BATON ROUGE — The 19th ranked LSU men’s golf team shot a second-round 7-under par 281 on Monday afternoon’s second round take the lead in the inaugural LSU Spring Invitational at the University Club.
Play was suspended due to darkness, prohibiting three teams from completing their rounds. Arkansas State University, the College of Charleston and Southern Mississippi were unable to finish and will complete their rounds Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. The final round will begin at 8 a.m. for the 15 other teams.
The darkness may have caused three teams to postpone their final rounds until Tuesday, but the real story Monday was the fierce winds that blew most of the day, with gusts to 30 miles per hour. The wide fairways at the University Club were conducive to windy conditions, but they were much more of a factor than anyone expected Monday.
“We saw this golf course today like never before,”said head coach Greg Jones. “It was strange, because you are at home and are supposed to know the course like the back of your hand, and the wind changed it, and we were probably the most confused team out there.”
The Tigers shot a 302 in the first round, with no player shooting better than a 75. The second round was a different story. The Tigers benefitted from senior Craig Taylor’s 68 and sophomore John Humphries’ 69 to vault to the top of the leader board.
Humphries shot a 75 and a 69 to finish Monday’s play in third place. Taylor is tied for sixth. He shot a 78 in round one and improved that score by 10 in the afternoon. Senior Alan Morgan is tied with teammate Nathan Goulding for 12th place. Morgan posted a 75-72 and Goulding shot the same.
“I came out in the second round and had to start over again and I birdied No. 1 and 3,” said Taylor. “I made just two bogeys on the back, but with the wind it was tough. Sometimes your shot would just not go anywhere.”
Tulsa’s David Inglis equaled Taylor’s 68 in the second round and is atop the leader board individually after Monday with a 141 total. He shot a 73 in the first round and is 3-under for the tournament.
The Tigers were in a three-way tie for 10th place after a round Monday but did not panic and regrouped in the second round to gain the lead.
“Coach did not say a word to us following round one. We knew we all had to play well in our tournament, and we did,” Taylor said.
The Spring Invitational is the Tigers’ second home event of the season. In October, the Tigers played host to the eighth-annual Country Club of Louisiana Intercollegiate, and rallied the final day to win there for the first time since 1993.
If the Tigers do the same Tuesday, they will claim their third title of the season and beat the weather at the same time.
“When we walked out here this morning and saw the windy, cold conditions we saw this course like never before,”said Jones. “I said nothing to my team at the turn, I just let them go because I knew they would figure it out.”
The Tigers will fight the blustery conditions again Tuesday in hopes of winning their first tournament since the CCLA in October. The three teams who are completing rounds from Monday will tee off at 7:30, and the other 15 will follow 30 minutes after that.
UNIVERSITY CLUB – BATON ROUGE
Team Results
(complete results through two rounds, updated at 11 a.m. CST on Tuesday)
Par 288-576
1. LSU 302-281 – 583 +7; 1. Arkansas State 292-291 — 583 +7; 3. Tulsa 291-298 – 589 +13; 4. Rhode Island 292-301 – 593 +18; 5. Florida State 296-298 – 594 +18; 6. Texas-Arlington 293-303 – 596 +20; 7. McNeese State 292-306 – 598 +22; 7. Southeastern Louisiana 306-292 – 598 +22; 9. Louisiana-Lafayette 302-297 – 599 +23; 9. College of Charleston 304-295 — 599 +23; . 11. Tulane 302-301 – 603 +27; 12. South Florida 298-306 – 604 +28; 12. Central Florida 301-303 – 604 +28; 14. Troy State 299-306 – 605 +29; 15. South Alabama 303-309 – 612 +36; 16. Southern Mississippi 309-307 — 616 +40; 17. Oral Roberts 303-314 – 617 +41; 18. Louisiana-Monroe 313-312 – 625 +49.
Top 25 Individuals (Par 72-144)
1. David Inglis, Tulsa, 73-68 – 141 -3
2. Jedd McLuen, Charleston, 78-64 – 142 -2
2. Adam Rauth, Ark. St., 74-68 – 142 -2
4. Michael Sims, Rhode Island 70-73 – 143 -1
5. John Humphries, LSU, 75-69 – 144 E
6. Tim Yelverton, So. Miss 73-72 – 145 +1
6. Shad Muth, UTA, 70-75 – 145 +1
6. Andy Lewis, Florida St., 71-74 – 145 +1
9. Jacques Chevallier, SLU, 73-73 – 146 +2
9. Rick Westbrook, Florida St., 72-74 – 146 +2
9. Logan Goettsch, Tulsa, 74-72 – 146 +2
9. David Spitz, Rhode Island, 75-71 – 146 +2
9. Craig Taylor, LSU, 78-68 – 146 +2
9. James Griffin, Tulane, 75-71 – 146 +2
9. Billy Lowry, Tulsa, 74-72 -146 +2
18. Nathan Goulding, LSU, 75-72 – 147 +3
18. Richard Ainley, ULL, 73-74 – 147 +3
18. Luke Main, UTA, 73-74 – 147 +3
18. Alan Morgan, LSU, 75-72 – 147 +3
18. Kevin Kahle, Central Florida, 73-74 – 147 +3
23. Justin Strausbaugh, Tulane, 74-74 – 148 +4
23. Billy Carreto, SLU, 76-72 – 148 +4
23. Daniel Brunson, Charleston, 71-77 – 148 +4
LSU Scores
3. John Humphries 76-69 – 144 E
T6. Craig Taylor 78-68 – 146 +2
T12. Nathan Goulding 75-72 – 147 +3
T12. Alan Morgan 75-72 – 147 +3
T19. Garrett Prather 77-72 – 149 +5