The United States Amateur Championship has featured Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, as well as Senior Brandon Pierce and sophomores Sam Burns and Luis Gagne.
The tournament began on Aug 15, and all three Tigers competed for the 116th edition of this tournament in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan .
However, playing in the Amateur Championship is a bit different from donning the purple and gold.
“Instead of playing for a team, you are playing for yourself,” Gagne said.
Gagne, who was not even a member of the original field selected for the tournament, entered with an open mindset, he said. He contended with the field’s best young players, and advanced to quarterfinal play before Southern Cal’s Jonah Texeira defeated Gagne with a 3-and-2 victory after Texiera bested Gagne with a birdie the hole No. 16 and advanced to the semifinal round on Aug. 20.
Burns and Gagne, although not competing in team play, like at LSU, were pooled in the same group for the beginning of the tournament.
“Playing with a teammate gives you a sense of familiarity and comfort in tournaments like this,” Burns said.
Burns was defeated in the Round of 32, while Pierce fell in the second round. Burns has competed in this tournament three times, and 2016 marked Pierce’s debut in the U.S. Amateur tournament.
In all, the Tigers said they were pleased with their trip and received exposure to quality competition and courses they will see throughout this upcoming season, which begins Sept. 9 at the Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic in Georgia.

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Ari Ross

LSU junior golfer Brandon Pierce reads the green during the David Toms Intercollegiate tournament on Oct. 11, 2015, at the University Club golf course.