The LSU men’s golf team proved they deserve their No. 9 ranking in the nation with a solid performance at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate.
In a 14-team field littered with top 25 teams, including No. 6 Auburn, No. 7 Georgia Tech, No. 13 Clemson and No. 19 Arizona State, the Tigers finished 3rd overall with a three-round score of -23, five shots off winner Georgia Tech.
Senior Luis Gagne played in his first tournament this season following his stint with the Costa Rican national team, and he did not disappoint. Gagne fired a first round 8-under 62 to tie the school record set by now PGA Tour player Sam Burns. Gagne followed up his first round with two rounds of even par 70 to finish in 6th place with a score of 8-under par on the individual leaderboard.
Senior Nathan Jeansonne had a stellar first round as well shooting 5-under 65 the second lowest round of his career, followed up by an even par 70 and 1-over 71 to finish in 20th place overall with a score of 4-under par.
Junior Philip Barbaree also had a good showing, with two straight rounds of 3-under 67 and a final round of 1-under 69 to finish in 12th place overall with a score of 7-under par. Barbaree had two eagles in the tournament, one coming from a 100-yard second shot that he holed on the par 4 third hole.
The Tigers will have two more tournaments in 2018, the David Toms Intercollegiate at University Club Golf Course in Baton Rouge and the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational at Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Windermere, Florida.
The Tigers traditionally dominate the David Toms, having won four straight team titles and seven titles in their last nine appearances They finished in a tie for 7th in 2017 at the Tavistock Collegiate, and will hope to have a better performance this year to finish out the 2018 fall portion of their schedule.
Final Results
LSU – 263-274-280-817 (-23)
Gagne – 62-70-70-202 (-8) | T6th
Barbaree – 67-67-69-203 (-7) | T12th
Jeansonne – 65-70-71-206 (-4) | T20th
Sanders – 69-67-71-207 (-3) | T24th
Winstead – 71-72-70-213 (+3) | T48th
Toms – 74-68-74-216 (+6) | T61st
