PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The LSU men’s golf team shot a first-round 17-over par 305 to finish the day in fourth place at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship at Sawgrass Country Club.
“We played okay today and obviously could play better but we are right there in the mix in fourth place so we are happy,” said LSU head coach Greg Jones. “This is a very tough tournament and we are looking forward to the next two rounds.”
The teams battled cold and windy conditions on Sunday, and it proved to be a factor as just one team managed to shoot under par. Winds blew as hard as 20 mph and temperatures stayed in the 50s the entire day.
Junior Jeff Riemann was the Tigers’ top golfer on Sunday as he fired a 1-over 73 to end the day tied for fifth. Fellow junior Heath West is tied for 16th after shooting a first-round 3-over 75. Senior Garrett Prather is tied for 31st at 6-over 78, junior Andrew Lanahan shot a 7-over 79 to tie for 41st, and Jake Shaw shot a 16-over 88 to tie for 86th place.
South Carolina leads the 18-team field after one day of play, shooting even-par 288 on Sunday. Florida, the nation’s top-ranked team, is in second place after shooting an 11-over 299. The Gators are coming off of a victory last weekend in the SunTrust Gator Invitational. Tennessee is third at 15- over 303 while Clemson, ranked No. 2 in the country, is one shot behind the Tigers in fifth place at 18-over 306.
The tournament features seven teams currently ranked in the top 15 of the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, including the top-ranked Gators, No. 2 Clemson, third-ranked Georgia and No. 8 Augusta State. North Florida, currently in 13th place, is the host for the tournament.
Three golfers are currently tied for first place, while seven players are in a tie for fifth. Texas’ Jason Hartwick, and Eirik Johansen and Jake Thompson of South Carolina are leading the tournament after each shot a 1-under 71. Florida’s Camilo Villegas is in fourth place after shooting even-par 72 while seven players, including Riemann, are tied for fifth.
The Tigers are paired with Clemson and Oklahoma State and will tee off on Monday beginning at 8:45.
TEAM SCORES (Par 288)
1. South Carolina 288 E; 2. Florida 299 +11; 3. Tennessee 303 +15; 4. LSU 305 +17; 5. Clemson 306 +18; 6. Oklahoma State 308 +20; 7. Texas 311 +23; t8. Duke 314 +26; t8. Georgia 314 +26; 10. North Carolina State 315 +27; t11. Auburn 317 +29; t11. Kentucky 317 +29; 13. North Florida 318 +30; t14. Northwestern 319 +31; t14. Augusta State 319 +31; t14. North Carolina 319 +31; 17. Vanderbilt 322 +34; 18. Florida State 326 +38
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS (Par 72)
t1. Jason Hartwick, Texas, 71 -1; t1. Eirik Johansen, South Carolina, 71 -1; t1. Jake Thompson, South Carolina, 71 -1; 4. Camilo Villegas, Florida, 72 E; t5. Dustin Bray, North Carolina, 73 +1; t5. Alex Hamilton, South Carolina, 73 +1; t5. Ross McGowan, Tennessee, 73 +1; t5. Jessie Mudd, Florida, 73 +1; t5. Jeff Riemann, LSU, 73 +1; t5. Martin Rominger, South Carolina, 73 +1; t5. David Skinns, Tennessee, 73 +1
LSU SCORES
T5. Jeff Riemann 73 +1
T16. Heath West 75 +3
T31. Garrett Prather 78 +6
T41. Andrew Lanahan 79 +7
T86. Jake Shaw 88 +16