The LSU men’s golf team finished off the fall portion of its schedule Tuesday with a second-place finish in the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational at Isleworth Golf Course in Windermere, Fla.
The No. 12 Tigers posted a final-round score of 11-over-par 299 to finish two strokes behind No. 5 Alabama in the team standings.
LSU nearly overcame a four-stroke deficit in the final round to steal the team title away from Alabama, but back-to-back birdies by Crimson Tide freshman Cory Whitsett entrenched Alabama in first place.
Whitsett — a lefty who has garnered comparisons to Phil Mickelson — birdied the 13th and 14th holes to spark an Alabama rally. Whitsett tied LSU senior Andrew Loupe for fifth place in the individual standings.
Loupe started the final round tied for fourth place but had a roller coaster final round that included a double-bogey, five bogeys, two birdies and an eagle to finish the final round with a 3-over 75.
After sitting out the first tournament of the season with a shoulder injury, Loupe has finished progressively higher in each tournament he has competed in this season.
Junior Sang Yi was tied with Loupe in the individual standings at the beginning of the round but posted an up-and-down round complete with three double-bogeys and three birdies.
Yi finished in a tie for 11th in the individual standings, his best finish of the season.
The second-place finish marked the third time in four tournaments this season the Tigers either won a tournament or finished as the runner-up.
The Tigers have been taking advantage of consistent scores from every player in their five-player tournament lineup — something that was lacking in the first half of last season.
After struggling through the first two rounds of the tournament, senior John Peterson regained his form in the final round.
Peterson was 11-over par following the first two rounds of play — including an uncharacteristic 7-over 79 in the first round. But Peterson posted a 1-over 73 in the final round to keep the Tigers within striking distance.
Senior Ken Looper also picked up his play in the final round for the Tigers. Looper’s 1-over 73 in the final round was his best round of the tournament by five strokes.
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Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]