The No. 7 LSU men’s golf team captured its third team victory of the season in the Talis Park Challenge in Naples, Florida, which concluded Monday.
The Tigers (70-16-3) led with four strokes ahead of No. 6 Vanderbilt after the final round to capture the title at 14-under par, 838. The team surged for a score of 8-under par, 276, to seal the victory.
Sophomore Eric Ricard and senior Ben Taylor led LSU, each shooting for 3-under par, 210. Their scores placed the pair in a tie for eighth place on the final leaderboard.
Ricard finished his opening round at 2-over par, 73, but regained control and shot a 68 in the next round and a 69 in the final round.
Sophomore Brandon Pierce finished in third for the Tigers at 1-under par, 212.
The Tigers had not seen a two-round day in a while, said LSU coach Chuck Winstead. He said beginning the first round of the tournament on a high note was crucial because a bad start could be detrimental to the team’s final score.
The Tigers opened their week with a team-high score of 286, their highest score of the tournament.
But it was a team total 18 birdies and Taylor’s double-eagle on the 14th hole in the final day that pushed the Tigers into a comfortable lead for the tournament’s crown.
“It was a good win, a good team win,” Winstead said. “We still need to clean some things up. We could play a little bit better. All five guys contributed, and it was good to see all of their hard work starting to show some good, positive results.”
All five members of LSU’s lineup completed the tournament at or under par. Senior All-American Stewart Jolly and junior Zach Wright ended their week at even par.
The Tigers will continue their season when they travel to the Floridian Invitation in Palm City, Florida, on March 23.