The recent rise in popularity of college golf has led to a shift in how aspiring golfers can advance to pro tournaments.
The pathway from collegiate golf to tournaments like the PGA Tour has attracted a larger share of international golfers, who have a harder time going pro internationally because of more developed, younger competition.
Since 2015, the number of international golfers in college golf has risen significantly, going from 280 to around 1200. It is estimated that international golfers now account for about 20% of Division I players and 25% of college golf overall.
LSU is one of the top programs where this rise of international players has basically redefined the program. LSU no longer just selectively recruits international golfers, but now relies on them as the core of both its men’s and women’s programs.
Both the men’s and women’s rosters are made up of a majority of international players, something still uncommon for a top SEC program. The women’s team has seven international players compared to only two Americans, while the men’s team is made up of five international players and four Americans.
The majority of these international players are European, with the highest national representation coming from Sweden, Spain, Iceland and the United Kingdom.
Many of these foreign players are also top performers for the Tigers. For example, Icelandic sophomore Árni Sveinsson and British senior Matthew Dodd-Berry were top performers for the men’s team over the fall season, with the two finishing in the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Currently, Sveinsson is ranked No. 8 in the world, making him one of the best international players in all of college golf. Head coach Jake Amos has been a strong advocate for international players at LSU, recruiting numerous younger international golfers. For example, players like Dan Hayes and Dylan Kayne were highly regarded prospects from the United Kingdom and South Africa that Amos did not let go under his radar.
There’s no doubt that Amos’s approach in using international players sets LSU apart from most collegiate golf programs, and has proven to be a key reason for LSU men’s golf’s rise back to the top of the SEC.
“I also think my advantage is that I know the world and I know the international market, and I have an advantage there that I am going to use,” Amos said in his first press conference at LSU.
On the women’s team, two of the seven international golfers are currently in the top 200 individual rankings. The Tigers are led off by No. 67 Italian sophomore Francesca Fiorellini and No. 177 Icelandic senior Elsa Svensson.
Although the women’s team may not have as much success as the men through its international players this season, the program as a whole has changed significantly with the focus on international players.
Last season, head coach Garrett Runion made an effort to bring in plenty of top international recruits, specifically looking for players who already had major tournament experience. This recruiting method proved successful, with the Tigers acquiring top young talent such as Josefin Widal and Rocío Tejedo.
“Josefin and Rocio are both very competitive with a lot of international experience,” Runion said about the 2024 recruiting class. “They have followed LSU golf for a while now … they know the standard and there’s no doubt in my mind they will be working hard to beat some of their records.”
Spanish sophomore Rocío Tejedo made headlines for LSU last year, finishing in the top 15 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings while co-winning Freshman of the Year and finishing as an All-American. This is just another win for LSU golf’s recruiting, and shows how focusing on lesser known international recruits can set a top program apart from others.
Having strong international recruiting simply expands the playing field for recruiters and allows teams to get some of the best young prospects in the world, rather than just within the United States.
LSU has been a trailblazing program for international players in college golf, and with the recent success of both the men’s and women’s teams, surely the Tigers will continue acquiring top international talent.
