Watching Lucas Glover win the U.S. Open on Monday was something of an interactive experience for coach Larry Penley and the Clemson golf team.

Penley, who was conducting his annual golf camp at the time, decided to give the campers an “extended lunch break” so he could catch the back nine with some of his Tiger golfers in the team room at The Walker Course.

But they were doing more than just watching.

Luke Hopkins, a rising senior from Greer, was doing his part by putting a jinx, dubbed “the Cobra,” on Glover’s competition through the television.

“He had already Cobra-ed (Phil) Mickelson and he’d already Cobra-ed (David) Duval, so we had to come up with a reverse Cobra for Lucas to get him in the house,” Penley said.

Meanwhile, Ben Martin, a rising senior from Greenwood, was playing armchair caddie.

Martin actually played in the Open, but ultimately missed the cut and was already back in Clemson on Monday watching the final round with Penley and the team.

Martin still had his yardage book from the tournament, however, which allowed him to map out Glover’s trek through the final round.

So when Glover hit 5-iron off the tee on the 72nd hole, Martin was able to do some quick math and figure out exactly how far that would leave him into the green.

“Ben’s sitting there thumbing through his yardage book and we’re figuring it out,” Penley said. “And we figured that if he hit 5-iron that he would have 140 yards. I think he ended up having 146 yards in, which is pretty much what Ben figured.”

A smooth 9-iron into the green and two putts later, Glover had a two-shot victory and the mantle of U.S. Open champion.

Back at The Walker Course, the celebration was on – but short-lived.

Penley had to get back to his campers on the driving range.

But while Glover grabbed the national spotlight with the win, it was a great Open all the way around for current and former Tiger golfers, as a record four players with Clemson ties were in action at Bethpage.

Martin was among the leaders in the early going and was shown on NBC on Saturday knocking his tee shot stiff on the par-3 17th hole.

“Ben being there on the leaderboard for about an hour on Thursday and Friday was unbelievable,” Penley said.

Kyle Stanley, who won the Ben Hogan Award this season as the nation’s top collegiate golfer, also played and made the cut.

Stanley actually played in an all-Clemson group for the first two rounds, as his playing partners were Glover and D.J. Trahan, another former Tiger star.

“(Stanley) told me it’s an experience he’ll never forget,” Penley said. “He said it was so special. I talked to Kyle every night (during the Open) … and he said Lucas should’ve been anywhere from 12- to 15-under after 36 holes, that’s how good his ball-striking was.”

Stanley, who finished the Open at 13-over par, will turn pro in the near future, and Penley said he expects him to make big noise on the Tour very soon.

“We’re about to see another real good one get out there,” he said. “I don’t mean to steal Lucas’ thunder, but this Stanley character is a very special player, reminds me a whole lot of Lucas – focus and demeanor and work habits, it’s very special.

“And his fire burns real hard, he wants to be the best in the world. And I guarantee you, we’re going to hear a lot about Kyle Stanley.”

If Penley’s guarantee comes to fruition, Stanley will be the latest in what is starting to become a lengthy list of former Tigers who have made a name for themselves on the PGA Tour.

Jonathan Byrd, who did not qualify for the Open, was the first former Tiger to win a PGA Tour event and has since won two more. Trahan has two wins of his own, and Glover already had one Tour win before breaking through at Bethpage.

Now, Penley says, he expects the wins to keep on coming.

“Our next step with our pros was for somebody to really step it up in a major,” he said. “D.J. kind of got that ball started last year when he finished fourth in the U.S. Open, and Lucas has just taken it to a whole ’nother level. It’s a tremendous tribute to them.

“I’m so proud of them. I think the sky’s the limit for them now. I think it’ll show the other guys now, ‘Hey, we can do it. Let’s work hard, and let’s get it done.’ And I’m completely confident they will.”