The No. 16 LSU men’s golf team fell short of repeating last season’s victory at the Argent Financial Classic, finishing second to North Texas on Tuesday.
LSU entered the final round with a share of the 36-hole lead but the Tigers’ final round score of 1-over 289 left them four shots behind the Mean Green, who shot 3-under.
“Finishing second is disappointing,” said LSU coach Chuck Winstead. “We gave away way too many shots at the beginning of the final round and North Texas played well. We kept playing but they didn’t slip up.”
The Tigers posted a score of 1-under 863 for the week, 27 strokes ahead of third-place finisher Louisiana Tech, which hosted the event at Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant, La.
LSU junior Andrew Presley finished second overall at 8-under 208 for the week, one stroke behind North Texas senior Rodolfo Cazaubon.
Presley entered the final round with a four-shot lead on Cazaubon but Presley’s even-par 72 in the final round kept the door open for Cazaubon to shoot 5-under and win the tournament.
“Cazaubon played really well,” Winstead said. “Andrew got off to a slower start today and that allowed the other guy to erase the deficit. I didn’t think Andrew played bad, he just gave away a couple strokes he shouldn’t have.”
LSU sophomore Curtis Thompson secured a tie for fifth at 1-over for the week. He struggled with a 3-over opening round but rebounded with a 3-under second round and a 1-over final round.
Freshman Zach Wright was the third Tiger to finish in the top 10, finishing in a tie for eighth at 3-over for the week. Wright was inserted into the lineup after his victory at the Louisiana Classics last week.
“I think the entire team played pretty well,” Winstead said. “There is still room for growth, and we could have scored a little lower, but overall it was a good effort.”
All five LSU golfers who competed finished in the top 20 overall as sophomores Stewart Jolly and Myles Lewis finished in ties for 14th and 18th, respectively.
LSU was the only team in the field ranked in Golfweek’s Top 25.
