Clemson Selected for NCAA Golf Tournament Tiger program chosen for 31st straight year, Clemson was one of 14 teams selected to play in the NCAA Men s Golf Regional Tournament at the Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, KY on May 7. The Tigers will take part in the tournament that will run for 54 holes, May 17-19. The top five of the 14 teams will advance to the NCAA National Tournament in Pacific Palisades, CA. Clemson is the number-four seed in the tournament and will be joined by #1 seed UCLA, #2 Arkansas, #3 Texas A&M, #5 North Texas, #6 Chattanooga, #7 Memphis, #8 Virginia Tech, #9 Northwestern, #10 Iowa State, #11 Colorado State, #12 Jacksonville State, #13 Pennsylvania and #14 Alabama State. This is the 31st consecutive year the Clemson program has been selected for the NCAA Men s Golf Tournament, the 29th consecutive year under Head Coach Larry Penley. It is the longest streak of consecutive NCAA team tournament appearances in Clemson sports history. Only Oklahoma State (65) has a longer streak among Division I golf programs. We knew we would have to play well wherever we went, said Penley. The committee did a good job of spreading the top 30 teams around the six regions. I don t know much about the course, but I hear it is tough. The teams in front of us will be tough to beat. We just lost to Arkansas, North Texas and Texas A&M in the tournament in Houston. But, we did not have Corbin Mills for that event. Clemson has an outstanding history in NCAA Regional play. This is the 24th year of NCAA regional play and Clemson has won the regional championship seven times. Penley is the only Division I coach with seven regional championships. Clemson has qualified for the NCAA National tournament through the regional 19 times in the last 23 years. Clemson has won seven NCAA regional championships, second in the nation to Oklahoma State s nine. Arizona State and Arizona have six. This year s NCAA National Tournament will be played May 29 through June 3 at Pacific Palisades, CA at Riviera Country Club, the site of the PGA Tour s Northern Trust Open. Clemson enters the NCAA Regional Tournament ranked 19 th in the nation in the Golfworld Coaches poll, 20 th by Golfweek/Sagarin computer poll, and 21 st by Golfstat. The Tigers have a 100-35-3 record against all-competition in the 10 events they have played so far this year. The Tigers have won two tournaments, the USC-Aiken Cleveland Classic and the Furman Invitational, and finished second at the Jerry Pate Invitational and the Puerto Rico Classic. The Tigers were fourth at the ACC Tournament a couple of weeks ago. Clemson is led by All-America candidate Corbin Mills, who has a 70.96 stroke average this year, on pace to be fifth best in Clemson history. He leads the team in under-par rounds with 13 and has a team best eight rounds in the 60s. He has been especially successful in the final rounds of tournaments with a 69.63 average, second best in the nation. Mills has had an active spring as he has played in four tournaments for Clemson and two events on the PGA Tour, the Masters and the Heritage Classic. He is coming off a sixth-place finish at the ACC Tournament thanks to a six-under-par 210 score. He won the Jerry Pate Invitational back in October when he had a 201 score, tied for the lowest in Clemson history for a 54-hole event. Mills is currently ranked 21 st in the nation by Golfstat and 22 nd by Golfweek. He is fifth among US Players in the World Amateur rankings by Golfweek. This will be his third NCAA Tournament appearance for the Tigers. He helped Clemson to a second-place regional finish as a freshman in 2010 and a 16 th place national finish at the Honors Course in Chattanooga. Last year he finished 14 th individually at the NCAA regional in Colorado. Joining Mills at the top of the Clemson lineup will be junior classmate Crawford Reeves. The native of Greenville, SC is also a veteran of three NCAA Tournaments for the Tigers. He has finished in the top 13 of the regional tournament each of the last two years, including a team best seventh place in Colorado last year. This year Reeves is second on the team in stroke average with a 71.44 figure in six events. He missed the entire fall with a back injury, but has come on strong in the spring with 12 of his 18 rounds at par or better. He finished second at USC-Aiken and fourth at Furman, helping the Tigers to victories in both events. He is four-under-par for the spring season. Freshman Billy Kennerly has the third best stroke average as a freshman this year. His 72.37 figure is on track to be the second best by a Clemson freshman in history. He has been Mr. Consistency with a team best 16 rounds at par or better in his 30 rounds. Kennerly has had Clemson s best score of the day five times and the best tournament three times. He leads the team in pars/round with 11.63. He has been Clemson s best player or second best player in each of the last three tournaments. Thomas Bradshaw and McCuen Elmore round out the Clemson lineup. Bradshaw has a 71.72 stroke average for the spring season and has had a team best six rounds in the sixties during that time. He has shot just one-over-par for his last 18 rounds. Elmore is a senior who has played in every tournament the last two years. He has a 72.97 stroke average for the year with 12 rounds at par or better. Clemson Lineup for 2012 NCAA Regional Name Hgt Wgt Cl. Hometown Avg Sag Corbin Mills 6-3 200 Jr. Easley, SC 70.96 22 