PONTE VEDRA, Fla. — The LSU men’s golf team shot a 19-over par 595 on Monday at the 12th-annual Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship at the Sawgrass Country Club to stand in 14th place after two rounds.
The Tigers, coming off of a 12th-place finish at the SunTrust Gator Invitational last week in Gainesville, Fla., are battling six teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the GOLFWEEK/SAGARIN rankings at the tournament. Augusta State, ranked seventh, is leading the 15-team field after one day of play with a 10-under par 566. Unranked Oklahoma State is a surprising second at even-par 576.
Top-ranked Clemson is tied with No. 4 Florida for third at 1-over 577. Wake Forest, ranked fifth, is alone in fifth place at 4-over par 580. North Carolina’s Dustin Bray is the leading individual after 36 holes with an 8-under 136. Senior John Humphries is currently tied for third place with Wake Forests’ Brent Wanner at 5-under 139. Humphries, who tied for sixth at the Gator Invitational, shot 72-67 and seeks his second-straight top-10 finish.
Freshman Aaron Smith is tied for 51st at 6-over 150 and sophomore Heath West shot 8-over 152 and is tied for 61st place. Sophomore Tucker Ervin is tied for 71st at 12-over 156. Freshman David Aitchison is tied for 73rd at 13-over 157.
“We are struggling right now and today is a perfect example of that,” said LSU head coach Greg Jones. “It is due to the fact that we have a problem with immaturity on this team. Sooner or later our boys have got to play like men,” Jones said.
“It is a combination of immaturity, inexperience, and a very strong field,” Jones said. “This tournament is just like an NCAA regional or better, these teams are incredible and right now we are not playing like we are capable.”
The third and final round will tee off on Tuesday with the Tigers teeing off beginning at 9:12 a.m. LSU will return home to host the 3rd-annual LSU Spring Invitational from Feb. 28-March 2 at the University Club in Baton Rouge following the trip to Florida.
12th-annual Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship
Feb. 17-18, 2003
Ponte Vedra, Fla.
Sawgrass Country Club
TEAM SCORES (Par 576)
1. Augusta State 285-281 — 566 -10; 2. Oklahoma State 281-295 — 576 E; t3. Clemson 287-290 — 577 +1; t3. Florida 285-292 — +1; 5. Wake Forest 289-291 — 580 +4; 6. North Carolina State 288-293 — 581 +5; 7. Texas 290-292 — 582 +6; 8. South Carolina 289-295 — 584 +8; t9. North Carolina 289-296 — 585 +9; t9. Tennessee 287-298 — 585 +9; t11. Georgia 302-286 — 588 +12; t11. Duke 293-295 — 588 +12; 13. North Florida 299-293 — 592 +16; 14. LSU 298-297 — 595 +19; 15. Florida State 300-298 — 598 +22
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS (Par 144)
1. Dustin Bray, North Carolina, 69-67 — 136 -8; 2. James Heath, Augusta State, 70-68 — 138 -6; t3. John Humphries, LSU, 72-67 — 139 -5; t3. Brent Wanner, Wake Forest, 71-68 — 139 -5; t5. Scott Jamieson, Augusta State, 69-71 — 140 -4; t5. Brett Stegmaier, Florida, 68-72 — 140 -4
LSU SCORES
t3. John Humphries 72-67 — 139 -5
t51. Aaron Smith 75-75 — 150 +6
t61. Heath West 76-76 — 152 +8
t71. Tucker Ervin 75-81 — 156 +12
t73. David Aitchison 78-79 — 157 +13