The No. 9 LSU men’s golf team entered the final round of the Golfweek Conference Challenge on Tuesday as the only team in the field under par at Spirit Hollow Golf Course in Burlington, Iowa. The Tigers were able to go 17 strokes below par after the first 36 holes.
Despite the Tigers posting their highest score in the final round of the tournament, the gap between LSU and Southern Methodist University — its nearest challenger  — was too much for the Mustangs to overcome. The Tigers finished 11 strokes ahead of SMU with a final score of 849 (278-281-290) to finish 15-under and take the tournament title handily.
Leading the Tigers were senior All-American Stewart Jolly and sophomore Eric Ricard, who finished in first and second place, respectively, in the individual standings.
The two Tigers were battling for the top spot in the back nine of the final round, and Ricard came within a single stroke of Jolly before dropping four shots in the last six holes.
Jolly completed two of his three rounds under par and finished with a final 9-underscore of 207 (67-66-74) on the par 72 course. He was able to complete his first 36 holes carding only one score of bogey or worse and 12 birdies.
Jolly coasted through his final round to earn the first win of his senior season. He carded a final round score of 2-over 74, finishing four strokes ahead of the runner-up Ricard.
Ricard also had a successful week, finishing the tournament tied for the second highest birdie count with 13. The runner-up honor marks the highest finish for Ricard as a Tiger in a collegiate event.
Senior All-American Ben Taylor also finished in the top 5 of the final individual standings. Taylor led the field in pars, posting scores of 71, 72 and 72. Never straying far from the course par, Taylor played consistently and finished the tournament with a final 1-under 215.
Rounding out play for the Tigers were junior Zach Wright and freshman Blake Caldwell.
Wright, who started strong, posted eight bogeys in the final round to finish the tournament with a 6-over 78. Wright’s final round went just poorly enough to drop him out of the top 10, tainting an otherwise successful week.
Caldwell, while matching Ricard’s 13 birdies to also tie for second in that stat, posted a 9-over 225 for the tournament. Despite his ability to put red numbers on the scorecard, Caldwell scored bogey or worse on 17 holes to put him out of reach of the top 25.
The Mustangs were the only other team in the field to beat the course par for three rounds, finishing with a final 4-under 860 (287-289-284). Tournament host Iowa rounded out the top 3 with a final 10-over 874 (286-301-287).
The Tigers’ next action comes when they host the David Toms Intercollegiate starting on Oct. 4 at the University Club in Baton Rouge.