STATESBORO, Ga. — The 28th-ranked LSU men’s golf team will compete against one of the toughest fields this season in all of collegiate golf when the Tigers take part in the prestigious Schenkel/E-Z-Go Invitational on Saturday and Sunday at Forest Heights Country Club.
“This, as always, is a very strong field and is going to be a great tournament,” said LSU head coach Greg Jones. “The course is in great shape here and I know there will be a lot more fans out here than we are used to seeing, but I am just concentrating on getting all five of our guys to play well at the same time,” said Jones.
The 15-team field will tee off at 8 a.m. on Saturday and will play 36 holes. The teams will wrap up play on Sunday with the final 18 holes. The field features 13 teams currently ranked in the top 50 of the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankins, including the top three teams in the nation; No. 1 Florida, second-ranked Clemson, and No. 3 Georgia.
LSU will use a lineup of senior Garrett Prather, and juniors Jeff Riemann, Heath West, Andrew Lanahan, and Brandon Aydlett. It is the same lineup that LSU used to win the Baylor Invitational back in Septmeber in Waco, Texas. West leads the Tigers in stroke average (73.1), rounds under par (9), and top-10 finishes (4). Riemann and Lanahan each have two top-20 finishes and Aydlett has a top 20 and a top 10 to his credit.
The Tigers are coming off a sixth-place finish at the Louisiana Classics March 9 in Lafayette, La. Riemann, West, and Lanahan each shot a 7-over par 223 to tie for 24th place. Lanahan and true freshman Garrett Runion tied for 33rd place.
LSU finished 12th at the Schenkel last season, led by John Humphries’ sixth-place finish. The Tigers have won one Schenkel title in school history, winning the 1989 championship. LSU has finished in the top five at the tournament five times.
The Tigers are paired with Duke and Southeastern Conference foe Tennessee for the first two rounds on Saturday. Wake Forest, the defending tournament champion, is paired with Florida and Georgia Southern. Clemson, Georgia, and USC are paired together, while Augusta State, North Carolina, and South Carolina will play together. Auburn, North Carolina State, and Ohio State are the final group.
LSU will next host the fourth-annual LSU Spring Invitational April 2-4 at the University Club in Baton Rouge.
2004 Schenkel Field:
Auburn
Augusta State
Clemson
Duke
Florida
Georgia
Georgia Southern
LSU
North Carolina
North Carolina State
Ohio State
South Carolina
USC
Tennessee
Wake Forest