SEA ISLAND, Ga. — The LSU men’s golf team will compete in its biggest event of the season this weekend as the Tigers will head to Sea Island, Ga. for the 2003 Southeastern Conference Championship April 25-27 at the Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course.
“This is always a great event and we are excited to be competing against so many good teams, because as always, the SEC is loaded with a lot of talent and that makes for a special tournament each year,” said LSU head coach Greg Jones.
“We are still in the hunt for an NCAA regional and we need a strong showing here this weekend to have a chance for that opportunity,” said Jones.
The Tigers will be competing in their 12th event of the season and are coming off of a tie for fifth place at the ASU Indian Golf Classic on April 15 in Jonesboro, Ark. The Tigers shot a 24-over par 888 and were led by senior John Humphries, who tied for fifth at 1-over par 217, his fifth top-10 finish of the season. Sophomore Heath West earned his fifth top-20 finish of the season by tying for 17th place at 4-over par 220.
LSU will use a lineup of Humphries, West, sophomore Brandon Aydlett, and a pair of freshmen, David Aitchison and Aaron Smith this weekend. Humphries will be making his fourth-consecutive appearance at the SEC Championships. He had the best finish of his career last season, tying for eighth place at 6-over par 216. Humphries has participated in all 11 of LSU’s tournaments this season and leads the team in four different statistical categories, stroke average (72.3), rounds of par or better (20), top-20 finishes (8), and top 10 finishes with five.
West has played in 10 of 11 tournaments this season and is second on the team with a 73.1 stroke average. The Dothan, Ala., native has shot 15 rounds of par or better and has two top-10 finishes to go along with five top-20 finishes. West will make his second-straight appearance at the SEC’s after tying for fifth place a year ago, shooting a 4-over par 214. Aydlett, Aitchison, and Smith will each make their debut at the championships. Aitchison and Smith have appeared in seven tournaments this season while Aydlett has seen action in five.
LSU finished in a tie for fourth place with Vanderbilt last season at 34-over par 874, the Tigers’ best finish since finishing fifth in 2000. Auburn won the SEC title in 2002 by shooting a 17-over par 857 and Florida’s Camilo Benedetti claimed medalist honors as he fired an even-par 210.
LSU’s last SEC championship came in 1987 in Florence, Ala., as former All-American and PGA champion David Toms became the 13th different LSU golfer to win the SEC individual championship. The Tigers also won the title in 1986 in Florence when Toms was named SEC Freshman of the Year. LSU has won 15 SEC titles in school history, the second-best total of any SEC school. Georgia owns the most titles with 22.
The format for the championship is 18 holes each day, Friday through Sunday, with all 12 schools teeing off at 8 a.m. each of the three days. LSU is paired with Arkansas and Ole Miss for round one on Friday and will tee off beginning at 8:50 a.m.