Tag: Clemson Golf

Clemson Golf wins NCAA Chapel Hill Regional

Clemson triumphs at the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional.

CLEMSON, S.C. — Senior Calahan Keever sank an 18-foot birdie putt and East Tennessee State’s Mats Ege missed a 14-foot par putt on the final hole to give Clemson a one-stroke victory at the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional on Wednesday. It gave Clemson its first NCAA regional championship in 20 years and eighth in history.

It was a remarkable victory for Clemson and Head Coach Jordan Byrd. The Tigers were ranked No. 59 in the nation overall and  entered the tournament as the No. 10 seed in the 13-team regional tournament. The Tigers are the first team to win any regional tournament as a double-digit seed since the NCAA adopted the current regional format in 2009.

Clemson finished the tournament with a score of 25-under-par 815, the lowest 54-hole NCAA Tournament score in school history and the fourth lowest for any tournament. Clemson had scores of 275-266 and 274 over the three-round tournament, and it was the first time all year Clemson shot under par in all three rounds of a tournament.

The Tigers now advance to the NCAA National Tournament at Carlsbad, California May 24-29 along with East Tennessee State, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Baylor. It will be Clemson’s 34th appearance in the national tournament, its first since 2021.  Clemson won the championship in 2003.

Keever’s birdie on the par four, 489-yard par four 18th hole capped a remarkable final round Clemson comeback. Clemson played the last two holes as a team at six-under par compared to two-under by ETSU. Thomas Higgins and Andrew Swanson both eagled the par 5 17th hole. Swanson and Keever both made birdie on the difficult 18th.

Keever finished the tournament at 10-under-par 200 for the 54 holes on the par 70 course that measured 7,084 yards. His fifth-place finish was the best by a Clemson golfer at this tournament, his best in a team tournament all year, and the best by any Clemson golfer in an NCAA regional since 2021 when Turk Pettit finished fourth at The Golf Club of Tennessee.

Keever had rounds of 65-65-70 for the three rounds. His 65-65 start was the beat for the first 36 holes in Clemson history in an NCAA Tournament. The native of Greenville, S.C. finished with a season high tying 15 birdies, and scored under par on the par three, par four and par five holes. Keever entered the tournament as Clemson’s number-five player with a 73.0 average, and was the No. 543 ranked player in the nation by Spikemark.

Clemson’s best player on Wednesday and second best player in the tournament was Jonathan Nielsen, who had a final round 66 and a 201 score for 54 holes to finish in seventh place. His round on Wednesday included five birdies and just one bogey. He had under-par scores in all three rounds and now has 20 under-par rounds for the year. His 15 rounds in the 60s stand third best in Clemson history.

Thomas Higgins, who had a second round 63 that established a Clemson record for low score in any NCAA Tournament round, had a 68 in the third round on Wednesday and finished 14th with a 204 score. His final round included two eagles and he finished the tournament with three to tie a Clemson record.

Higgins played the par five holes at nine-under-par for the week and he made eagles on the sixth and 17th holes on Wednesday.    With Higgins 14th place finish it marked the first time Clemson had three of the top 15 players at an NCAA Regional since 2017.

Swanson shot an even par 70 on Wednesday and his clutch eagle-birdie finish was a big reason Clemson won the tournament.  He had rounds of 71-71-70 for a 212 total for the tournament, good enough for 34th place.

Alberto Dominguez had a final round 73 and finished with a 215 score for 51st place. He had a strong second round with a team counting score of 69.

Clemson finished the tournament with 60 birdies and five eagles. The eagle total was the most in a tournament all year.

Clemson had some good intangibles going for it this week. Clemson Head Basketball Coach Brad Brownell, who led the Tigers to a victory on the hardcourt over a third-ranked North Carolina this past season, and is the only Clemson basketball coach to win in Chapel Hill, spoke to the team before they left for the regional.

Among the teams Clemson beat at this regional was a fourth ranked North Carolina team on the Tar Heels’ home course. North Carolina had beaten Clemson by 26 shots in the ACC Tournament just three weeks earlier.

–Via Clemson Athletic Communications 

Clemson Golf Wins the Battle at Briar’s Creek

Clemson Golf won the Battle at Briar’s Creek at John’s Island, SC, on Tuesday afternoon.

