JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Fresh off their first tournament victory of the season, the LSU men’s golf team will begin play at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship on Monday at Sawgrass Country Club in Jacksonville.
North Florida will host the 11th Annual Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship at the par-72, 6,895 yard course.
The Tigers won the SunTrust Gator Invitational title last week at Gainesville, Fla. LSU fired a 6-over par 846 to win the tournament by one stroke over Purdue, Florida, and Alabama-Birmingham, who each tied for second place. It was LSU’s first win at the Gator since 1988, and the third win their all-time. Senior Nathan Goulding led LSU by finishing second with a 6-under 204 total.
The tournament features four teams currently ranked in the Golfweek/Sagarin Collegiate Golf Rankings top ten. Wake Forest is second, Texas is sixth, Tennessee is eighth and defending tournament champ Florida is ranked fifth. Last season, the Gators won by one stroke over Augusta State. Florida has won three consecutive Mercedes-Benz championships.
LSU finished third at the tournament last season, with Goulding tying for sixth place, his best collegiate finish prior to last week’s second-place finish at the Gator. This will be LSU’s third and final trip to the state of Florida for tournament play this season. The Tigers also participated at the Gary Koch/Cleveland Golf Intercollegiate at Tampa, Fla., in October as well as the Gator and the Mercedes-Benz.
Making the trip for LSU are Goulding, juniors John Humphries and Garrett Prather, along with two true freshman, Heath West and Tucker Ervin. Ervin will be making his first appearance in the Tigers lineup since the Country Club of Louisiana Intercollegiate in October. Ervin also participated at the Adams Cup in early October at Newport, R.I.
The first two rounds will begin at 7:15 a.m. on Monday, and the final round will tee off at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
Field for Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship
Sawgrass Country Club, Jacksonville, Fla.
Par 72, 6,895 yds.
LSU, North Florida, Florida, Tennessee, Florida State, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Texas, Northwestern, Augusta State, North Carolina State, Duke, Georgia State and North Carolina.