Golf is a game in which a strong finish can overshadow the blemishes of a sluggish start.
The 2010 LSU men’s golf team overcame a slow start to a season filled with lofty expectations only to experience a setback at the end of the semester.The Tigers, No. 23 in the Golfweek/Sagarin collegiate rankings, finished their regular season with a disappointing fifth-place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championships in Seaside, Ga., after earning two tournament victories and two top-five finishes during the spring semester.Leading the Tigers at the SEC Championships was junior Andrew Loupe, who posted a weekend score of 3-under par and finished in a tie for fourth place in the individual standings.”Until you go to a conference championship and beat those teams, then you’re going always going to be the next rung,” said LSU men’s coach Chuck Winstead.The Tigers will return to competition May 20 for the NCAA Regionals before heading to he NCAA Championships will take place June 1-6 at The Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tenn.Winstead has set other goals for his team that go beyond just victory.”We all want to win each event. That’s part of being competitive,” Winstead said. “But the main thing in the process is seeing some development, seeing each of them improve. If we continue to do that then the finishes will take care of themselves.”Loupe and fellow junior John Peterson have set the pace for the men’s golf team throughout the season. Peterson recorded four top-five finishes during the season, while Loupe recorded six top-five finishes, including a first-place finish at the Louisiana Classics tournament in March.The No. 47-ranked golfer in the Golfweek/Sagarin individual rankings, Loupe earned First-Team All-SEC honors for his consistency throughout the season. Peterson received a First-Team All-SEC selection last season.But Loupe and Peterson aren’t the only golfers responsible for the Tigers’ success this semester. Winstead said sophomores Austin Gutgsell and Sang Yi have also made a significant impact on the team.Gutgsell and Yi finished with season scoring averages of 74.6 and 73.7, respectively.Winstead said Gutgsell has acquired the necessary experience to complement his talent and elevate his ability.”He’s got more in the tank, and he can certainly improve some more,” Winstead said. “But I’m happy with his development so far.”A starting lineup of four underclassmen may spark concerns whether the men’s golf team has the pedigree to compete nationally, but Winstead refuses to accept that argument.”Does [youth] make a difference? Maybe,” Winstead said. “But that’s no reason why we can’t be successful.”MCCHRYSTAL QUALIFIES FOR WOMEN’S NCAASJunior Megan McChrystal made headlines for the Lady Tigers’ golf team on the women’s side of things.McChrystal qualified for the Women’s NCAA Championships on Saturday, finishing sixth in the individual standings of the NCAA West Regional with a three-round score of 5-over par 218.The Stuart, Fla., native also earned First-Team All-SEC honors this season.But the Lady Tigers came one stroke close to advancing as a team in the postseason.LSU finished ninth as a team in the regional with a score of 52-over 904, one stroke behind eighth-place Texas A&M’s 51-over 903. The top eight teams in each regional qualify for the NCAA championships.”We just didn’t finish strong,” LSU women’s coach Karen Bahnsen said in a news release. “We three-putted ourselves out of it. We basically handed away a qualifying spot on a silver platter. There are no excuses.”–Contact Cory Boudreaux at [email protected]