Clemson Wins Wake Forest Invitational
Patton and Gordon Co-Medalists
Clemson, S.C.—Colby Patton and Zack Gordon were co-medalists, leading Clemson to a 16-stroke victory at the Wake Forest Invitational at Pinehurst #2 golf club in Pinehurst, NC on Tuesday. It was the first tournament victory for first-year head coach Jordan Byrd.
Clemson won the tournament from wire-to-wire and had the low team score in each round, including a two-under-par 278 in the final round on Tuesday, the low team round of the tournament.
“I was pleased with our performance the entire tournament,” said Byrd. “We talked about there were holes where a par, even a bogey, was a good score. That was especially the case the first day when there was a lot of wind.
“Colby really drove the ball well and his high ball flight on his approaches to the green were effective. We thought Zack would do well here because he has played the course a lot and had success at the North-South. I was really proud of Carter Pendley. He really came back strong and was a big reason we won this week.”
Clemson led the tournament in pars with 174. The average score for the entire tournament was 75.62, 5.62 over par.
Clemson won the event at the future home of the US Open with an 858 score, 18 over par. Duke was second at 874 and host Wake Forest was third at 882. NC State finished tied for fourth in the 12-team event with an 887 score.
Clemson’s 16-stroke victory margin tied for the second largest for the program in the last 19 years. Clemson won the 2016 Bandon Dunes by 17 shots and the 2020 Palmetto Intercollegiate by 16 shots.
Patton and Gordon finished with 54-hole scores of two-over-par 212. It marked just the second time in Clemson history that two Tiger golfers tied for medalist honors in the same tournament. The only other time took place at the 1987 Gamecock Intercollegiate when Kevin Johnson and Chris Patton shared medalist honors. Chris Patton is Colby Patton’s dad and was an All-American at Clemson between 1987-90.
The Patton’s became just the second father-son combination in Clemson history to win tournaments. Tony Nimmer and Bryson Nimmer also accomplished the feat.
Patton had rounds of 73-68-71 in recording his 212 total. His second round 68 tied for the best individual round in the tournament. He had a 3.94 stroke average on par four holes, the only player in the tournament to play the par four holes under par.
Gordon had rounds of 71-72-69 in recording his 212. The native of Gaffney, SC played the par fours (4.06) and the par fives (4.33) second best in the field and led the Clemson team in birdies with nine. Gordon had success at Pinehurst #2 two summers ago when he reached the semifinals of the North-South Amateur.
Carter Pendley, Clemson’s number-five player in the lineup, had the best tournament of his career with a seventh-place finish. The junior had rounds of 75-71-70 for his 216 total. His tournament included eight birdies.
Kyle Cottam was a fourth Clemson golfer to finish in the top 10. His 68 on Tuesday tied for the best among all golfers in the tournament. He finished with a 218 score. His Tuesday round was highlighted by a 33 on the back nine.
Kian Rose had a strong 72 in the final round and finished 27th with a 225 score.
Clemson returns to action March 20-22 at the Linger Longer Invitational at Eatonton, Ga.
Wake Forest Invitational
March 7-8, 2022
Pinehurst #2, Pinehurst, NC
Team Results
1. Clemson 858, 2. Duke 874, 3. Wake Forest 882, 4. NC State and San Francisco 887; 6. East Tennessee State 888, 7. Iowa 893, 8. East Carolina 897, 9. Kentucky 899, 10, Augusta 909, 11. Wake Forest (B) 910, 12. Yale 933.
Clemson Individuals
1. Colby Patton 73-68-71/212 and Zack Gordon 71-72-69/212; 7. Carter Pendley 75-71-70/216; 9. Kyle Cottam 77-73-68/218; 27. Kian Rose 78-75-72/225.
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