Tigers still in good hands with Penley

Larry Penley has never had to reinvent himself, which is saying something when you consider how long he’s been at Clemson.

He’s made alterations throughout his 34 years as the leader of the men’s golf program, but that’s expected.

For the past 12 years, he’s relied heavily on assistant coach Jordan Byrd to help bridge the age gap.

“It’s different teaching this generation,” Penley said.

Through his longevity, though, he hasn’t had to change how he recruits or the core values of his program.

“He’s created a lasting culture of really great golf,” Clemson freshman Doc Redman said. “It makes me want to come here, and it makes the authorities want to keep him here because they know in five years, if coach Penley is still here, the team is going to be good.”

Raising the bar

The Hall of Famer has won nine ACC titles and a national championship in 2003. The Tigers have never missed the NCAA postseason, and no coach has ever won more NCAA Regionals (7).

The seven-time ACC coach of the year has guided multiple All-Americans, Ben Hogan Award winners and PGA Tour professionals.

Clemson has two goals every year: win the ACC Championship and make the final eight in the NCAA Championship. This year, though, Penley threw in a new challenge: dominate the regular season.

And the Tigers are having a historical campaign. They won five consecutive events, a program record, and six total in 2016-17.

“That’s why they got on a little win run that was really fun to watch,” said Penley, whose team went 104-1 against its opponents during a six-tournament span to close the regular season. “Their expectations every week grew to where they expected to win.”

The Tigers finished second at the ACC Championships last month, and they are a lock to make Penley’s 35th consecutive NCAA Regional, which begins May 15.

“This team has done some great things,” said Penley, who has won 74 career tournaments. “They’ve tried to cut new paths. They’re trying to raise the bar at another level.”

The base

Penley credits the South Carolina Junior Golf Association for much of Clemson’s success. He also believes the Tigers’ rise as a golf power helped draw more interest at the local youth level.

That’s where he gets the golfers needed to keep this program thriving. Sure, he’s goes outside the state at times, like when he landed PGA Tour pro Kyle Stanley from Washington or Redman, a Raleigh, N.C., native.

But the “heart and soul” of his program starts in South Carolina.

While he’ll lose seniors in Austin Langdale and Carson Young, Redman and William Nottingham are talented freshmen already playing every week for the Tigers. Penley has two highly regarded signees coming in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 classes.

The Tigers also have talented commits for 2018 and 2019.

“I’m not saying we’re like football, but we’re about at a level to where it’s about to really start getting good year after year after year,” Penley said. “We’ve got a few of those pieces in place.”

The program is still competing at the highest levels, and he believes the best is yet to come.

This story was originally published May 6, 2017 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Tigers still in good hands with Penley."