The Clemson’s men’s golf team placed ninth in the Watersound Invitational at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course last week to begin its spring season, ending the tournament 11-over-par with a team score of 875.

The par 72 course welcomed a field of 11 teams, six of which were ACC, with six players representing each team.

For the Tigers, sophomore Andrew Swanson tied for the 28th spot and shot the best on the team to end the three rounds with a 216-even par. On Sunday, Swanson was 3-under for the first round and finished the day tied for ninth. However, he shot 2-over on Monday and 1-over for round three on Tuesday. 

Clemson’s best day was in the second round when the Tigers shot 290 as a team. 

Sophomore Sean Curran and senior Zach Gordon both tied for 38th at 4-over-par, with junior Jonathan Nielsen tied at 45th at 6-over-par and freshman Thomas Higgins placing 50th with 8-over-par in the 54-hole event. 

Higgins made two birdies on the back nine in round two, earning a 1-under-par for the day.  

No. 1 Vanderbilt took first place as a team for the Invitational. Other ranked opponents the Tigers faced last week included No. 7 Georgia Tech and No. 13 Florida State, which placed second and third, respectively, in the invitational. Clemson is currently ranked No. 48 by the NCAA.  

The Tigers will next travel to the Pinehurst Invitational in North Carolina on March 6-7.