Clemson Opens Spring Season at Briar’s Creek
Clemson, SC—Veterans Andrew Swanson, Kian Rose and Thomas Higgins will lead defending champion Clemson to the Battle at Briar’s Creek on Monday, Feb. 3. The first tournament of the spring will be held at Briar’s Creek Golf Club at John’s Island, SC. The College of Charleston is the host school.
Clemson won the tournament by two shots last year with a score of one-under par 575. The 14-team tournament was reduced to 36 holes due to weather. This year’s event is scheduled for 36 holes on Monday, Feb. 3 and 18 holes on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
Swanson, Higgins and Rose all had top 25 finishes last year in leading Clemson to the team championship. Swanson shot a three-under par 141 for the 36 holes to finish second, while Higgins finished fourth with a 142 score. Rose was 25th with a 147 total.
Swanson, a senior, Higgins a junior and Rose, a senior, have combined to play 83 tournaments and 244 career rounds for the Tigers over the last four years. Swanson leads the team in stroke average this year with 71.08 figure. He finished the fall with his best tournament of the year, a 13-under par 203 at the Steelwood Collegiate that was good enough for a second place finish. He enters the spring having shot under par in each of his last five rounds of the fall.
Rose is second on the team in stroke average with a 72.33 figure. He had four under-par rounds in the fall. Higgins enters the spring with a 75.50 average as he hopes to continue his outstanding play at Briar’s Creek. He had rounds of 68-74 last year when he finished fourth.
The Clemson lineup also will include freshman Rich Wills and junior East Carolina transfer Lucas Augustsson. Wills is third on the team in stroke average this year with 72.42 average. He has been the team’s most consistent golfer as all 12 of his rounds so far have been at 75 or better, the only player on the team who can make that claim.
Augustsson has a 73,58 average so far this year. He played as an individual at the Steelwood Intercollegiate and finished 28th. His performance included a second round 64 tied for the best round by a Tiger this year.
Freshman Colin Salema, a freshman who has played in each of the first five tournaments of the year, will sit this tournament out with an injury.
Nine Clemson golfers will be in action altogether next week. Will Baker, Justin Burroughs, Sean Curran and Jacob Immelman will be competing Monday and Tuesday at the Stono Ferry Individual Tournament in Charleston.