Clemson, SC—Andrew Swanson shot a season best 66 and Thomas Higgins fired a bogey free 68 in the first round, to lead Clemson to the championship of the Battle at Briar’s Creek at John’s Island, SC on Tuesday afternoon.  The tournament was the first event of the spring season for Clemson who won the tournament by two shots over Chattanooga.

Clemson finished with a 36-hole score of 575, while Chattanooga finished at 577.  Augusta was third at 579 and Indiana was fourth at 5811.  Elon was fifth at 582 and Kentucky was sixth at 583.  The 14 team field included seven Power Five Conference Teams.

The 14 teams in the field played between 8 and 11 holes on Monday on the par 72 course that measures 7,175 yards before bad weather stopped play in the early afternoon.  The teams finished the first round on Tuesday morning, then played the final round on Tuesday afternoon. The tournament was originally scheduled for 54 holes, 36 on Monday and 18 on Tuesday.

Clemson completed its first round on Tuesday morning with an eight-under-par score of 280, tied for the third best score vs. par by the team this year.   Swanson’s 66 included five consecutive birdies  (holes 17-3, played back nine first), the longest string of birdies by a Clemson golfer this year.  Higgins’s 68 was bogey free, the first bogey free round by a Clemson golfer this year.  Kian Rose added a one-under-par 71 in the first round.

Jonathan Nielsen, Clemson’s best golfer in the fall in terms of stroke average, was the non-counter in the first round, but he finished the afternoon with the team’s best score, a one-under par 71.  He posted four birdies and three bogeys.

Swanson finished tied for second overall with a three-under-par 141 score thanks to rounds of 66 and 75, while Higgins was fourth at 142 after rounds of 68 and 74.  It was Clemson’s first team victory of the year and the first time Clemson had two top four finishers in the individual race.

Rose had rounds of 71 and 76 in finishing tied for 25th.   Nielsen finished 35th with a 149 score after rounds of 78 and 71, while Alberto Dominguez finished 39th with a 150 score after consecutive counting scores of 75.

Austin Scott played as an individual and finished 57th with a 154 total after rounds of 78 and 76.   Scott made eight birdies in the tournament, second among Clemson golfers in the tournament and his 4.50 stroke average on par five holes was the best among Tigers.

Glover wins the FedEx St. Jude Classic for his second straight PGA Tour win

Lucas Glover is on a fantastic run, winning his second straight on the PGA Tour.

CLEMSON, S.C. — Former Clemson All-American Lucas Glover won the FedEx St. Jude Classic in a one-hole playoff with Patrick Cantlay on Sunday eventing. It was the second consecutive week that Glover has won on the PGA tour, a first for any former Clemson golfer.

Glover was one of three former Clemson golfers who had outstanding Sundays. Former Clemson All-American Jacob Bridgeman finished fourth on the Korn Ferry Tour with a 15-under-par total and former Clemson women’s golfer Alice Hewson shot a 68 on Sunday to finish 16th at the AIG Women’s Open in England.

Glover moved from 49th to fourth in the FedEx Cup standings and now moves on to the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields in Chicago, Illinois next week. By reaching that tournament in Chicago, Glover is assured of being invited to all eight of the PGA Tour’s “Designated Events” in 2024.

He is also a lock to advance to the FedEx Cup Championship tournament in Atlanta in two weeks, an event that will have the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup rankings. Glover is the first former Clemson golfer to win a FedEx Cup Playoff tournament.

Glover is the first golfer 43 years or age or older to win consecutive PGA Tour events since the 2008 season when Vijay Singh accomplished the feat. He is the first golfer 40 years or older to win a FedEx Cup Playoff event since Tiger Woods won the FedEx Cup Championship Tournament in Atlanta in 2018.

This was Glover’s sixth win on the PGA Tour. With this victory he broke a tie for total victories on the PGA Tour by a former Clemson golfer, as his former Clemson teammate Jonathan Byrd has  five wins.

For Glover it continued his incredible run at the end of the season. Ranked 185th on the FedEx Cup rankings in June, he has finished in the top six in five of his last six events to move all the way to fourth in the rankings. This is the first time he has had five top 6 finishes on the PGA Tour in the same year since 2009, the year he won the United States Open. He had a person best six top 6 finishes in 2006.

Glover had rounds of 66-64-66-69 for a 265 total at the St. Jude Championship, the same total Cantlay had after 72 holes. The two players went back to the 18th tee for the playoff and Cantlay hit his drive into the water left of the fairway. Glover hit his drive down the middle. That proved to be the difference as Glover made par on the 448-yard par 4 and Cantlay made a bogey. It was the first bogey of the day for Cantlay, who had shot a bogey free 64 on Sunday to tie Glover.