Crawford Reeves 5-9 150 Jr. Greenville, SC 71.44 92 Billy Kennerly 5-11 160 Fr. Alpharetta, GA 72.37 128 Thomas Bradshaw 5-9 160 So. Columbia, SC 73.15 234 McCuen Elmore 6-1 185 Gr. Cheraw, SC 72.97 197 Quick Facts on the Clemson Tigers This is Clemson s 31 st straight NCAA Tournament appearance, second longest streak in the nation. Only Oklahoma State s streak of 65 in a row is longer. Five different players have scored in the 60s this year, led by Corbin Mills 65 at the Jerry Pate and Crawford Reeves 66 at the ACC Tournament. Five different players have had top 10 finishes as well, led by Corbin Mills with three. Number-five player Thomas Bradshaw has seven rounds in the 60s, second best on the team and just one less than number-one player Corbin Mills has recorded. Mills has a 69.63 stroke average in final rounds of tournaments, second best in the nation. Corbin Mills has had the best score of the day 11 times this year, but Crawford Reeves is just behind with 10 top scores of the day. That is quite an accomplishment considering Reeves has only played in the Spring. He has been the top Tiger 10 of his 18 rounds. Mills and Reeves are both under-par for the year. Mills is 13-under for his 24 rounds and Reeves is four under for his 18 rounds. Clemson has been under par as a team in five events this year, but four of the six in the spring. Clemson is 28-under-par as a team for the six events Crawford Reeves has played and 41-over-par for the four events he has not played this year. Billy Kennerly has finished in the top 25 in each of his last nine events. Only a 47 th place finish in the first tournament, the Carpet Classic, is out of the top 25 on Kennerly s resume. Crawford Reeves has shot par or better in the second round in each of his six events this year. He is 14-under-par for his six second-rounds this year. Corbin Mills has finished in the top 25 in all eight of his Clemson tournaments this year, including a pair of top 10s entering the NCAAs. As a team, Clemson has shot under par as a team in 10 of 18 rounds. Clemson has 14 under-par team rounds for the year, already the most since the 2003-04 team had 16 for the year. Individually, Clemson has 55 under-par rounds this year, already the most since the 2003-04 team had 58. Clemson individuals had 505 birdies in 177 rounds last year. The Tigers have 503 in 159 rounds so far this year. Three Tigers Graduate on May 11 Three members of the Clemson golf team graduated from the institution on Friday. The three seniors are David Dannelly, Alex Boyd and Brewer Bradshaw. McCuen Elmore, who will play in the NCAA Tournament lineup, graduated in December. Mills Named All-ACC Clemson junior Corbin Mills was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference golf team on May 10. It is the first selection for Mills, who leads the team with a 70.96 stroke average this season, on pace to be the fourth best in Clemson history. Mills has 13 under-par rounds, including eight rounds in the 60s, helping the Tigers to an NCAA Tournament bid for the 31 st consecutive year. Clemson begins play in the NCAAs on May 17 in Bowling Green, KY. Mills won the US Public Links Championship last summer to qualify for the 2012 Masters. He also played in the 2012 RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour. He won the Jerry Pate Invitational last October with a 201 score, tied for the lowest 54-hole score in Clemson history. He recently finished sixth at the ACC Tournament. Earlier this spring, Mills was named to the 2012 United States Palmer Cup team and was one of 10 semifinalists for the Ben Hogan Award. His career stroke average of 72.45 is seventh best in school his- www.clemsontigers.com 2011-12 Clemson Tiger Golf 1
tory. This is the first time Mills has been named All-ACC. He has been a Ping All-Regional selection each of his first two years. The all-region and All-America teams will be announced in early June. Clemson in Top 25 of Polls Clemson is ranked 20 th by Golfweek/Sagarin and 21 st according to Golfstat, in the latest polls entering the NCAA Men s Golf regional action on May 17. Clemson was 19 th in the April 25 Golf World Coach s poll, but there is another poll slated to be released two days prior to the start of regional action. Clemson has been in the top 25 of all polls this year with a high of #12 in the Golf World Coaches poll on September 28, 2011. Golfstat Golfweek Rk Team Rk Team 1. Texas 1. Texas 2. California 2. Alabama 3. UCLA 3. Auburn 4. Alabama 4. UCLA 5. Auburn 5. Southern Cal 6. Southern Cal 6. Oregon 7. Oregon 7. California 8. Stanford 8. Stanford 9. UNLV 9. Georgia Tech 10. North Florida 10. Arkansas 11. Arkansas 11. Texas A&M 12. Georgia Tech 12. North Florida 13. Washington 13. Washington 14. San Diego State 14. San Diego State 15. Texas A&M 15. UNLV 16. New Mexico 16. New Mexico 17. Florida 17. Kent State 18. Kent State 18. Florida 19. Virginia 19. Duke 20. Duke 20. Clemson 21. Clemson 21. Virginia 22. UCF 22. UCF 23. Florida State 23. LSU 24. Georgia 24. Florida State 25. LSU 25. Georgia The Olde Stone Club The Olde Stone Club will be the site for Clemson s regional competition May 17-19. The course was designed by Arthur Hill and was opened in 2006. This will be the second time an NCAA Regional has been held at Olde Stone Club in Alvaton, KY. The course is a par 72 that is 7,248 yards with a par 36 on each side. The front side is much longer at 3,698 yards and the back is 3,550. The course has Bentgrass