LSU coach Chuck Winstead noted prior to this week’s tournament that the Isleworth Country Club would be a challenge for his young squad, and it proved to play just as expected, as the Tigers finished tied for 8th out of the 15 teams in attendance.
The team struggled with the course in the past, but LSU came into the tournament looking to reverse the negative trend.
“We started off strong, but overall we were pretty solid considering it was against a strong field on a tough course,” said LSU assistant coach Garrett Runion. “There was definitely a lot of wind, and it made the playing conditions very challenging.”
One golfer wasn’t affected by the difficult course.
Junior Andrew Presley thrived in Windermere, Fla., shooting a 3-over par 219 for the tournament.
The veteran was primed to finish below par over the three-day competition, but three bogeys in the final round left him tied for ninth overall.
The Tigers started productively in the first round, as sophomore Curtis Thompson led the team with an even-par 72. Presley finished the first day at 1-over.
The remaining three LSU golfers, sophomores Stewart Jolly and Myles Lewis and freshman Zach Wright, had their share of struggles when the sun set on day one, as they all came in at 74 or worse.
But the golfers began to fall apart in the second round.
Thompson and Jolly shot 4-over and 6-over, respectively, and Lewis’ 9-over and Wright’s 8-over left the team looking for answers.
Presley stayed consistent heading into day three as he shot 1-over.
Thompson finished at 3-over, putting him at 7-over 223 through three rounds.
Neither of the remaining three LSU golfers finished better than 11-over for the tournament.
The tournament marked the conclusion of the Tigers’ fall schedule, as they don’t play again until the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, starting Feb. 18 in Mobile, Ala.
“We’ll be in the weight room and try and bulk up a little bit [during the time off],” Runion said. “We want to focus on our short game, our course management and our driving.”