JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The LSU men’s golf team shot an 18-over par 594 on Monday at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship to finish the day in third place, nine strokes behind leader Florida.
The Tigers edged Florida and two other teams by one stroke last week in Gainesville, Fla., to win the Gator Invitational team title. No team in the 15-team field shot under par on Monday, as strong winds contributed to the high scores on the first day of play. The Gators shot a 9-over 585 to lead the field, while host North Florida shot a 15-over 591 to trail Florida by six strokes. Wake Forest and Tennessee are tied for fourth place at 21-over, three strokes behind LSU.
Tiger senior Nathan Goulding fired a 2-under 142 on Monday to finish tied for third place after two rounds. Goulding shot a 1-over 73 in round one, and followed that with a 3-under 69 in the second round. Florida’s Camilo Villegas leads all individuals after shooting a 7-under 137, including a 6-under 66 in round two. Texas’s Jason Hartwick is in second place behind Villegas. Hartwick shot a 3-under 141. North Carolina State’s Garth Mulroy and Augusta State’s Scott Jamieson are tied for third place with Goulding.
Junior Garrett Prather cut 10 strokes off of his first-round score to tie for 15th place. Prather shot a 3-under 69 in the second round after posting a 7-over 79 in the first round. True freshman Heath West shot a 6-over 150 on Monday to end the day tied for 21st place. Fellow true freshman Tucker Ervin, making his first appearance of the spring, shot a 10-over 154 and is in 41st place with four others. Junior John Humphries struggled on day one, finishing with a 14-over 158. Humphries is currently in 59th place.
Goulding, who finished in a sixth-place tie a year ago at the tournament, is in position for his second-straight top-five finish. He finished second at the Gator Invitational last week, leading the Tigers to their first tournament win of the season.
“We shot pretty well today overall,” said LSU head coach Greg Jones. “This is a pretty tough course and a very competitive field, so we will see what we can do the rest of the way. We have put ourselves in position after two rounds to have a chance to win, and that is what we wanted to do.”
Florida is looking to win its fourth-straight Mercedes-Benz title on Tuesday. The Gators finished a stroke ahead of Augusta State last season to win the title. The tournament features three teams currently ranked in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, Wake Forest (2), Texas (6), and Tennessee (8). South Carolina is 18th and Augusta State is 24th.
The final round of play will begin Tuesday morning at the par-72 Sawgrass Country Club in Jacksonville. LSU will next be in action March 1-3 when they host the second-annual LSU Spring Invitational at the University Club in Baton Rouge.
TEAM SCORES
1. Florida 298-287–585 +9; 2. North Florida 303-288–591 +15; 3. LSU 305-289–594 +18; t4. Wake Forest 299-298–597 +21; t4. Tennessee 307-290–597 +21; 6. Augusta State 303-295–598 +22; 7. Texas 306-294–600 +24; 8. North Carolina State 296-306–602 +26; 9. North Carolina 310-293–603 +27; 10. Georgia State 309-300–609 +33; 11. Duke 312-299–611 +35; 12. Northwestern 311-301–612 +36; 13. Florida State 307-307–614 +38; t14. South Carolina 314-302–616 +40; t14. Vanderbilt 314-302–614 +40
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS
1. Camilo Villegas, Florida, 71-66–137 -7; 2. Jason Hartwick, Texas, 77-64–141 -3; t3. Nathan Goulding, LSU, 73-69–142 -2, Garth Mulroy, North Carolina State, 71-71–142 -2 and Scott Jamieson, Augusta State, 71-71–142 -2.
LSU SCORES
t3. Nathan Goulding 73-69–142 -2
t15. Garrett Prather 79-69–148 +4
t21. Heath West 74-76–150 +6
t41. Tucker Ervin 79-75–154 +10
t59. John Humphries 82-76–158 +14