Clemson, S.C—Andrew Swanson took medalist honors thanks to a career best 63 on Sunday in leading Clemson to a second-place finish at the 20-team Ka’anapali Classic at Ka’anapali Country Club in Lahaina, Hawaii. The tournament concluded the fall portion of the Clemson season.
Swanson finished with a 54-hole score of 18-under-par 195. His 18-under-par score versus par set a Clemson record for score versus par in any tournament. The previous record was 17-under par by Bryson Nimmer at the Clemson Invitational in 2019. Swanson’s 195 total score tied the Clemson record that Nimmer had at the 2018 Maui Jim Invitational.
The Clemson sophomore is now in exclusive company with the victory, as he joined Lucas Glover, Kyle Stanley and Doc Redman as the only Clemson golfers to win a tournament in Hawaii. All three of those former Tigers are currently on the PGA Tour.
“It was a great way to finish the fall,” said Swanson about his performance and that of the Clemson team. “I did well in different phases of the game over the course of the tournament. Today, it was putting, I had just 22 putts over the 18 holes. Earlier in the week it was driving and ball striking.”
During one stretch on the back nine on Sunday, he scored an eagle on the 12th hole when he hit the ball in the cup from 85 yards out with a wedge, made a 25 footer on the 14th hole, then chipped from behind the green on 15.
“Andrew’s performance shows what hard work can do,” said Clemson Head Coach Jordan Byrd. “He has put in the time all fall and it paid off this weekend. He has really worked on his short game and putting. “
Swanson also tied the Clemson mark for birdies and eagles in a 54-hole tournament with 20. He had 19 birdies and an eagle over the course of his performance that included rounds of 64-68-63. The native of Bluffton, SC was on pace to tie the single round record score of 62, as he was nine-under par on the par 71 course through 16 holes. But he made a bogey on the par three 17th hole, his only bogey of the day, and finished at eight-under-par 63, tied for the third lowest score in Clemson history.
Swanson entered the final round two shots behind Nick Gabrelcik of North Florida, the #31 ranked player in the nation, the highest ranked golfer in the 123-player field. But the Clemson sophomore beat Gabrelcik by four shots on Sunday to take the title, his first as a Clemson golfer.
“Andrew was playing with some highly…
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