Austin Langdale is the top Tiger after the first round of the Clemson Invitational.

The Clemson Tigers hold the lead after the first round of their Invitational tournament being played at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls. The Tigers battled wind gusts of up to 25 miles per hour to post a team total of 6-over par 294.

The Tigers hold a two shot lead over Georgia Tech and four shots over Alabama. The difficult playing conditions contributed to all the scores ballooning up as the average round by the 13 team field was over 78. All five Tigers shot 5-over par 77 or better.

William Rainey from the College of Charleston holds the individual lead after finishing the first round at 3-under par. Rainey and Davis Riley of Alabama were the only two golfers to shoot under par rounds. Riley trails Rainey by two shots.

Clemson was led in the first round by Austin Langdale. The senior from nearby Pendleton finished at even par. Langdale birdied his final three holes to get within three shots of the leader, but more importantly his strong finish gave the Tigers the team lead.

The Clemson senior made a two-putt birdie on the 16th hole, rolled in a 20 footer for birdie on the 17th hole and finished his round with an 3- foot birdie on the 18th hole.

“The wind was blowing strong (against him) on 18,” said Langdale  “I had 125 yards to the green and hit a full eight iron, the ball finished just a few feet away and I made the putt,” he said.

Peter Mathison, playing as an individual entrant, is tied for third.

Joining Langdale in a tie for third place is fellow Tiger Peter Mathison, playing as an individual entrant, also shot an even par round.

Two other Tigers are in the top-1o after the first 18 holes. Senior Carson Young and Freshman Doc Redman are tied for sixth place with four other golfers. Young and Redman finished at 1-over par 73.

Alabama’s Jonathan Hardee from Greenville shot a 2-over par 74 to be in a tie for 12th place at the start of the second round on Saturday.

jonathan Hardee of Alabama, from Greenville, is tied for 12th

Clemson, Georgia Tech and Alabama will be paired together again in the second round with tee times starting at 10:10. The tournament is open to the public and there is no charge for spectators.

Complete scoring is available at http://www.golfstate.com.