The LSU men’s and women’s golf teams are poised to kick off conference championships this weekend after posting strong regular seasons. Both ranked in the top 30 teams nationally.The Tigers will see a new venue for the Southeastern Conference Championship, which will run Friday through Sunday. The tournament had been held at the 7,217-yard Frederica Golf Course in St. Simons Island, Ga., the last two seasons.The length of the course favored the Tigers, as their roster features long-bombers John Peterson, Andrew Loupe and Sang Yi. But this year the tournament is held at the neighboring 6,945-yard Seaside course, which lies in the same resort as Frederica Golf Course in St. Simons Island.The shorter course will force the Tigers to exercise caution off the tee.”We felt like at [Frederica] we had an advantage. We shot the low round last year in the last round,” said LSU men’s coach Chuck Winstead. “[Seaside] is a much shorter golf course — more demanding off the tee as far as accuracy. You won’t see our guys use drivers as much as they want to because the course runs out.”The No. 27 Tigers enter the SEC tournament on the heels of an 11th-place finish April 5-6 at the Morris Williams Intercollegiate tournament, which SEC foe Georgia won. Windy conditions on the final day saw only one of five Tiger golfers break 80.The finish was an anomaly for the Tigers, who posted two wins in the three events preceding the Morris Williams tournament. Winstead said the team’s confidence is high despite a poor finish in the last tournament.”Our records against the Georgias and the Floridas, who have been the elite in the conference this spring, have been very good,” Winstead said. “I think our guys will carry that confidence with them when we go to the conference championship.”The Tigers’ depth has led to their resurgence this spring. LSU has counted on steady play from four golfers in nearly every spring tournament after relying almost solely on juniors Peterson and Loupe in the fall. Sophomores Sang Yi and Austin Gutgsell have provided the consistency the Tigers lacked at the beginning of the season.”If we’re going to be an elite team and try to compete for a conference championship, we need to be deeper,” Winstead said. “Gutgsell and Yi have done that. Because of that we’ve had more success this spring.”The No. 19 Lady Tigers are on the brink of making some noise in the women’s SEC tournament held at the North River Yacht Club in Tuscaloosa, Ala.The Lady Tigers have their work cut out for them, as seven SEC women’s golf teams are in the Golfweek/Sagarin Top 25 rankings.The conference tournament will mark only the fourth tournament this season for which the Lady Tigers can claim a fully healthy roster.Top players Megan McChrystal and Tessa Teachman, ranked Nos. 30 and 21 in the Golfweek individual player rankings, respectively, after each missed time in the fall because of illnesses. Freshman Mary Michael Maggio made her return from reconstructive shoulder surgery in the Lady Tigers’ regular season finale.”Maggio’s return was a big deal for us,” said LSU women’s coach Karen Bahnsen. “Even though she’s a freshman, she’s been a huge contributor for our team — not just score-wise, but mentally. She brings a spark to our team.”- – – -Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]