Glover, who played at Clemson from 1998-2001 and was a two time first-team All-American, made 110 feet of putts on Sunday, including putts of 20’6” on the 13th hole and 29’ 8” on the 14th hole to save pars. He also made a clutch 11’ 4” putt on the 17th hole for par after he had driven the ball into the tree line.

Glover won the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro last week to advance into the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He was ranked as the #53 golfer in the world entering the St. Jude Classic and most certainly will move up in the rankings that will be released Monday morning.

With the victory, Glover took home $3.6 million, the largest check won by any former Clemson golfer in history.

Former Tiger Lucas Glover wins the Wyndham Championship

Former Tiger wins the Wyndham Championship and advances to the FedEx Cup Playoffs with a #49 overall ranking.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Former Clemson All-American Lucas Glover shot a final round 68 on Sunday to win the Wyndham Championship at Sedgfield Country Club in Greensboro, NC.  The victory advanced Glover into the FedX Cup Playoffs with a #49 overall ranking.

It was the fifth career PGA Tour victory for Glover, his first since winning the John Deere Classic in 2021. Glover is now tied with his former teammate Jonathan Byrd for the most PGA Tour wins by a Clemson golfer.   Glover and Byrd were teammates for Larry Penley’s Tigers from 1998-2000.

It was a sentimental victory for Glover and his family  because it was recorded on August 6, the birthday of his grandfather, Dick Hendley, (August 6, 1928)  who taught Glover how to play golf when he was a youth.  Hendley was a back for Frank Howard’s Clemson football teams in the 1940s.  Hendley and Glover are the only grandfather and grandson combination in the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame.

Glover had rounds of 66-64-62-68 in recording a 20-under-par score of 260 for his 72 holes.  The performance concluded an incredible run for the Clemson graduate, who was ranked #185 on the FedX Cup list on June 5.  Over his first 18 events this year he had no top 25 finishes.  Over his last seven he had four Top 6 finishes and five Top 20s to move from 185 to 49.

Glover changed putters and promptly had a streak of three consecutive top 6 finishes at the Rocket Mortgage in Detroit, the John Deere in Illinois and the Barbasol  Championship in Kentucky. That marked the first time in his 19-year and over 500 tournament career that he had three consecutive top 6 finishes.

Over his last 18 rounds he has scored in the 60s 17 times, including a streak of 12 straight rounds in the 60s that is the longest streak on the PGA Tour this year. He is now 80-under-par for his last five tournaments.

This week,  he was first in the field in driving accuracy, hitting 46 of 56 fairways, was first in greens in regulation hitting 65 of 72 greens and was tied for first in birdies with 24.  He also led the field in strokes against on approach to the green.

Glover’s next tournament will be in Memphis at the first tournament of the FedX Cup Playoffs.  The top 70 players in the rankings advance to Memphis. Glover was the only player outside the top 70 entering the Wyndham Championship to advance.

Via Clemson Athletic Communications

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Clemson’s Annabelle Pancake reaches final 16 of US Amateur

Pancake advances to the final 16 of the 2022 US Amateur.

Clemson, S.C—Clemson junior Annabelle Pancake defeated Madison Hinson-Tolechard of Australia and Oklahoma State University, 4&3 on Thursday to advance to the final 16 of the United States Amateur golf tournament at Chambers Bay in University Place Washington.

Pancake will take on Catherine Rao of Camarillo, California, later on Thursday afternoon and early evening.   Rao will be a freshman on the Princeton golf team this coming fall.

Clemson rising senior Savannah Grewal lost her second round match to Mia Hammond, a high school golfer from Ohio, i-up when Hammond made a birdie on the par five 18th hole.   Grewal had overcome a 3-up lead by Hammond through 12 holes by winning holes 13, 14 and 15.   The two players tied the 16th and 17th holes before Hammond won the 18th..

Pancake and Grewal were the first two Clemson women’s golfers to win a round of match play at the US. Amateur.

Pancake is obviously the first Clemson women’s golfer to reach the final 16 of the US Amateur.  It has been quite a summer for the native of Zionsville, Indiana.  She finished second at the Texas State Open, then finished second at the Western Amateur.  She played as an amateur in an Epson Tour event in her home state last week and made the cut and finished 45th.