fairways and greens. The course is about a seven-hour drive from Clemson. In the previous NCAA Regional at the Olde Stone Club, UCLA won the tournament with an 863 score, one-under-par. Washington (870), Georgia Tech (880), Ohio State (880) and Duke (881) joined UCLA as the five qualifiers from the Olde Stone Club. Matt Hill was the individual medalist with a 212 score, four under par. Only six players shot under par for the 54 holes. Clemson in Kentucky Clemson will make its first trip to the state of Kentucky for a golf tournament since 1993. That year Clemson played in the NCAA National Tournament at The Champions in Lexington, KY. The Tigers finished fourth out of the 30 teams in that tournament. The Tigers had two top 10 finishers at that tournament, a third place from number-five player Thump Delk, and a seventh-place from number-four player Mark Swygert. Clemson vs. Regional Field Clemson has competed against seven of the 14 teams in the field for the regional in Bowling Green, KY. Clemson has played each of the top eight sees (not including #4 Clemson obviously) and has a 6-6-1 record with a +4 total stroke margin against those seven teams. That calls for a close tournament when it comes to making the five-team cut. Clemson has played #8 seed Virginia Tech the most and has a 3-1-1 record against the Hokies. The tie came the last time the two teams met, at the ACC Tournament at The Old North State Club, April 20-22. Clemson has not been in the same tournament this year with the bottom six teams in the field. It should be noted that four of the losses came when Corbin Mills was out of the lineup playing in the Masters and The Heritage on the PGA Tour. Clemson vs. the Regional Sd Team W-L Mar 1. UCLA 0-1 +16 2. Arkansas 0-1 +22 3. Texas A&M 1-1 +12 5. North Texas 0-1 +21 6. Chattanooga 2-0 -24 7. Memphis 0-1 +1 8. Virginia Tech 3-1-1-44 Totals 6-6-1 +4 Clemson Regional History Clemson has an outstanding history in NCAA Regional play. This is the 24th year of NCAA regional play and Clemson has won the regional championship seven times. Head Coach Larry Penley is the only Division I coach with seven regional championships. Clemson has qualified for the NCAA National tournament through the regional 19 times in the last 23 years. Clemson has won seven NCAA regional championships, second in the nation to Oklahoma State, who has won nine. Arizona State and Arizona are tied for third behind Clemson and Oklahoma State with six apiece. Two Clemson individuals have won medallist honors at NCAA regional play over the years. Mark Swygert won the regional title at the East Regional at Grand National in Opelika, AL in 1994, helping the Tigers to the team title, and D.J. Trahan won the individual title at the East Regional in 2002 at Settindown Creek in Roswell, GA. Clemson has been involved in two playoffs for the last spot out of a regional field. Clemson won a playoff with Mississippi State in 1999 at Barrington, RI, and lost a playoff for the last spot against Coastal Carolina at Alpharetta, GA in 2007. Clemson Year by Year at NCAA Regional Year Reg Site Score Finish 1989 East Long Bay, Myrtle Beach, SC 886 (+22) 4 th of 19 1990 East Savannah Resort, Wilmington Is, GA 865 (+1) 7 th of 23 1991 East Yale, New Haven, CT 875 (+35) 4 th of 23 1992 East Colgate, Hamilton, NY 879 (+15) 4 th of 22 1993 East Birdwood, Charlottesville, VA 849 (-15) 1 st of 23 1994 East Grant National, Opelika, AL 868 (+4) 1 st of 23 1995 East Yale, New Haven, CT 857 (+17) 1 st of 21 1996 East Monster, West Point, NY 907 (+43) 8 th of 23 1997 East Cascades, Hot Springs, VA 876 (+36) 2 nd of 23 1998 East Melrose, Daufuskie Island, SC 844 (-20) 2 nd of 23 1999 East Rhode Island CC, Barrington, RI 876 (+24) 10 th of 23 2000 East Glenmaura, Moosic, PA 871 (+19) 1 st of 27 2001 East Green Course, Williamsburg, VA 842 (-22) 4 th of 27 2002 East Settindown Creek, Roswell, GA 876 (+12) 1 st of 27 2003 East Auburn, Auburn, AL 839 (-25) 1 st of 27 2004 East Yale, New Haven, CT 856 (+16) 1 st of 27 2005 East Golf Club of Tenn., Nashville, TN 852 (E) 11 th of 27 2006 Cent San Ridge, Cleveland, OH 881 (+29) 8 th of 27 2007 East Golf Club of Georgia, Alpharetta, GA 884 (+20) 10 th of 27 2008 West Gold Mountain, Bremerton, WA 867 (+3) 3 rd of 27 2009 East Galloway National, Galloway, NJ 908 (+56) 9 th of 14 2010 SE Capital City Club, Alpharetta, GA 843 (+3) 2 nd of 13 2011 SC Colorado National, Erie, CO 859 (-5) 7th of 13 Clemson did not advance from regional in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 NCAA Golf Regional Championships School Years No Oklahoma State 1989-90-97-02-03-06-09-10-11 9 Clemson 1993-94-95-00-02-03-04 7 Arizona 1991-91-92-93-00-06 6 Arizona State 1991-95-98-99-01-09 6 Florida 1989-92-06-09-10 5 Georgia Tech 1991-98-99-02 4 Texas 1992-94-00-10 4 UCLA 2003-04-09-11 4 UNLV 1990-94-97-05 4 Kent State 1993-01-10 3 Oklahoma 1989-95-02 3 Wake Forest 2005-06-06 3 Auburn 1990-97 2 www.clemsontigers.com 2011-12 Clemson Tiger Golf 2
