Andrew Loupe remembers the qualifier as if it was yesterday.
While most 16-year-olds were playing video games or learning how to drive, Loupe was on the cusp of qualifying for the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, N.C.
After making it past the local qualifier, the Baton Rouge native fired an even-par 144 in the sectional qualifier in Tampa, Fla., to finish fifth among 100 players.
Loupe came within five strokes of making the final cut of 156 players, but did beat Robert Floyd, the son of former PGA legend Raymond Floyd, in a playoff to secure the second alternate position.
His name, however, was never called. 
So began Loupe’s unofficial run toward a professional golf career.
“I was 16 years old. I was nearly qualifying for the U.S. Open,” said Loupe, a senior on LSU’s golf team. “I knew at that point this could really be my profession one day.”
Loupe continues his quest toward joining the PGA Tour in his final spring season at LSU. He began by shooting a 5-over-par 215 to finish in a tie for 11th at the Gator Invitational on Feb. 5.
A left-hander who plays right-handed, Loupe has quietly emerged as one of the nation’s premier collegiate golfers during his 3 1/2 years at LSU, finishing the fall season as the No. 32 golfer in the country, according to Golfweek. Loupe managed a 72.8 season average while battling back from a torn labrum in his left shoulder he suffered last spring. Loupe had surgery in June, sidelining him for 14 weeks.
The career success Loupe has earned hasn’t surprised him, his parents or LSU coach Chuck Winstead.
“Everybody says Andrew’s so talented, but what they don’t see is how hard he works at it,” Winstead said. “Talent alone will only take you so far, but being driven to succeed … that’s the biggest difference.”
The connection to golf was natural. His mother, Gayle, was an avid golfer before Andrew was born, and his father, Jack, has played for the past 20-plus years.
“I have pictures of myself with plastic clubs between the ages of 2 and 3 that my parents put in my hand,” Loupe said.
By the time Loupe was 6, he was blasting 60-yard tee shots at the Country Club of Louisiana. At his 10th birthday, he was playing in the Future Masters in Georgia and the PGA junior series.
Loupe went on to letter in golf at Episcopal High School six times, which included two state championships. When he wasn’t on the greens, the 6-foot-1-inch shooting guard dominated the basketball court to earn all-state basketball honors twice, averaging 21.6 points per game for his career.
With basketball looming, Loupe’s decision to come to LSU to play golf was easy. He had grown up in Baton Rouge, was a die-hard LSU fan and had a previous history with Winstead that most golfers lacked — Winstead was his swing coach since he was 10.
Loupe’s familiarity with Winstead made for a smooth transition at LSU. Following two productive, yet quiet seasons, Loupe exploded during his junior campaign. His team-leading 72 average earned him Louisiana Player of The Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and also garnered All-America honorable mention and First-Team All-Southeastern Conference honors.
As his collegiate career winds down, Loupe has his ultimate goal in sight — to pick up where he left off in 2005 and become a mainstay on the PGA tour. He will turn pro June 5 after the NCAA golf championships.
“I couldn’t be any more proud of him than I am now,” his father said. “If he made [the PGA tour], which he is certainly capable of doing, [it] would just be like a dream come true.”
 
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Contact Sean Isabella at [email protected]