LAFAYETTE, La. — The LSU men’s golf team, currently ranked 27th in the nation, will begin play in the Louisiana Classics Intercollegiate on Monday at Oakbourne Country Club.
“This is a big tournament for our guys because we have not be in action for about a month and we need to play well,” said LSU head coach Greg Jones. “I want our guys to focus on shooting low numbers and playing consistent golf.”
Junior Heath West leads the Tigers with a 72.85 stroke average and four top-10 finishes. West also has four top-20s. The All-America candidate is joined in the lineup by fellow juniors Andrew Lanahan and Jeff Riemann, senior Garrett Prather, and true freshman Garrett Runion.
The Tigers, ranked 27th in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, are coming off a seventh-place finish at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship on Feb. 8 in Ponte Vedra, Fla. Lanahan led the way for LSU at the Mercedes, tying for 18th place, which was his third top-20 finish of the season. The Tigers have won both the Baylor Invitational and Country Club of Louisiana Intercollegiate this season.
LSU finished eighth in the Louisiana Classics last season, led by West’s top-five finish. The Tigers have won the tournament one time in its history as they claimed the team title in 1995. The teams will play the first 36 holes on Monday and the final 18 on Tuesday.
SMU headlines the 15-team field. The Mustangs have won the last two Louisiana Classics titles. Five schools from the state of Texas will also compete as well as Big 12 members Colorado and Missouri.
The Tigers will next participate in the Schenkel/E-Z-Go Invitational March 20-21 in Statesboro, Ga. LSU will then host the fourth-annual LSU Spring Invitational April 2-4 at the University Club in Baton Rouge.
2004 Louisiana Classics Field
Arkansas State
Colorado
Kansas
Louisiana-Lafayette (Host)
LSU
Missouri
North Texas
Rice
SMU
Tennessee
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Texas-San Antonio
Texas State
Tulsa