Georgia 2007-08 2 New Mexico 1998-02 2 Purdue 2001-02 2 Stanford 1996-10 2 Washington 2002-10 2 Alabama 2009 1 Arkansas 1991 1 Augusta State 2005 1 Duke 2011 1 ETSU 2001 1 Houston 1998 1 Kentucky 2004 1 Michigan 2011 1 Minnesota 1999 1 NC State 1996 1 Oregon 2010 1 San Diego State 2011 1 Southern California 2008 1 South Carolina 2007 1 Texas Tech 2010 1 Texas A&M 1996 1 Tulsa 2007 1 UCF 2009 1 Mills Played in Two PGA Tour Events Corbin Mills has had an active spring season. The junior from Easley, SC has played four events for the Clemson golf team and two events on the PGA Tour. Mills qualified for the 2012 Masters by winning the 2011 United States Public Links Championship. He had rounds of 74-81 at the Masters for a 155 total, 11 over par. The following week he played in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, SC. He had rounds of 72-74 for a 146 total, four over par. He missed the cut by just one shot and finished tied for 72 nd. Mills got into the Heritage by winning the 2011 Players Amateur at Bluffton, SC. Mills has played just one event for Clemson since March 19, the ACC Tournament where he finished sixth with rounds of 73-68-69 for a six under par 210 score. Tiger Veterans in NCAA Play Four of the five players in the lineup for Clemson at the NCAA Regional in Bowling Green, KY have NCAA Tournament experience. Corbin Mills and Crawford Reeves have both played in three NCAAs, one national and two regionals, while McCuen Elmore and Thomas Bradshaw played in last year s regional in Colorado. Mills has a 72.56 stroke average for his nine NCAA Tournament rounds, an average that is ninth best in school history in NCAA play (regionals and Nationals combined). Kyle Stanley owns the record at 71.30 for 20 career rounds. Mills average in NCAA Tournament play is just off his career average at Clemson (72.45). He finished 14 th at last year s NCAA regional in Colorado with a 214 score. Reeves has a solid 73.11 average for his nine rounds and three tournaments. He got his NCAA career off to a great start with a 13 th place the regional in Alpharetta, GA his freshman year (2010) with a 212 score. He was seventh, Clemson s best golfer, at the regional last year. So he has two top 15 regional finishes under his belt. Elmore shot a 221 total in his only regional appearance last year in Colorado and Bradshaw shot a 223 score for a seven over score. Clemson Players in NCAA Tournament Competition Player Trn Rds 60s Par -Par Strks Avg Corbin Mills 3 9 1 2 3 653 72.56 Crawford Reeves 3 9 2 1 3 658 73.11 McCuen Elmore 1 3 0 0 1 221 73.67 Thomas Bradshaw 1 3 0 1 0 223 74.33 Last Year at NCAA Regional Crawford Reeves fired a two-under-par 70 to record a top 10 individual finish, but the Clemson Tigers failed to advance from the Central Regional at Erie, CO. Clemson finished seventh among the 13 teams at the Colorado National Golf Club with a score of five under par 861. The Tigers were tied for third entering the final round, but had just a two shot lead over the fifth place team in the competitive event. The Tigers had a one over par team round of 289 on Saturday. Clemson needed a 287 to force a playoff for the final spot. The top five teams in the field, Oklahoma State (-31), Colorado State (-13), Northwestern (-9), Georgia (-7) and Arizona State (-7), all advance to the NCAA Championships at Stillwater, OK May 31 to June 5. Northwestern had the best round of the day with a 12 under par 276 score to vault past the Tigers. Colorado State also went past the Tigers on the last day and finished in second place. Clemson was two shots off the cut line for most of the last three hours of play and just could not get over the hump on the final holes. Clemson played the back nine in 11-under par on Friday to vault into third place after 36 holes. But the Tigers played the last nine holes in even par on Saturday and thus failed to make the comeback the Tigers had visualized. Reeves had the top round of the day with a two under par 70. He finished the tournament at five under par 211 for the 54 holes, good enough for seventh place. It was his third top 10 finish in the last five events. He had four birdies and two bogeys on Saturday. Classmate Corbin Mills had an even par 72 on Saturday. After shooting a two over par 38 on the front, he rallied with a two under score on the back. He had birdies on the 11th, 12th and 17th holes on the back side. He finished in 13th place with a 54 hole score of 214, two under par. Clemson National Player Rankings Corbin Mills #21 on Golfstat Cup #17 in scoring vs. par (-0.54) #18 in scoring average (70.96) #6 in subpar strokes/round 9 th in putts on greens in regulation (1.76) #2 in birdie conversion %,.360 #2 in final round scoring average (69.63) Crawford Reeves #19 in sand saves, 60 percent #8 in fewest double bogeys/ round 0.17 *#97 in Golfstat Cup Billy Kennerly #23 in Fairways hitting % 77.7 percent Thomas Bradshaw #1 in birdie conversion,.372 #1 in putts on greens in regulation, 1.722 #3 in fewest putts per round, 28.52 #17 in sand saves, 61.1 percent Reeves Has Had a Positive Impact Clemson junior Crawford Reeves has had a positive effect on the Clemson golf team this spring. He missed the fall season with a back injury, but has played in every event this spring. He has a 71.44 stroke average for the spring and obviously the academic year, second to Corbin Mills 70.96. As you can see by the chart below he has had an impact on the team performance. Clemson has gone from a 69 percent winning percentage in the fall to 76 percent in the spring. The team stroke average has improved from 72.35 to 71.28. The team was 41-over-par for the four events in the fall and is 28-under-par for six events in the spring. Clemson won two events this spring and has another second place. Clemson Team Improvement in Spring Category Fall Spring W-L 33-14-2 67-21-1 Pct.694.758 Wins 0 2 Top Four Finishes 1 of 4 4 of 6 Team Stroke Avg. 72.35 71.28 Under Par Team Rds 4 of 12 10 of 18 Team vs. Par +41-28 Clemson Has Played 12 th Toughest Schedule Clemson has played the 12 th most difficult schedule in the nation according to the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. Clemson has a schedule rating of 72.29, just below Florida s at 72.28. Oklahoma State has the toughest schedule at a 71.61 rating. Clemson has played against 48 of the 80 other teams in the NCAA Tournament this year. www.clemsontigers.com 2011-12 Clemson Tiger Golf 3
