LSU’s men’s golf team capitalized on three top-12 finishes in route to a third place finish at the Mossy Oak Collegiate Invitational, which acts as its last regular season tournament for the 2021-2022 season.
LSU tied for third with Mississippi State and ultimately lost to No. 16 Auburn. Vanderbilt was the one to hoist the team trophy, and also fielded the winning golfer, Gordon Sargent.
Nicholas Arcement finished the highest out of all the golfers with a ninth place finish, while Michael Sanders and Cohen Trolio tied for 12th place. Garrett Barber tied for 37th, and Drew Doyle tied for 41st.
Notably, Arcement moved up 42 spots in the second round with a five-under 67, putting him in a tie for 13th before the third round started. This effort led him to his third top-10 finish of the year, as he led all LSU golfers this game.
On the other hand, Trolio, the West Point, Mississippi native, underperformed. Mossy Oak is his home course, where he previously won the Mississippi Amateur tournament in 2021, which gained him a rare exemption to compete at the PGA Tour stop in Jackson, Mississippi for the Sanderson Farms. Trolio started a bit slow with a two-over 74, but he rounded out to land himself a 12th place finish. Nonetheless, he had an advantage here and did not capitalize on it.
Additionally, Barber also started with a three-under 69 in the first round and began at fourth place only to finish tied for 37th with a four-over 76. Had he kept his pace, LSU could have ended with two top-10 finishers.
While a third place finish is commendable, Trolio’s inability to capitalize and Arcement’s slow start, shows LSU’s flaws in this instance. If Trolio took advantage of his home turf and Arcement played consistently instead of having a three-over 75 in round one, LSU may have won.
However, Arcement’s comeback does show a level of resilience. He dug himself out of a hole and put himself in a good position regardless of a rough start. His efforts played a pivotal role in the team’s third place finish.
All in all, three top-12 finishes is a good result, but this tournament also acts as a bit of a what-if, because the team took a bit to find its composure.
Vanderbilt overall played a clean game that put the commodores at a good distance from Auburn, LSU and Mississippi State, but could LSU have challenged that with Trolio taking advantage, Arcement finding his groove earlier and Barber keeping his pace?
Once again, LSU’s men’s golf team flashed its capabilities, but even an overall good finish shows how much they can improve. LSU plays in the SEC Championships on Wednesday, April 20, at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Georgia.
