Clemson, SC—Clemson’s 2011-12 golf schedule features three new tournaments, the Jerry Pate Invitational and The Ridges in the Fall, and the Woodlands Invitational in Houston, TX in the Spring.
Head Coach Larry Penley released the schedule on Tuesday, his 29th schedule as leader of the Tigers program. He has taken Clemson to the NCAA Tournament each of his 28 previous seasons.
Clemson opens the season September 9 at the Carpet Classic in Dalton, GA, the 20th consecutive year the Tigers have played in the event at The Farm, a par 72 layout that is 7012 yards. Clemson finished third against a national field last year behind a fifth-place individual finish by 2011-12 senior Jacob Burger.
That will be Clemson’s only tournament in the month of September. The next event will be the Jerry Pate Invitational, October 3-4 at the Old Overton Club in Birmingham. It will be Clemson’s first trip to the Jerry Pate since the fall of 2005. Clemson won the event named after the 1976 US Open Champion four consecutive years between the fall of 1997 and the fall of 2001, the only time Clemson has won the same tournament four years in a row.
This will be the final year of The Ridges Intercollegiate in Johnson City, TN so all the former champions are returning to compete at the tournament where East Tennessee State’s fine golf program serves as host. Clemson won The Ridges in the fall of 1998 behind individual medalist Jonathan Byrd, who is now on the PGA Tour. Byrd’s brother Jordan is now associate head coach of the Clemson program. The Tournament will run October 14-16.
Clemson concludes its fall slate at the US Collegiate at the Golf Club of Georgia. Clemson won the tournament in the spring of 2006 and the spring of 2009.
The Tigers open the spring schedule Feb. 19-21 in Puerto Rico at the Westin Rio Mar Classic. It will be the 20th consecutive year the Tigers have gone to Puerto Rico early in the spring season. Clemson has nine top three finishes at the event that is one of the top national tournaments in college golf.
The Tigers will play their next two tournaments in South Carolina, the USC-Aiken Cleveland Classic at Palmetto Country Club March 5-6, then the Furman Invitational in Greenville March 16-18. Clemson is the two-time defending champion at the Furman Invitational.
Clemson will play two two-day tournaments in an 11 -day period March 31 through April 10. First, Penley’s team will play the Augusta State Invitational the weekend before the Masters, then participate in the Woodlands Invitational in Houston, TX April 9-10
That will be Clemson’s final tournament before the ACC Tournament at The Old North State Club in Uwharrie Point, NC April 20-22.
The NCAA Regional tournaments start May 17 at six sites around the country. Two of the regionals are in close proximity to Clemson, Greensboro, NC and Athens, GA.
The NCAA Championship will be held at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, CA, the same course that serves as host of the Northern Trust Open on the PGA Tour. It has also been the site of three professional majors, most recently the 1995 PGA Championship.
Clemson 2011-12 Golf Schedule
Sept. 9-11 Carpet Capital Classic The Farm Dalton, GA
Oct. 3-4 Jerry Pate Invitational Old Overton Club Birmingham, AL
Oct. 14-16 The Ridges The Ridges Johnson City, TN
Oct. 23-25 US Collegiate Golf Club of Georgia Atlanta, GA
Feb. 19-21 Westin Rio Mar Classic Rio Mar CC Rio Mar, PR\
Mar. 5-6 USCA Cleveland Classic Palmetto CC Aiken, SC
Mar. 16-18 Furman Invitational Furman University Greenville, SC
Mar. 31-1 Augusta State Inv. Forest Hills Augusta, GA
Apr. 9-10 Woodlands Invitational The Woodlands Houston, TX
Apr. 20-22 ACC Tournament Old North State Uwharrie Point, NC
May 17-19 NCAA Regional TBA TBA
May 29-3 NCAA National Riviera Country Cl. Pacific Palisades, CA
Note: 2012 NCAA Regional sites: Forest Oaks, Greensboro, NC; University of Georgia, Athens, GA; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Club at Old Stone, Bowling Green, KY; Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club, Norman, OK; Stanford Golf Club, Stanford, CA