Top Schedules According to Golfweek/Sagarin Rk Team Rating 1. Oklahoma State 71.61 2. Stanford 71.67 3. Southern California 71.78 4. Alabama 71.78 5. Texas 71.81 6. UCLA 71.86 7. Auburn 71.95 8. Duke 72.17 9. Georgia Tech 72.21 10. Washington 72.26 11. Florida 72.28 12. Clemson 72.29 13. Augusta State 72.31 14. Arizona State 72.36 15. Virginia 72.36 Penley Has Seven Regional Titles Clemson Head Coach Larry Penley has taken Clemson to the NCAA Tournament all 29 years he has been the head coach of the Tigers program. That is a Clemson coaching record in any sport for consecutive years taking a program to the NCAAs. In fact it is more than double the previous record of 14 consecutive years, set by current baseball coach Jack Leggett, who took the Tigers to the NCAA baseball tournament every year between 1994-2007. As far as the Clemson golf program is concerned, the streak is 31 consecutive years in the NCAAs. Bobby Robinson took Clemson to the NCAA golf tournament in 1982 and 1983, the two years previous to Penley s arrival as head coach. Ironically, the last year Clemson did not make the NCAA Tournament was 1981, Penley s senior year as a player. He was Clemson s top player that year, made first-team All-ACC and won two tournaments. Consecutive Years Leading Clemson to NCAA Team Tournament Bid Sport Coach Years Tot Golf Larry Penley 1984-201 29 Baseball Jack Leggett 1994-2007 14 Men s Tennis Chuck Kriese 1979-89 11 W. Tennis Nancy Harris 2002-11 11 M. Soccer D. I.M. Ibrahim 1972-79 8 W. Soccer Todd Bramble 2001-07 7 W. Basketball Jim Davis 1988-94 7 Jim Davis 1996-02 7 Baseball Bill Wilhelm 1987-93 7 M. Tennis Chuck Kriese 1994-00 7 Active coaches in bold Consecutive Years Receiving Team NCAA Bid Sport Coaches Years Tot Golf Robinson, Penley 1982-2012 31 Baseball Wilhelm, Leggett 1987-2007 21 W. Soccer Leone, Bramble 1994-2007 14 W. Tennis Nancy Harris 2002-2012 12 M. Tennis Chuck Kriese 1979-89 11 M. Soccer Dr. I.M. Ibrahim 1972-79 8 Stanley Leads Tigers on Tour in 2012 Clemson has had six players in PGA Tour events in 2012. Kyle Stanley has been the most successful with a victory at the Waste Management Invitational in Phoenix. That victory took place one week after he lost in a playoff in San Diego. He has already won over $2 million this year and ranks eighth on the PGA Tour in FedEx Cup Points and the PGA Tour money list. Jonathan Byrd has played in 10 events this year and won $888,370 to rank 40 th on the PGA Tour money list. D.J. Trahan is also in the top 125 in money earned with $328,410. Lucas Glover has played just six events in an injury plagued season. Tommy Biershenk has won $84,875 in 13 events. He has made seven cuts. Sam Saunders has made one cut in three events. Stanley is the only former Tiger to gain a victory this year. Byrd has a third-place finish and three overall top 10s, including a ninth place at the recent Wells Fargo Invitational in Charlotte. When Stanley won his event earlier this year it gave former Tigers at least one victory in nine consecutive years. Only Arizona State (Phil Mickelson) can match that streak. Tigers on PGA Tour in 2012 Players Trn Cut Best Top 25 Top 10 Avg Earnings Rk Jonathan Byrd 10 7 3 3 3 71.18 $888,370 40 Lucas Glover 6 3 66 - - 73.25 $34,950 211 Kyle Stanley 12 8 1 5 2 70.77 $2,008,919 8 D.J. Trahan 11 3 4 1 1 72.22 $328,410 107 Sam Saunders 3 1 69 - - 73.40 $12,224 -- Tommy Biershenk 13 7 50 0 0 72.82 $84,875 181 Mills Named to United States Palmer Cup Team First Tiger to Play in Palmer Cup since 2004 Clemson junior Corbin Mills has been named to the United States Palmer Cup team. The Palmer Cup is an annual Ryder Cup-style competition between college age golfers from the United States and Europe. This year s Palmer Cup will be held June 28-30 in Newcastle, Northern Ireland at Royal County Down Golf Club. Mills will be joined on the team by Blayne Barber of Auburn, UNLV s Derek Ernst, Patrick Rodgers and Andrew Yun of Stanford, Alabama s Justin Thomas, James White of Georgia Tech and Washington s Chris Williams comprise Team USA. Josh Gregory of SMU was previously announced as the United States Coach. Georgia Tech s Christian Newton will serve as his assistant. I am very honored to coach the caliber of players on this team, said Gregory. We will be taking a team to Europe that has past Palmer Cup and Walker Cup experience, which will be a huge asset. We greatly look forward to the opportunity to bring the Cup back home to the U.S. The United States has an 8-6-1 lead in the series, including victories each of the last two years. Mills will be the first Clemson golfer to play in the Palmer Cup since the summer of 2004 when Jack Ferguson was a member of the United States team that was coached by Clemson Head Coach Larry Penley. Mills will be the ninth Clemson golfer to play in the Palmer Cup overall. Seven have played for the United States and two (Richard Coughlan and Michael Hoey) have played for the European team. Jonathan Byrd, now in his 10 th year