Pancake has now won two matches at the United States Amateur and has not trailed at any point in either match.  She defeated Abbey Daniel of Covington, Louisiana and Mississippi state in the first round, 5 & 4 when he made five birdies and no bogeys.

Thursday morning  Pancake again got off to a good start against Hinson-Tolechard by winning the first hole.  The Oklahoma State player won the second hole, but Pancake came right back and won the third hole with a birdie.   She also won the seventh and 10th holes with birdies to take a 3-up lead through 10 holes. Pancake took a 4-up lead by winning the 13th hole with a par.

Hinson-Tolechard tried to get back in the match by winning the 14th hole, but Pancake won the par three 15th hole with a par to close out the match.  

As has been the case all week, Pancake has been outstanding on the par five holes.  After scoring five-under-par on the par five holes over the two rounds of stroke play Monday and Tuesday, she has not lost any of the eight par five holes she has played in the first two matches, posting a 4-0-4 record on those holes.

Clemson Golfer Results at 2022 United States Amateur

Chambers Bay, University Place, Washington

Stroke Play, August 8-9, 2022

Annabelle Pancake 73-72 145 -1 21st

Savannah Grewal 74-75 149 +3 53rd

Match Play

Annabelle Pancake

Aug. 10, 2022 d. (41) Abbey Daniel (Mississippi State),  5&4

Aug. 11, 2022 d. (9) Madison HInson-Tolechard (Oklahoma State),  4&3

Savannah Grewal

Aug. 10, 2022 d.  (10) Casey Weidenfeld (Auburn), 2&1

Aug.  11, 2022 l.  (42)  Mia Hammond (HS, Ohio),  2&1

Via Clemson Athletic Communications

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The 2022 Clemson Athletic Department Awards Announced

The 2022 Clemson Athletic Department Awards are official.

Via Clemson Athletic Communications:

The Clemson athletic department has announced winners of the Frank Howard Award, the IPTAY Athlete of the Year, and the Brandon Streeter Award for the 2021-22 academic year. A 20-person committee made up of local media and Clemson administrators voted on the candidates.

The Frank Howard Award: Max Wagner, Baseball

The Frank Howard Award is the honor presented each year to a student-athlete for bringing honor to Clemson athletics. This year’s recipient is baseball All-American Max Wagner.

Wagner was a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, two honors presented each year to the top player in college baseball. Wagner was a unanimous first-team All-American and First-Team All-ACC selection in 2022, when he hit a school-record-tying 27 home runs. He hit .369 overall with 76 RBIs and a .496 on-base average. He also had a .852 slugging percentage, second best in Clemson history.

Perhaps the most impressive accomplishment was Wagner’s home run every 7.5 at bats. That broke a record that had been held by Doug Kingsmore since 1954. From April 17-23, Wagner tied a school record with a home run in five consecutive games.

Wagner was also named to the All-ACC Academic team and was named the ACC Player-of-the-Year. In July, he was selected in the second round of the MLB draft, the No. 42 overall player selected. He was No. 23 among college players and No. 16 among Power Five Conference players.

The native of Green Bay, Wis. is the first baseball player drafted who played his high school baseball at a Green Bay district public school.

Wagner was one of the great stories of college baseball in 2022, as he made significant improvement from his first year. In 2021, as a first-year freshman, he hit .214 with just two home runs and nine RBIs. His improvement of 25 home runs over the previous year is the greatest one-year improvement in Clemson history.

IPTAY Athlete of the Year: Jacob Bridgeman, Men’s Golf

The IPTAY Athlete of the Year takes into account excellence on the field and achievement in the classroom and the community. This year’s recipient is Clemson senior golfer Jacob Bridgeman.

Bridgeman was named the ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year for Men’s Golf for the second consecutive year, the first two-time recipient of the award in seven years, and just the second two-time recipient in league history. He was named to the Academic All-ACC team and the All-ACC team for the third time in his career.

Additionally, Bridgeman was the recipient of a Weaver-James-Corrigan Scholarship from the ACC for his outstanding performance in the classroom and on the course.

A native of Inman, S.C., Bridgeman was named the ACC Most Valuable Player for the season and won the ACC Championship at the league tournament in April. He was the first Clemson golfer to win the ACC Tournament since 2006.

Bridgeman finished his career with a 70.70 stroke average, second in Clemson history behind Doc Redman and set the school record for career rounds in the 60s with 50.   He won two tournaments this year in recording a 70.43 stroke average. In addition to winning the ACC Tournament, he captured the Linger Longer Invitational. That gave him five tournament wins for his career, tied for first in Clemson history.

