the medalist race. The Tiger sophomore had rounds of 71-71-73 to finish at one-under par 215. Engler was the top competitor in the tournament in the par threes as he was -2 for the 54-holes. He also tied for third in pars with 37.

Michael Hoey and Jonathan Byrd also had top 20 finishes for the Tigers at the BELLSOUTH. Hoey tied for 16th and shot a 220 for the event on scores of 73-74-73. The Clemson freshman from Ireland had 37 pars, tied with Engler for third in the tournament. Byrd tied for 19th at the tournament with a 221 score. Byrd was also consistent in terms of scoring pars, he was sixth in the tournament with 36 pars.

Lucas Glover finished 31st with a 223 score after a 75 on Saturday, while Elliot Gealy was tied for 43rd at 227. Gealy scored a 73 on Saturday and had a 227 score for the event.

Tigers Finish Fourth at ACC Tournament
NEW LONDON, N.C. -- John Engler was Clemson's top finisher at the ACC golf tournament completed April 18. The Tigers finished fourth as a team and Engler was fourth individually on the par 72 Old North State Club in New London, NC.

The Tigers struggled in the final round as none of Clemson's five golfers had a score of par of better, leading to a team score of 297, Clemson's worst team round of the event. Georgia Tech finished first with an 863 team total, including a tournament best 285 on Sunday. Four of Georgia Tech's five golfers shot par or better on Sunday. Clemson had a final team score of 876.

Duke and North Carolina finished in a tie for second with 873 scores. Duke had a 291 team score on Sunday, second best on the day, and Matt Krauss of the Blue Devils won the tournament with a 212 score. He shot a 69 on Sunday, one of just two scores in the 60s in the final round.

Clemson was tied for the lead after six holes and trailed Georgia Tech by just six entering the final three holes. Clemson played the first 51 holes of the event in five over par, then played the last three holes seven over. Clemson was in second place by four shots entering the final three holes, then finished fourth.

NC State was fifth with an 884 score, eight shots behind Clemson. Maryland finished sixth at 905, Virginia was seventh at 906, Wake Forest was eighth at 908 and Florida State was last at 919.

Engler finished with bogies on the last two holes to conclude with a final round 74 and an even par tournament. He was tied for the lead entering the final round. His 216 score tied for fourth and it was his second straight year in the top five. Jonathan Byrd had his third straight top 10 at the ACC Tournament. He finished ninth with a score of 218 after a 74 on Sunday.

Freshman Michael Hoey was tied for 12th at 220 after a 75 on Sunday, while Lucas Glover finished tied for 18th at 222 after a third straight 74. Glover was three under par on Sunday's round at one point on the back nine, but played the last two holes three over par. Elliot Gealy had a 78 on Sunday and his 227 score for the event ranked 29th.

Clemson will now have over a month to prepare for the NCAA East Regional, which will be played May 20-22 at the Rhode Island Country Club in Providence.

Tigers Strong Academically
Larry Penley's team has had an outstanding year on the course and in the classroom. In addition to ranking #1 most of the spring, the Clemson team posted a team GPA of 3.18 in classroom. The 3.18 team GPA was the highest semester performance on record for the golf team and it was the highest team GPA for a male sport this year. Four of the 12 players on the roster this year earned degrees (Elliot Gealy, Sean Thornton, Luke Ferguson and John Walker).

The underclassmen were led by Jonathan Byrd and John Engler. Both players rank in the top 10 in the nation according to Mastercard and Sagarin. Byrd posted a 3.8 GPA in marketing for the semester and now has a 3.56 GPA for his career. Engler had a 3.4 GPA for the spring semester.