on the PGA Tour, has been Clemson s best golfer in the Palmer Cup with a 7-0-1 career record, including a 4-0 mark in 1999. He is one of 13 golfers in the history of the event to post a perfect 4-0 mark. D.J. Trahan was captain of the US team in 2002 and posted a 3-0-1 record, helping the US to a victory. John Engler played in the Palmer Cup from 1999-2001 and is the only Clemson golfer to play in three different Palmer Cups. Lucas Glover posted a 3-1 record in 2001. Mills will take part in the Palmer Cup nearly a full month after the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament. So far this year he has a 70.96 stroke average, on pace to be the fifth best in Clemson history. He is currently ranked as the fifth best United States amateur. He is the reigning champion of the United States Public Links Championship, a victory that qualified him for the 2012 Masters, and the reigning champion of the Players Amateur. He won the Jerry Pate Invitational this past October. He is the top player on Clemson s 19 th ranked team that awaits an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Bids will be extended on May 7. Clemson s Palmer Cup History Year Player Team W-L-T 1997 Charles Warren United States 2-2 Richard Coughlan GBI 1-3 1999 Jonathan Byrd United States 4-0 John Engler United States 1-3 Michael Hoey GBI 0-4 2000 Jonathan Byrd United States 3-0-1 John Engler United States 1-2-1 Lucas Glover United States 1-3 2001 John Engler United States 3-0-1 Lucas Glover United States 3-1 2002 D.J. Trahan United States 3-0-1 2004 Jack Ferguson United States 1-2-1 Mills Semifinalist for Ben Hogan Award. Clemson junior Corbin Mills was one of 10 semifinalists for the Ben Hogan Award. The Ben Hogan Award is presented annually to the top men s Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer taking into account all collegiate and amateur competitions during the previous 12 months (May to May). The Ben Hogan Award selection committee represents leaders in professional, amateur and collegiate golf. The award was first issued in 1990 and Clemson has had two winners in the past, D.J. Trahan in 2002 and Kyle Stanley in 2009. Both www.clemsontigers.com 2011-12 Clemson Tiger Golf 4
won the award during their junior years and Mills is a junior this year. Mills has a 70.96 stroke average this year for Clemson, including a victory at the Jerry Pate Invitational in October when he tied a Clemson record with a 201 total for 54 holes. He also won two major amateur events last summer, the US Public Links, which qualified him for the 2012 Masters, and the Players Amateur, which qualified him for the Heritage on the PGA Tour. Mills was not selected as a finalist when the announcement was made on May 10. 2012 Ben Hogan Semifinalists Name School CL Coll Amat Blayne Barber Auburn Jr. 8 35 Julien Brun TCU Fr. 10 81 Patrick Cantlay UCLA So. 13 1 Dylan Frittelli Texas Sr. 2 31 Corbin Mills Clemson Jr. 21 6 Cheng-Tsung Pan Washington Fr. 29 24 Patrick Rodgers Stanford Fr. 3 3 Jordan Spieth Texas Fr. 1 40 Justin Thomas Alabama Fr. 4 14 Chris Williams Washington Jr. 6 6 Coll-Denotes Sagarin College Rankings, Amat-denotes Golfweek US Amateur Rankings, Mills Wins Jerry Pate Intercollegiate Corbin Mills shot a final round 67 to win medalist honors and lead Clemson to a tie for second at the Jerry Pate Intercollegiate Golf Tournament at the Old Overton Course in Birmingham, AL on October 4, 2011. The Tigers finished tied for second with Alabama with an 856 score on the par 70 course. Mills had the low tournament of his Clemson career and in fact tied the Clemson record for low 54-hole score. He had rounds of 65-69-67 to finish with a 201, tying the record of 201 shot by Lucas Glover at the same Jerry Pate Intercollegiate in 2000, and by D.J. Trahan at the 2003 Augusta State Invitational. Mills now has four straight rounds in the 60s over two tournaments, tying another Clemson record held by many players. He was the first Clemson golfer to have three rounds in the 60s in the same tournament since Kyle Stanley had three rounds in the 60s at the 2007 NCAA Championships. The native of Easley, SC was outstanding all week on the par four and par three holes. He shot seven-under-par on the par four holes, three shots better than anyone else in the field, and shot four-under on the par three holes, also three shots better than anyone else in the field of 60 golfers. Mills entered the day in a tie for first at six-under-par with University of Texas freshman Jordan Speith, a two-time Junior Amateur Champion. Playing together, Mills defeated Speith by nine shots in the final round. But, Speith s teammate, Dylan Frittelli had a solid 68 on Tuesday to give Mills a challenge. Frittelli, playing one group ahead of Mills, led Mills by a shot coming to the 17 th hole. But, Frittelli double bogeyed the hole and Mills made par. Mills then birdied the 18 th hole to win the individual title by two shots. It was his 17 th birdie of the tournament, more than any other player. He hit a five iron from 215 yards to within four feet of the cup on the last hole, then made the birdie. The putt was big for the team competition as well as it allowed Clemson to tie Alabama for second place. Byrd Finalist for Strickland Award Jim Anderson of Texas A&M, Clemson s Jordan Byrd and Shane Warren of LSU were named finalists for the 2012 Jan Strickland Award presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf as selected by the GCAA. The