The Clemson graduate finished second in the PGA University Rankings this year to gain full status this summer on the Korn Ferry Tour. He has made the cut in four-of-six Korn Ferry Tour events so far this year, including a fifth-place finish at the BMW Charity Pro Am in Greenville, S.C. He also made the cut at the Barbasol Championship on the PGA Tour.

Brandon Streeter Award: Justyn Ross, Football

The Brandon Streeter Award is presented each year to the Clemson student-athlete who has overcome physical injury to achieve success on the fields of competition.  It is named after Clemson’s current quarterback coach and offensive coordinator who overcame multiple injuries throughout his career (broken ankle and broken ribs among them) to lead the Tigers during the 1999 football season.

This year’s recipient is senior football wide receiver Justyn Ross. Ross won the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award as the league’s Most Courageous Player in 2021. He came back in 2022 after he suffered an injury in the spring of 2021. The injury revealed that he had a congenital neck injury that needed significant surgery.

Ross had the surgery in Pittsburgh on June 5, 2020 and sat out the entire 2020 season. He was finally cleared to play in August of 2021. He went almost 600 days without playing before coming back to start against Georgia in the 2021 season opener. His hard work at rehabilitation allowed him to become what is believed to be the first football player across all levels to play after two fusion surgeries.

Ross led Clemson in receiving this year with 46 receptions for 514 yards and three scores this year. He had a season-best eight catches for 77 yards and two scores against NC State. At the conclusion of the season, he was named one of the team’s permanent captains.

For his career, Ross finished with 158 receptions for 2,379 yards and 20 touchdowns. He is fifth in Clemson history in career touchdown receptions, 11th in total receptions and 10th in yardage.

Ross signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs this summer.

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Clemson finishes season sixth at NCAA Columbus Regional

Columbus, Ohio-Clemson finished four shots short of qualifying for the NCAA National Tournament on Wednesday after shooting a final round seven over par 291 at the NCAA Columbus Regional. The Tigers finished in a tie for sixth place, just one place …

Columbus, Ohio—Clemson finished four shots short of qualifying for the NCAA National Tournament on Wednesday after shooting a final round seven over par 291 at the NCAA Columbus Regional.    The Tigers finished in a tie for sixth place, just one place shy of the needed top five finish to advance to the national tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona later this month.

Clemson was in fourth place entering the final round, but there was a logjam of teams in contention entering the day and throughout the final round on the par 71 Ohio State University Course.

Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech were co-champions of the regional with scores of 10-under-par 842.  Ohio State took advantage of its home course to finish third with a score of 856.   Arkansas was fourth with a seven over par score of 859 and East Tennessee State was the final qualifier with an 862 score.  Clemson was tied for sixth at 14-over-par 866 with San Francisco.

Clemson, who started on the back nine for the third straight day, got off to a good start and was two-under-par as a team through the first five holes to rank in third place by two shots at five-over-par.  But holes 15-18 on the course proved to be a turning point as Clemson’s five players were 11-over-par for those holes and made just one birdie.  Clemson dropped from third to eighth place heading to the final nine.

Clemson made a comeback on the front nine playing holes 1-4 in two-under-par.   At one point with five holes to play there were six teams, including Clemson, within a shot of the five-team cutline.   But, Arkansas and East Tennessee State pulled away with fine play over the last five holes, especially the par five holes, to gain the final spots.

Jacob Bridgeman, as he has all year, led the Tigers in the final round and for the tournament with a final round 69.  He had seven birdies and five bogeys in a wild ride for the Tiger senior from Inman, SC.   He made a bounce back birdie after all five of his bogeys.

Bridgeman, ranked second in the PGA University Rankings,  recorded his 15th round in the 60s this year and it was the 50th of his Clemson career, an all-time Clemson record.    He had rounds of 72-72-69 for a 213 to lead the Tigers and finish 11th

Jacob Bridgeman named ACC Men’s Golfer of the Year

Jacob Bridgeman takes home ACC Men’s Golfer of the Year

Via Clemson Athletic Communications:

Jacob Bridgeman (Inman, S.C./Chapman) has been named the ACC Golfer of the Year. The announcement was made Wednesday by the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Bridgeman is the fifth Clemson golfer to be named the league’s top golfer. He joins Richard Couglan (1996-97), D.J. Trahan (2001-02), Kyle Stanley (2006-07) and Bryson Nimmer (2018-19). Each of the previous four selections have played on the PGA Tour.

