When LSU junior Myles Lewis thought about where he wanted to play collegiate golf, the search found its answer about 80 miles away from home.
The Jesuit High School alumnus claimed three individual state championships and helped lead the Blue Jays to Class 5A state championships in 2010 and 2011. The Times-Picayune twice named Lewis New Orleans Metro Player of the Year .
Although other Southeastern Conference schools attempted to court Lewis for his services, he ultimately chose to represent his home state’s university.
“I decided to come to LSU because of the facilities they had to offer in order to bring my game to the next level,” Lewis said. “Coach [Chuck] Winstead was a big reason I decided to commit here as well, and LSU being so close to home was just a bonus for me.”
In two years of service for Winstead and the LSU men’s golf team, Lewis has represented the Tigers on the SEC Academic Honor Roll and earned two varsity letters. After appearing in six tournaments in his freshman campaign, Lewis started 11 tournaments as a sophomore.
“The collegiate level of competition is substantially greater than prior levels,” Lewis said. “The tournaments we play in are full of talented kids that have the potential to make a career out of it if they put the work in.”
The team has begun preparations for the spring season’s first tournament next month at The Prestige at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. Although Lewis and the team are excited to get back to competition, all squad members know where they must make their biggest strides.
“Of course we want to win the SEC and national championships, but this year we are trying to get as much out of practice as possible,” Lewis said.
After their season opener in California, the Tigers will next compete in the Querencia Cabo Collegiate in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Lewis and his teammates recognize LSU’s commitment toward resourcing a top-tier golf program, and he believes the team must maintain concentration to properly perform.
“We have a very, very talented group of golfers here at LSU and the athletic department, our coaches, and we all know this,” Lewis said. “We need to focus on getting our games ready to play in those tournaments because of their strong fields before getting too excited about the locations.”
As the game of golf has brought Lewis west down I-10 to Baton Rouge and beyond, Lewis said his favorite experiences are while traveling with the team.
“It’s a great experience and there is never a dull moment with these guys,” Lewis said. “We just have to put in the work needed in order to win these tournaments so the traveling can be that much more fun.”
