Clemson golfers got to run the Tiger Paw up the flag pole at Woodfin Ridge after Tiger golfers topped Gamecock golfers in the annual grudge match at the club in Boiling Springs.

Clemson tops Carolina at Woodfin Ridge

USC coach Cam Fant congratulates Clemson coach Mickey Hambright after his Tigers beat the Gamecocks at Woodfin Ridge. (GolfClub Photo)

After two years with a garnet and black Gamecock flag at the top of the Woodfin Ridge flag poll the Clemson golfers at the club had enough.

“I challenged our golfers before they went out today,” said Tiger team captain Mickey Hambright. “If we were going to win, everyone needed to play great,” said the Clemson team coach.

As the first few matches were posted to the giant score board it wasn’t looking good for the Gamecocks.

“We were having a bad day” said USC coach Cam Fant. “I think we all were hoping we could keep our string of two in a row going, but we couldn’t,” he said.

After the first seven scorecards were turned in, it appeared the match was getting away from the South Carolina team.

As more scores were posted more orange ink was spreading around the scoreboard. The back end of the Clemson lineup accounted for more than an enough victories to get the Tiger paw flag back in front of the club.

“That was our plan,” said Hambright. ” We all love to have fun playing in this tournament, but you still want to win,” he said.

The North team finished with a 151/2 points to 91/2 for the South Team.

The victory evened the 16 year old tradition to 8 wins each.

This year’s 6-point margin of victory was the largest in the history of the annual event. Most years the difference between the two teams can be as little as a half point.

Clemson’s winning coach Mickey Hambright gets to hoist the Tiger Paw flag after his team won the annual grudge match at Woodfin Ridge. (GolfClub photo)

“I feel bad we didn’t play better,” said USC coach Cam Fant. “I am disappointed some of the golfers on my team were asking around how much was my buy-out clause,” joked the Gamecock team coach.

After handing in their scorecard the Gamecock and Tiger golfers waited in the dinning area to watch as the final scores were marked on the scoreboard and the food was brought out for the winners and losers.

In addition to putting their flag above the clubhouse the winners enjoyed a steak dinner while the losers ate beans.

Fant was not taking the defeat lightly.

“We are going to get our flag back on top. We start our off-season program now and if you don’t see me for a few days I am going recruiting,” he chuckled.

Woodfin Ridge PGA professional and club general manager knows the golfers play the tournament one day, but talk about it all year long.

“We get a lot of golfers who play in this tournament every year because it is so much fun. The kidding is good natured and it doesn’t stop when we put the flag up,” said Combs.

Clemson and Carolina fans should not try to project the results of the golf tournament to the results of the big football game on Saturday. Rarely do the two match up.