Bridgeman has had a remarkable season with a 70.37 stroke average, 14 rounds in the 60s, 18 rounds under-par and six top 10 finishes in nine events. He has finished in the top four in each of his last five tournaments, the longest such streak by a Clemson golfer since D.J Trahan had six-straight top four finishes in 2001-02, the year he was also named ACC Golfer of the Year.

Included in the streak have been two wins for Bridgeman. He won the Linger Longer Invitational in March at Great Waters Course in Eatonton, Ga., then won the ACC Tournament at Shark’s Tooth in Panama City, Fla. in April. He won the Linger Longer by a six-shot margin, tied for the largest margin of victory in Clemson history, then won the ACC Tournament in a playoff that lasted two holes against defending champion Peter Fountain of North Carolina.

Entering the NCAA Regional Tournament, Bridgeman is ranked second nationally in the PGA University Rankings. The top five in that ranking at the end of the NCAA Tournament will receive status on the Korn Ferry Tour this summer. Bridgeman is currently ranked ninth in the latest Golfweek rankings and is 14th by Golfstat. He is the highest rated ACC player in both computer rankings.

Bridgeman was also named to the All-ACC team for the third time in his career. The only year he was not on the All-ACC team in his four years at Clemson was 2020 when no team was chosen due to the COVID-19 cancelled season. Last year he was named the ACC Golf Student-Athlete of the Year for his performance on the course and in the classroom.

The native of Inman, S.C. is ranked second in Clemson history in career stroke average at 70.73 and is first in rounds in the 60s with 49. He has five individual victories, tied for the Clemson career record with Trahan and Chris Patton.

Clemson Golfers Named ACC Golfer of the Year
1996-97:               Richard Coughlan
2001-02:                D.J. Trahan
2006-07:                Kyle Stanley
2018-19:                Bryson Nimmer
2021-22:                Jacob Bridgeman

 

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Bridgeman named ACC Men’s Golfer of the Year

Jacob Bridgeman (Inman, S.C./Chapman) has been named the ACC Golfer of the Year. The announcement was made Wednesday by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Bridgeman is the fifth Clemson golfer to be named the league’s top golfer. He joins Richard …

Jacob Bridgeman (Inman, S.C./Chapman) has been named the ACC Golfer of the Year. The announcement was made Wednesday by the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Bridgeman is the fifth Clemson golfer to be named the league’s top golfer. He joins Richard Couglan (1996-97), D.J. Trahan (2001-02), Kyle Stanley (2006-07) and Bryson Nimmer (2018-19). Each of the previous four selections have played on the PGA Tour.

Bridgeman has had a remarkable season with a 70.37 stroke average, 14 rounds in the 60s, 18 rounds under-par and six top 10 finishes in nine events. He has finished in the top four in each of his last five tournaments, the longest such streak by a Clemson golfer since D.J Trahan had six-straight top four finishes in 2001-02, the year he was also named ACC Golfer of the Year.

Included in the streak have been two wins for Bridgeman. He won the Linger Longer Invitational in March at Great Waters Course in Eatonton, Ga., then won the ACC Tournament at Shark’s Tooth in Panama City, Fla. in April. He won the Linger Longer by a six-shot margin, tied for the largest margin of victory in Clemson history, then won the ACC Tournament in a playoff that lasted two holes against defending champion Peter Fountain of North Carolina.

Entering the NCAA Regional Tournament, Bridgeman is ranked second nationally in the PGA University Rankings. The top five in that ranking at the end of the NCAA Tournament will receive status on the Korn Ferry Tour this summer. Bridgeman is currently ranked ninth in the latest Golfweek rankings and is 14th by Golfstat. He is the highest rated ACC player in both computer rankings.

Bridgeman was also named to the All-ACC team for the third time in his career. The only year he was not on the All-ACC team in his four years at Clemson was 2020 when no team was chosen due to the COVID-19 cancelled season. Last year he was named the ACC Golf Student-Athlete of the Year for his performance on the course and in the classroom.

The native of Inman, S.C. is ranked second in Clemson history in career stroke average at 70.73 and is first in rounds in the 60s with 49. He has five individual victories, tied for the Clemson career record with Trahan and Chris Patton.

