CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson shot its second consecutive team round of six-under-par 282 to finish in a tie for third place in the 54-hole stroke play qualifier at the ACC Men’s Golf Championship at the Club @ Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky.
Clemson tied for third place with ninth-ranked Florida State and will be one of eight teams competing in the match play championship that will begin Sunday morning at the par 72 course that measures 7,331 yards.
Clemson will face SMU in the first round of match play Sunday morning. The match will begin at 8:30 AM Eastern time. It will be the third time Clemson has met SMU in an ACC Championship this year. Clemson defeated the Mustangs to win the ACC Football Championship in December, then defeated the Mustangs in the men’s basketball tournament in March.
The lineup for the Clemson vs. SMU match will be as follows:
Clemson vs. SMU Match, Sunday, morning April 27.
#1 Andrew Swanson (Clem) vs. William Sides (SMU)
#2 Kian Rose (Clem) vs. Zach Kingsland (SMU)
#3 Rich Wills (Clem) vs. Andrew Petruzzrlli (SMU)
#4 Thomas Higgsin (Clem) vs. Enrique Dimayuga (SMU)
#5 Lucas Augustsson (Clem) vs. Areen Aggarwal (SMU)
It was a remarkable comeback to make match play for Jordan Byrd’s Tigers, who were in 12th place after the first round. But the Tigers had a tournament best 12-under par team score over the last 36 holes to finish in a tie for third with the Seminoles. Clemson was ranked 56th in the nation entering the tournament, 12th among ACC teams, so finishing third was quite an accomplishment.
Clemson entered the tournament with a record of 60-71-2. The tie for third improves the record to 71-73-3. Teams must have at least a .500 record to participate in the NCAA Regional. So Clemson will have to win the three rounds of match play to qualify for the NCAA regional.
Clemson’s tie for third place standing is the best finish in stroke play at the ACC Tournament since Clemson was second in stroke play, then won the tournament in 2021. It was a team effort for the Tigers as four players finished in the top 25 of the individual standings, the first time Clemson has had four golfers finish in the top 25 since 2021..
The Tigers played between 26 and 29 holes on Saturday as weather forced suspension of the tournament on Friday. Clemson was nine-under par for the second round when play was halted. The Tigers then finished the second round on Saturday morning with a six under par team score of 282. Andrew…
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