Strickland Award is presented to the NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA or NJCAA assistant coach that, among other things, has excelled in working with their student-athletes both on the course and in the classroom. Byrd is in his seventh year as Clemson assistant golf coach. From recruiting to golf instruction to facility enhancement to overall administration of the program, Byrd has had a positive influ ence at Clemson. In his first six years with the program, Clemson has finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships three times, a number-seven finish in 2006 and a number-five finish in 2008 and a 16th place finish in 2010. The program has had a US Public Links Champion, a US Amateur runnerup and two runner-up finishes at the NCAA Tournament. This was the second year he has been recognized by the Strickland Award Committee. He was one of 10 semifinalists in 2010. Kennerly On Pace for Second Best Freshman Stroke Average Clemson freshman Billy Kennerly is on pace to record the second best freshman scoring average in school history. He has 2171 strokes in 30 rounds for a 72.37 average. That figure is sandwiched between two current PGA Tour pros, Kyle Stanley and D.J. Trahan. Stanley had a 70.87 stroke average for 31 rounds in 2006-07, a year in which he finished second at the NCAA National Championship. Trahan had a 72.48 average for 31 rounds in 1999-00, just below Kennerly s average. Kennerly is ahead of Lucas Glover (72.68), and Jonathan Byrd (73.89) as well. Kennerly leads he team in rounds of par or better with 16, as he has 11-under par-rounds and five at par. He has been Mr. Consistency with 26 of his 30 rounds at 75 or better, including each of his last 23. He is 23-over-par for the year and has nine straight top 25 finishes, including four top 15s in his last eight. Kennerly also has an impressive ranking when it comes to percentage of rounds at par or better. He has 16 of his 30 rounds so far this year at par or better and that is third on the team. Clemson Top Freshman Averages Rk Player Year Rds Stks Avg. 1. Kyle Stanley 2006-07 31 2197 70.87 2. Billy Kennerly 2011-12 30 2171 72.37 3. D.J. Trahan 1999-00 31 2247 72.48 4. John Engler 1997-98 34 2469 72.62 5. Lucas Glover 1997-98 31 2253 72.68 6. Corbin Mills 2009-10 32 2338 73.06 7. Gregg Jones 2000-01 28 2056 73.43 8. Ben Martin 2006-07 23 1690 73.48 9. Chris Patton 1986-87 33 2427 73.55 Vince Hatfield 2005-06 22 1618 73.55 Mills and Reeves Both Among Best Stroke Averages Clemson juniors Crawford Reeves and Corbin Mills are in the middle of two of the best stroke average seasons in Clemson history. Mills has a 70.96 average for the 24 rounds he has played, fourth best in school history, while Reeves has a 71.44 average for his 18 rounds, 13 th best in school history. The record is 70.33 set in 2001-02 by D.J. Trahan. That was Trahan s junior season, the year he won the Ben Hogan Award. Stanley s 70.871 that is second best was achieved during his freshman year. Mills is on pace to have just the fourth season under 71.00. As you can see by the chart below, Mills is also seventh in Clemson history in career stroke average with a 72.45 figure. He is just ahead of Jonathan Byrd, who had a 72.48 stroke average from 1996-00. Clemson Top Season Averages Rk Player Year Rds Stks Avg. 1. D.J. Trahan 2001-02 40 2813 70.33 2. Kyle Stanley 2006-07 31 2197 70.871 3. John Engler 2000-01 39 2764 70.872 4. Corbin Mills 2011-12 24 1703 70.96 5. Matt Hendrix 2003-04 35 2485 71.00 6. D.J. Trahan 2002-03 39 2771 71.05 7. Lucas Glover 2000-01 39 2776 71.18 8. Lucas Glover 1999-00 37 2636 71.24 9. Charles Warren 1997-98 39 2780 71.28 10. John Engler 1999-00 40 2853 71.33 11. Jack Ferguson 2002-03 39 2784 71.38 12. Jack Ferguson 2003-04 38 2713 71.39 13. Crawford Reeves 2011-12 18 1286 71.44 14. Kyle Stanley 2008-09 33 2358 71.45 15. Jonathan Byrd 1999-00 37 2648 71.57 Min 15 rounds played Clemson Top Career Averages Rk Player Year Rds Stks Avg. 1. D.J. Trahan 1999-03 143 10,223 71.49 2. Kyle Stanley 2006-09 100 7,163 71.63 3. John Engler 1997-01 153 10,983 71.78 4. Lucas Glover 1997-01 147 10,576 71.95 5. Matt Hendrix 2001-04 111 8,010 72.16 6. Jack Ferguson 2001-05 131 9,486 72.41 7. Corbin Mills 2009-12 86 6231 72.45 8. Jonathan Byrd 1996-00 155 11,233 72.48 9. Gregg Jones 2000-04 142 10,317 72.65 10. Chris Patton 1986-90 139 10,106 72.71 www.clemsontigers.com 2011-12 Clemson Tiger Golf 5
Tigers Had Four Players in Masters Clemson had four players in the 2012 Masters, the most in school history and the second most among schools nationally. Only Oklahoma State with five former players had more than Clemson. Arizona State and ACC rival Georgia Tech had three apiece. Former Tigers Jonathan Byrd, Lucas Glover and Kyle Stanley all played in the 2012 Masters, as well as current Tiger Corbin Mills. Mills joined Chris Patton, D.J. Trahan and Ben Martin as active Clemson golfers to play in the Masters. Byrd was the only former Tiger to make the cut. He had rounds of 72-71-72-75 and his 290 score finished 27 th in the field. That ranks as the third best total score by a former Clemson golfer at the Masters. Only a 282 by Dillard Pruitt in 1992 and Byrd s 288 score in 2003 are better. As far as finishes are concerned. Byrd s 27th place finish was the fourth best, trailing his own eighth place at the 2003 Masters, Pruitt s 13th place finish in 1992 and Lucas Glover s 20 th place in 2007. As far as any Major is concerned, Byrd s 27th place finish was the 13th best by a former Clemson golfer. As stated above, it is the fourth top 30 at the Masters. There have been three top 30s at the British Open, four top 30s at the US Open and two top 30s at the PGA. This was Byrd s fifth top 30 finish at a Major, second behind Lucas Glover. Kyle Stanley had rounds of 75-76 for a 151 total, while Glover had rounds of 75-79 for a 154 total. Corbin Mills had rounds of 74-81 to finish at 155. Mills 155 score was the exact same as former Clemson teammate Ben Martin in 2010. 