Clemson Golfers Named ACC Golfer of the Year

1996-97:            Richard Coughlan

2001-02:            D.J. Trahan

2006-07:            Kyle Stanley

2018-19:            Bryson Nimmer

2021-22:            Jacob Bridgeman

–Courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications

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Bridgeman wins ACC Championship

Clemson senior Jacob Bridgeman won the ACC Championship with a birdie on the second playoff hole at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course in Panama City, Fla. on Saturday afternoon. Bridgeman is the first Clemson golfer to win the league title since 2009 when …

Clemson senior Jacob Bridgeman won the ACC Championship with a birdie on the second playoff hole at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course in Panama City, Fla. on Saturday afternoon.   Bridgeman is the first Clemson golfer to win the league title since 2009 when David May was co-champion with Matt Hill of NC State.

Clemson finished tied for ninth with Duke as a team and did not qualify for the match play portion of the tournament, which starts with the semifinals on Sunday.  The four qualifiers were North Carolina (829), Georgia Tech (838), Florida State (845) and Wake Forest (847).

Clemson now awaits an NCAA Tournament invitation on May 4.

Bridgeman had rounds of 69-66-68 for a 203 total.   The 203 total and 13-under score in relation to par tied for the second best at the ACC Tournament for a Clemson golfer.  Doc Redman’s 202 and 14-under par score in 2018 is still the standard.

Bridgeman’s 68 on Saturday included three birdies, an eagle and one bogey.  He had just one bogey in each of his three rounds.    He had 14 birdies and the eagle for the week.  The eagle was the 15th of his career, now tied for second in Clemson history.

When Bridgeman finished he had a one-shot lead over defending champion Peter Fountain of North Carolina and Christo Lamprecht of Georgia Tech.      Coming down the stretch, Lamprecht made bogey on the 14th hole to drop back to 11-under, but Fountain made birdie on the 17th hole to get to 13-under, tie Bridgeman, and force a playoff after he made par on 18.

 

Both players made par on the first playoff hole, the 18th.  Bridgeman had a six-foot birdie putt to win, but missed.  The players then went back to the 18th tee.   Fountain’s second shot went to the back of the green and Bridgeman again hit a great second shot to within seven feet.  After Fountain missed from long range,  Bridgeman made his birdie putt to win the championship.

With the victory, Bridgeman has tied the Clemson record for victories in a career with five.  Chris Patton (1986-90) and D.J. Trahan (1999-03) also had five victories.   Bridgeman also set the Clemson record for career rounds in the 60s, as he now has 49 after scoring at that level in all three rounds this weekend.  He improved his career stroke average to 70.73, just short of the Clemson career mark held by PGA professional Doc Redman (70.70)

Bridgeman, ranked fourth in the latest PGA University rankings,  is the seventh different Clemson golfer to win the ACC Championship a total of eight times.  The list of Clemson golfers to win the league title includes Parker Moore (1976), Kevin Johnson (1988), Danny Ellis (1992), Charles Warren (1997 and1998), John Engler (2001), David May (2009) and now Jacob Bridgeman (2022).

 

This was Bridgeman’s fifth consecutive top four finish, as he has finished fourth at Watersound (same course as ACC Championship), first at Linger Longer, third at Valspar Collegiate, fourth at Calusa Cup and now first at the ACC Championship.   The native of Inman, SC is the first Clemson golfer with a streak of at least five straight top four finishes since Trahan had six in a row during the 2001-02 season.  Like Bridgeman, Trahan was  from Inman, SC.

Colby Patton was Clemson’s second best golfer at the ACC Tournament with a 54-hole score of 220 to finish in 41st place.  Kyle Cottam finished 45th with a 221 score and Kian Rose was 53rd at 224.

ACC Championship Results

April 22-23, 2022

Shark’s Tooth Golf Club

Panama City, Fla.

 

Team Results for Stroke Play

  1. North Carolina 829, 2. Georgia Tech 838, 3. Florida State 845, 4. Wake Forest 847, 5.  Notre Dame   848,  6. Louisville 849,  7.  Virginia 854,  8.  NC State 858,  9.  Clemson and Duke 865,  11.  Virginia Tech 873,  12.  Boston College 884.

 

Clemson Individuals

  1. Jacob Bridgeman 69-66-68/203;   41.  Colby Patton  73-71-76/  220;  45. Kyle Cottam 75-71-75/  221;  53.  Kian Rose 70-74-80/224;  DN  Zack Gordon  76-80/156/  DN Carter Pendley  77