LSU senior golfer Andrew Loupe will compete in his first professional tournament this week, after he won a one-hole playoff to be one of four golfers from a field of 65 to advance to the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana in Avondale.
Loupe was one of three golfers competing for two spots in the playoff. One was PGA Pro Jim Carter, and the other was his teammate and fellow senior John Peterson, who all finished at 3-under 69.
The duo got to the final qualifying round at LaTour Golf Club in Mathews, La., by advancing from the pre-qualifying round last Friday.
Loupe and Carter punched their tickets to the big show this week, while Peterson finished as the last man out.
Loupe’s appearance will mark his first in a PGA event, though he was a second alternate as a 16-year-old for the 2005 U.S. Open.
But the Baton Rouge native said he wasn’t merely content with showing his face.
“I’m very excited to be there,” Loupe said. “But at the same time, I haven’t done anything yet. I need to go take advantage of it.”
Loupe sank a flurry of birdies on the back nine to secure his spot in the Zurich Classic.
With the wind gusting to what both Loupe and Peterson estimated to be 35 miles per hour, Loupe struggled to find his comfort zone on the front nine where he finished with a 1-over 37.
“The course did not play easy because of the wind,” Loupe said. “I struggled with my approach shots. But I just kept battling.”
Loupe responded by posting birdies on four of the final six holes, finishing the back nine with a 4-under 32.
Loupe expects the greens at TPC Louisiana to pose the biggest threat to his scorecard rather than the pro length.
“I played in a state-am [amateur] there a couple years ago, and it was really well-manicured with fast greens,” Loupe said.
The finish was especially frustrating for Peterson, who lost his second playoff in eight days. He finished as the runner-up in the Southeastern Conference tournament April 17, after losing a one-hole playoff to Florida’s Andres Echavarria.
Both Echavarria and Carter birdied the eighteenth hole in their respective events to force the playoff.
“I’m just tired of guys sinking birdie putts on 18 to force a playoff against me,” said a frustrated Peterson. “I’m just thinking, when is it going to be my turn?”
The Fort Worth, Texas, native said PGA pro Kirk Triplett came up to him after the playoff and gave him some advice.
“He came up to me and said, ‘keep at it, keep your head up,'” Peterson said. “Having a guy like Kirk Triplett come up to me, who has won a couple times on tour, that was cool.”
As a consolation, Peterson and Loupe were named First-Team All-SEC performers Monday after their stellar senior campaigns.
LSU senior Clayton Rotz also participated in the qualifier, missing out on the playoff by two strokes.
 
_____
Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]