The No. 15 LSU men’s golf team capitalized on a late-round surge on its way to securing its first win of the 2010-11 season at the Gopher Invitational at Spring Hill Golf Course in Wayzata, Minn.
The Tigers captured the team title with a 54-hole team score of 5-over par 869, finishing 11 strokes better than the field of 11 teams at the tournament.
“We were able to mix and match good scores and come out with a pretty good win,” LSU golf head coach Chuck Winstead said in a press release. “But as we go forward, we’re going to need some more consistent play in the lineup. We’re talented enough to be more consistent as a team in each round.”
The Tigers’ season-opening victory didn’t come easy. A first-round team score of 13-over par 301 left the team in ninth place at the end of the first round. But the Tigers surged through the final 36 holes of the tournament, logging consecutive rounds of 7-under 281 in the second and third rounds before firing a final round score of 1-under par 287.
Five LSU golfers finished in the top 21 in the individual standings, including three in the top 10. Leading all LSU golfers in individual scores was senior Clayton Rotz, who tied for third place at 1-under 215. Seniors Ken Looper and John
Peterson finished in a tie for seventh place with individual scores of 4-over 220.
“After the first round, I challenged John Peterson and Clayton Rotz to step it up and play like they should play,” Winstead said. “We can’t be a very good team if they shoot 78s. That was the difference from the first round to the second and third rounds. They were outstanding.”
Junior Sang Yi finished tied for 13th place with a total score of 5-over 221, while fellow junior Austin Gutgsell tied for 21st place with a three-round score of 9-over 225.
The Tigers will return to competition Oct. 11-12 when the team travels to the Jack Nicklaus Invitational at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio.