Season Outlook finished 27th out of the 156 golfers. Hopkins is a veteran of 12 career tournaments for the Tigers and he knows what it is like to be in the winner’s circle. He won the 2007 South Carolina Amateur and the 2007 Palmetto Amateur. He had a strong run in the summer of 2009 as well, playing four consecutive bogey free rounds at one stretch. He reached the third round of South Carolina Match Play and had a top 25 at the Palmetto Amateur. He finished his summer strong with a 10th place finish at the South Carolina Amateur, the top finisher among active Clemson golfers. He then had a solid fall of 2009 and finished 10th at The Brickyard and 13th at the Isleworth Collegiate, an event that included seven of the top 10 teams in the nation. Penley has three more returning lettermen on his 2009-10 roster, but they have played in just a combined six career events. Jacob Burger, a sophomore from Orangeburg, SC, was in the lineup for three tournaments last year, including the NCAA Preview. He had a 74.56 stroke average for his nine rounds, but finished with rounds of 72-71 at The Hootie. Burger has reached the second round of match play at the North-South Amateur at Pinehurst each of the last two years, and finished tied for 12th at the South Carolina Amateur this past August. He finished 15th at the Brickyard in the fall of 2009. Alex Boyd and McCuen Elmore are two more returning lettermen who saw action in the Clemson lineup last year. Boyd played in two events and had a 76.50 average for six rounds. He played as an individual at The Brickyard and finished 21st with a strong 219 score. Elmore also played at the Brickyard for the Tigers and had a strong summer of 2009. He reached the Final Four of the South Carolina
Larry Penley has led Clemson to the NCAA Tournament all 26 years of his tenure, including one National Championship and seven regional crowns.
6
Ben Martin is the most experienced returning player and he will be the unquestioned team leader this year. The red-shirt senior from Greenwood, SC is a two-time All-ACC and two-time All-Region performer.
Match Play after finishing 11th in the 36-hole qualifier. Six freshmen will vie for the considerable playing time up for grabs this year. Three are red-shirt freshmen and three are first-year freshmen. The red-shirt freshmen include Mike Muscatell, Brewer Bradshaw and Mike Soowal. Muscatell is a native of Lake Wylie, SC who was a twotime North Carolina state champion. He has gained considerable experience in amateur events over the last two years. He finished in the top 30 at the Azalea Amateur each of the last two years. Soowal is a two-time All-State player from Pennsylvania who is the son of former Clemson football player Jeff Soowal. Bradshaw had a strong summer that shows he is ready to challenge for a starting position. He reached match play of both the South Carolina Match Play and the Carolinas Amateur. He had a six-under-par 136 at the Carolinas Amateur qualifier and finished 26th at the South Carolina Amateur. Clemson’s three newcomers to the program are very highly regarded. Penley has played three first year freshmen before (1990, Nicky Goetze, Danny Ellis and Bobby Doolittle), so they will play with a sense of urgency when they reach campus. Crawford Reeves is the most highly regarded of the freshman class for 2009. A two-time AJGA All-American, the native of Greenville won the South Carolina Match Play this past summer when he had a stellar 141 score in the qualifier then defeated five consecutive opponents, including Clemson teammates Bradshaw and Elmore. He also advanced to the second round of the Carolinas Amateur Match Play. Corbin Mills is also a national top 100 recruit who will be a factor this year. A strong young man who can rival Kyle Stanley when it comes to driving distance, Mills reached stroke play of the US Public Links this past summer. He also advanced to the second round of South Carolina Match Play and finished 12th at the South Carolina Amateur. His final round 67 was the low score of the final round by any golfer, and the low round of the tournament by active Clemson golfers. Will Ovenden of Spartanburg, SC had an active summer, playing in five amateur events. He finished 13th at the Festival of Flowers and also played in the Palmetto Amateur, Rice Planters and Carolinas Amateur. He made the cut at the South Carolina Amateur and finished tied for 31st.
2009-10 Clemson Golf
Clemson Golf Quick Facts General Information Name: Clemson University Location: Clemson, SC 29633 Founded: 1889 President: James F. Barker, Clemson ’70 Enrollment: 18,317 Conference: Atlantic Coast Nickname: Tigers Colors: Clemson Orange & Regalia Home Course: The Walker Course Par/Distance: 72/6,911 2008-09 Returning Starters: 1 (Ben Martin) Returning Lettermen: 5 (Ben Martin, Luke Hopkins, Jacob Burger, Alex Boyd, McCuen Elmore) Lettermen Lost: 4 (Kyle Stanley, David May, Phillip Mollica, Sam Saunders) All-ACC Players Returning: 1 (Ben Martin)
Program History First Year of Golf: 1930 ACC Championships: 9 NCAA Tournament App.: 29 NCAA National Appearances: 26 NCAA Regional Champs: 7 NCAA Top 20 Finishes: 23 NCAA Top 10 Finishes: 13 NCAA Top Five Finishes: 9 NCAA Highest Finish: 1 (2003) Individual National Champions: 1 (Charles Warren, 1997) ACC Individual Champions: 6 players, 7 times All-America Selections: 52 Head Coach: Larry Penley (Clemson ’81) -27th season at Clemson in 2008-09 -26 NCAA Tournament Appearances -23 NCAA National Tournament Appearances -7 NCAA Regional Titles -8 ACC Championships -20 Top 20 Seasons -12 Top 10 Seasons -8 Top 5 Seasons Assistant Coach: Jordan Byrd (Furman ’98) -5th season at Clemson