The LSU men’s golf team has been performing under par in recent weeks – in a good way.
The Tigers won the Argent Financial Classic at the Squire Creek Country Club on Tuesday, their second consecutive win.
“I think the guys played well,” said LSU coach Chuck Winstead. “We sent nine guys to the event and I think we showed our depth down to the ninth guy.”
The Tigers were seven strokes ahead of their nearest competitor and, at 4-under, the only team in the field to shoot below par.
Out of the nine golfers LSU sent to the tournament, only five represent the team score with the rest competing as individuals. However, only four of the five selected to compete for their teams actually count toward the team’s overall score.
Senior Austin Gutgsell (3-under-par), sophomore Andrew Presley (2-under-par), senior Sang Yi (1-under-par) and freshman Landon Lyons (5-over-par) were the Tigers’ lowest scorers for the event, with Gutgsell, Presley and Yi finishing in the top 10.
“We found in the practice round something to correct [Austin’s] swing and he played well,” Winstead said. “Something the team needed was Austin to play as we know Austin can.”
Freshman Smylie Kaufman went into the final round at the top of the leaderboard, shooting 3-under-par through the first two days including 7-under after the first round. Kaufman was unable to maintain his lead, however, finishing the weekend tied for second at 4-under, one stroke behind Middle Tennessee State senior Hunter Green.
“He had a tremendous first round,” Winstead said. “He struck the ball well from what I understand. I think he had a little trouble getting putts to find the hole at the end and then hit some wind toward the end of the [last] round.”
The Tigers will have an off weekend before participating in the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate tournament March 25-27. The Tigers have found success at the Awendaw, S.C., course despite its reputation of being one of the tougher courses in the region.
“We got to play a lot of guys this weekend,” Winstead said. “Some of the younger guys got to see what it’s like to be around wins. … Now we get to go back to a place where we’ve won the past two years. Everyone feels like this is where we should be right now.” ____ Contact Michael Gegenheimer at [email protected]