LSU’s men’s and women’s golf teams have started the season fast behind the leadership of several younger golfers.The men’s team earned a No. 24 rank after winning two of its three tournaments — the Gopher Invitational and the Squire Creek Invitational. The Gopher Invitational title included a win against No. 19 Washington and a share of first place with No. 15 Texas.The Tigers have had five different golfers finish in the top 10, including freshmen Sang Yi and Josh Jones, sophomores John Peterson and Clayton Rotz and the lone senior on the team, Jarrod Barsamian.”We haven’t had this much competition in the three other years I’ve been here,” Barsamian said. “It’s only saying that this program is going to get better.”The Tigers travel to Windermere, Fla., for the Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational on Sunday. Barsamian said the tournament should have the best field LSU has faced all season, including No. 1 Oklahoma State.”If we go out there and play like we know we can . . . we can finish in the top 3,” Barsamian said. “We know we can play with them.”The Lady Tigers won the Mercedes-Benz Championship and finished No. 6 in the Cougar Classic so far this season. The team is ranked No. 13 nationally and defeated No. 10 North Carolina, No. 15 Louisville, No. 21 Arkansas and No. 25 Texas A&M in its victory at the Mercedes-Benz Championship.”We feel like we can be a top team in the country,” said LSU women’s golf coach Karen Bahnsen. “We just want to keep working towards that and keep beating teams that are ranked ahead of us.”The Lady Tigers have been led by sophomore Megan McChrystal, who finished No. 4 in the Mercedes-Benz Championship at Loudon, Tenn. — her fourth top-10 performance at LSU. Bahnsen said the victory at Loudon gave the women plenty of confidence, but they aren’t going to put any more pressure on themselves.The women play in The Derby Invitational at Auburn, Ala., on Friday, and the Lady Tigers expect the weather in the region to add an extra challenge to the tournament.”It will be interesting because there is a cold front coming through,” Bahnsen said. “It will get a little cold and windy, and that plays a big factor in determining the outcome.”—- Contact The Daily Reveille’s sports staff at [email protected]