2012 Masters Field by United States School Rk School (No) Players 1. Oklahoma State (5), Rickie Fowler, Charles Howell, Hunter Mahan, Bo Van Pelt, Scott Verplank 2. Clemson (4) Jonathan Byrd, Lucas Glover, Corbin Mills (A), Kyle Stanley 3. Arizona State (3) Paul Casey, Phil Mickelson, Chez Reavie Georgia Tech (3) Stuart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Larry Mize 5. UCLA (2) Patrick Cantley, Kevin Chappell Houston (2) Fred Couples, Anders Hansen Texas (2) Ben Crenshaw, Harrison Frazer Arizona (2) Jim Furyk, Rory Sabbatini Wake Forest (2) Bill Haas, Webb Simpson Georgia (2) Bryden Macpherson, Bubba Watson Stanford (2) Tom Watson, Tiger Woods Pipeline to the PGA Clemson had six former players who were exempted or had conditional status on the PGA Tour in 2011, the seventh straight year Clemson has had at least four players on Tour. The list included Charles Warren, Jonathan Byrd, Lucas Glover, D.J. Trahan, Ben Martin and Kyle Stanley. Clemson has been in the top 10 in the nation in producing PGA Tour players five of the last six years. Clemson has five players fully exempt on the PGA Tour in 2012. In addition to veterans Byrd, Glover, Trahan and Stanley, Tommy Biershenk qualified for the tour with a fifth place finish at Q school in 2011. Charles Warren will also have some status in 2012. Jonathan Byrd (5), Lucas Glover (3) and D.J. Trahan (2) have combine for 10 PGA Tour wins since 2002. Trahan won the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in January of 2008 and then finished fourth at the United States Open. Byrd won the Justin Timberlake Invitational with a hole in one on the third playoff hole in 2010, the only time in PGA Tour history that has happened. He then won the first event of the 2011 season when he won the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Maui in another playoff. He was the first golfer to win consecutive PGA Tour events since Tiger Woods in 2009. A Clemson golfer has won at least one PGA Tour event nine consecutive years (every year since and including the 2004 season). In 2011, two different Tigers won an event last year, as Jonathan Byrd won the season opening Hyndai Classic in Maui and Lucas Glover won the Wells Fargo Invitational in Charlotte. That was the first time two different golfers from Clemson won an event in the same year. This year, Kyle Stanley won the Waste Management Invitational in Phoenix. Clemson, and Arizona State have all had former players win at least one tournament eight consecutive years entering the 2012 season. UNLV could join the list if a former Rebel wins an even this year. Lucas Glover won the 2009 United States Open to become the first former Tiger to win a professional Major. Glover defeated the World s number-one and two players in Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, respectively. Glover then finished fifth at the PGA in August and was ninth in the final PGA money ranking. He also helped the United States to the President s Cup championship and won the PGA Grand Slam in October. Michael Hoey finished 25 th in the European Tour in 2011 and won two events, including a victory over Rory McIlroy at the Dunhill Cup. He has already won an event in 2012. Poll Presence *The history of college golf polls is not very long, but since they have had in-season polls, Clemson has been omnipresent. Between 1996 and 2004, Clemson ranked in the final top 10 eight of nine seasons and in the top 20 each year. That includes a streak of seven consecutive seasons with a top five finish from 1997-03. *Clemson had a streak of 105 consecutive polls ranked in the top 10 in the nation between December 4, 1996 through May 7, 2004. Within that streak, Clemson was ranked in the top five in the nation for 62 consecutive polls between March 11, 1998 and June 15, 2001, and for 89 of 90 polls between March 11, 1998 and May 7, 2004. *As far as individuals are concerned, Clemson has had 27 players ranked in the top 25 of the final Sagarin computer rankings since 1996. The highest final ranking for a player is a number-two finish by D.J. Trahan in 2002 and 2003. He was named a first-team All-American each year. Kyle Stanley finished fifth in 2009. Clemson has been in the top 25 of 180 of the last 192 Golf Coaches Association polls and in the top 10 in 132 of the last 192. Clemson in the Golf Coaches Association Poll Since 1996-97 Year Polls Top 25 Top 20 Top 10 Top 5 #1 1996-97 12 12 12 11 7 0 1997-98 18 18 18 18 15 0 1998-99 17 17 17 17 17 7 1999-00 17 17 17 17 17 5 2000-01 16 16 16 16 16 1 2001-02 10 10 10 10 9 0 2002-03 7 7 7 7 7 7 2003-04 12 12 12 11 11 1 2004-05 12 10 8 2 2 0 2005-06 12 12 9 1 0 0 2006-07 10 9 9 7 2 0 2007-08 10 10 10 3 1 0 2008-09 10 10 10 10 3 0 2009-10 10 7 6 0 0 0 2010-11 10 4 3 0 0 0 2011-12 8 8 8 0 0 0 Totals 192 180 172 132 105 21 Note: 2011-12 through April 25 poll. Will be one more poll on May 16. www.clemsontigers.com 2011-12 Clemson Tiger Golf 6