The No. 14 LSU men’s golf team will look to defend its title at the Louisiana Classics in Lafayette today. 

The Tigers won last season’s tournament by 14 strokes after posting a team score of 17-under 847 over the three rounds at Oakbourne Country Club.

“It always gives you confidence when you go back to a place where you’ve had success,” said LSU coach Chuck Winstead. “We also like the fact that the course is just an hour down the road, which makes it a really light travel trip.”

Junior Andrew Presley won the Classic’s individual title last season. Presley finished the tournament at 10-under 206, which gave him a three-shot victory over former Tiger Sang Yi.

“I like the course a lot,” Presley said. “The greens are really grainy. It is kind of like my course back home in Fort Worth, so I just feel really comfortable playing there.”

Presley said the team is always excited to play this tournament because they all have had success at the course.

Behind Presley, the Tigers’ lineup will consist of junior Landon Lyons and sophomores Stewart Jolly, Curtis Thompson and Myles Lewis.

Lyons and Jolly played in last season’s Classic, finishing the week at 1-under and 3-over, respectively.

This will be the Tigers’ third tournament of the spring. They’ve previously notched a second-place finish at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate in Alabama and a tie for fourth at the rain-shortened John Hayt Invitational in Florida. 

“I think the team has played pretty well,” Winstead said. “I think we need to get more efficient on and around the greens with our putting and chipping, but I think we are hitting the ball pretty well.”

LSU is the only Southeastern Conference team in a field that includes Louisiana Tech, Southeastern Louisiana and Louisiana-Lafayette, who is hosting the event. 

The tournament will conclude Tuesday.