LSU men’s golf finished the Vanderbilt Legends Intercollegiate tournament tied for sixth with a score of 21-under 831, the eighth-lowest score relative to par in program history.
The Tigers battled another stacked SEC field in their second tournament of the season in Nashville, Tennessee. The host team, Vanderbilt, showed that there is an advantage to playing on a home course, posting a first-place finish and a collective team score of 39-under.
Although the course is over 570 miles away from Baton Rouge, several Tigers played the course like they knew all the reads and course outline.
Junior Garrett Barber led the squad with a low score of 10-under. His first round scorecard was marked up with red, as he carded seven birdies and only one bogey. In the second round, Barber posted six more birdies and three bogeys. In the final round, he kept rolling in the birdies, posting a score of 1-under. Barber finished the tournament with the seventh-lowest individual score and tied second for most birdies at 18.
“After birdieing 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18, I gained confidence,” Barber said following the third round. “Walking off 18’s green was a pretty good feeling. I hit it better and putted better. It was a solid tournament.”
Sophomore Connor Gaunt was also able to strut off 18’s green with confidence after his first round, following six birdies on the back nine. Gaunt, the Arkansas native, tied for eighth with a score of 9-under.
“Me [Barber] and Gaunt were able to feed off each other’s energy, and the whole team was able to feel it too,” Barber said. “Birdie runs give us motivation”
Senior Trey Winstead tied for 37th with a score of 1-under. Winstead’s opening round 2-over in the rain and wind focused him to get back into contention. In the following two rounds, he posted subpar scores of 1-under and 2-under.
The Tigers debuted freshman Drew Doyle this week.
“Although, I know [Doyle] is not happy with the results today,” Barber told The Reveille, ”He played pretty well. It is his first tournament, and it is a good starting point.”
Doyle finished tied for 46th place with a score of 1-over. His third round 1-under was his only round below par. Coach Winstead, prior to the season’s start in September, mentioned that the strength of the team’s depth is what will show this year, and Winstead should feel confident about the way Doyle played.
Senior Phillip Barbaree finished the tournament with a score of 3-over. His performance is highlighted with leading the field with Gaunt for the lowest stroke average on par threes (2.75 -3). LSU as a team also led the field in par-3 stroke average as well, finishing at 4-under (2.93).
The Tigers will head to Birmingham, Alabama, on Nov. 8 for their third and final tournament of the fall season.