Senior All-American Ben Taylor holed many putts for the LSU men’s golf team in his career.
However, none of them were bigger than the one he holed on June 3 on the 18th green at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, to clinch what turned out to be a 4-1 victory against USC and give the program its first national title in 60 years.
“Coach [Chuck Winstead] said to me numerous times today and said to me before I hit the last putt, I’ve holed a million of these putts,” Taylor said. “It’s just one more putt, and we knew we were going to hole it. We had the perfect line, and it was a very special moment for me to end my college career. Holing that nine-foot putt to win the national championship was very special.”
Taylor had the chance to seal the match after the work of his teammates gave LSU a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Brandon Pierce put LSU in command early with a 2 and 1 victory against USC sophomore Rico Hoey. Junior Zach Wright extended LSU’s lead to 2-0 by defeating freshman Sean Crocker, 3 and 2, to set the stage for Taylor.
Taylor found himself trailing junior Bobby Gojuangco as they headed to the 17th tee box. Both men found the fairway, but Taylor found the superior second shot as he attempted to reach the green in two.
He chose the correct club, a 4-iron, and saw his effort roll within five feet of the pin, allowing him to drain an eagle putt and square the match as he headed to the 18th tee.
Gojuangco bogeyed No. 18, giving Taylor the chance to clinch the match and the national championship by two-putting. Taylor said he wasn’t able to get his first putt anywhere near the hole, leaving himself with nearly a 10-foot putt to seal the title.
He buried it.
“It was a perfect moment to end a perfect college career, and I couldn’t be more happy,” Taylor told Golf Channel’s Angela Hamann following the win. “I’m emotional and don’t even know what else to say. It’s been a great day, and what a finish to my college career. I’m so happy — just a great feeling,”
The teams split the remaining two matches, giving LSU a 4-1 victory. LSU sophomore Eric Ricard defeated freshman Jonah Texeira by a 1-up margin, and USC senior Eric Sugimoto defeated LSU senior Stewart Jolly by the same scoreline.
LSU’s fifth national championship (1940, 1942, 1947, 1955 and 2015), meant Winstead’s goal “to build the best program in the country” came to fruition.
Not only did the Tigers claim their first national title after a long wait, they won the Southeastern Conference championship for the first time since 1987. LSU also tied a team-best five wins in a season, matching the mark previously set during the 1959-1960 season.
Winstead said he’s proud of his players not just as golfers, but as people. He also offered praise for the role supporters played in helping to get the program to its current level.
“There are a lot of people at LSU that care about men’s golf and really the athletic department, so having graduated from LSU and being a Tiger, it’s very special,” Winstead said. “The supporters at LSU and the administration have very much supported us these 10 years. We didn’t do this by ourselves, so I think it means quite a lot. They’ve invested.”
You can reach Jack Woods on Twitter @Jack_TDR.