The No. 8 LSU men’s golf team finished its debut tournament in a tie for fourth place in the 16th-annual Prestige Tournament at PGA West on Wednesday.
LSU completed its week at 21-under par for a score of 843. The Tigers shot a 273, their lowest round score as a team, on Wednesday, combining for 28 birdies on the day.
“It went very well,” said LSU coach Chuck Winstead. “Today was very good. It was something that we have been working on. We started to play a little more free, and a little more as we expect to play.”
Senior Myles Lewis concluded his week capturing a tournament score of 10-under par 206. Lewis’ overall score was influenced by a strong final-round surge in which he scored a 7-under par 65. His birdie on the final hole pushed him one stroke below his former career-low 66, which was momentous for the Tigers’ position on the leaderboard.
Winstead commended Lewis for his performance to close out the week. Sophomores Eric Ricard and Brandon Pierce were the only other Tigers to score under par.
Ricard sealed his performance by nailing in birdies on six of the last nine holes, posting a 6-under 66 on Tuesday and a seventh-place individual finish. He trailed Lewis on the leaderboard, who ended in a tie for fourth.
Ricard’s final-round score was low enough to rewrite his record books for a new career-low round score. Ricard walked away Wednesday shooting a 207 (9-under par).
Winstead said the Tigers’ performance Wednesday was a good example of how well they can be when everybody pitches in.
“It’s more where the program has grown to and the guys in the program aspiring to be great,” Winstead said. “They continue to fight, and it is being proven. The more comfortable they get, the more they stretch their vision of who they can be and the more they are capable of.”
The Tigers had to fight to finish in the top five of the competition after completing Monday and Tuesday with scores of 284 and 286, respectively. On Wednesday, LSU improved by 13 strokes in the final round of 273, thrusting the it into a tie for fourth place.
Freshman Blake Caldwell was the first Tiger in the clubhouse as he matched his season-low round score of one-over par 73.
He was closely followed by senior All-American Ben Taylor, who posted a two-over par on the final day to finish the tournament at seven-over 223.