A battle with the elements left the Tigers struggling, but the leadership of the squad’s oldest member propelled LSU to its second straight tournament victory at the David Toms Intercollegiate.
Junior Andrew Presley fired a 4-over par 220 over three rounds, finishing as the
No.1-ranked golfer and helping the squad pull away from South Alabama and secure a victory with a 33-over 897.
Playing on one’s home turf is usually a way to gain an upper hand on an opponent. The Tigers felt no such advantage this past weekend, as a mix of steamy, chilly and windy conditions found their way to the University Club in Baton Rouge.
“The course played really tough in the beginning,” Presley said. “It was really windy and cold. It played tough all week, but I think I did well with my [4-over 220] and I think some people definitely could have done better in different conditions.”
The Tigers sent nine golfers to the course this weekend, as Presley, sophomores Curtis Thompson, Stewart Jolly and Myles Lewis and freshman Zach Wright competed for the team score.
Juniors Smylie Kaufman and Landon Lyons and freshmen Chuck Spears and John Jonas competed as individuals.
After an impressive finish at the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate two weeks ago, LSU coach Chuck Winstead said he wanted to see a more impressive start from his squad in the
opening rounds of the David Toms Intercollegiate.
His wish wasn’t granted.
Instead of a productive first round, the Tigers came out of the gate struggling, as four of the five golfers competing for the team score finished over par. Thompson was the lone bright spot in round one, as his even-par performance after 18 holes kept the program within striking distance of first place.
When the squad needed a leader to step up in the second round, the oldest member of the group performed as expected.
While fellow teammates Thompson, Jolly and Lewis struggled mightily, Presley turned in a 1-over 73 performance.
Even though LSU sat at 21-over par for the first two rounds, they were in a position to come away from the tournament with a victory.
With the wind swirling and the temperature dropping as the golfers teed off in round three, the Tigers looked to the veteran of the squad to pull out the win.
Presley turned in his most clutch performance of the season, shooting a 2-over 74 in the final round to conclude the exhausting tournament.
Teammates Lewis and Jolly both finished at 3-over 75 in round three, but a 14-over 230 and a 10-over 226 respectively left the players with room to improve.
Presley, who was recently ill with a stomach flu, admitted he could have played more efficiently, though he is looking forward to preparing for the squad’s next competition at the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational in Windermere, Fla., on Oct. 21.
“My ball striking was definitely not there this week,” Presley said. “With that being said, I saved it with my short game. Hopefully I can get plenty of reps over the next few weeks and play better at [the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational].”
