SEA ISLAND, Ga. — The 26th-ranked LSU men’s golf team will participate in the 2004 edition of the Southeastern Conference Championships this weekend at Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course, as the Tigers are in search of their first SEC title since 1987.
LSU will join the other 11 members of the conference on St. Simons Island for the three-day event which culminates with the final round of play on Sunday, April 18. The tournament begins on Friday, April 16 with first-round action. The teams will play 18 holes each day after a practice round on Thursday.
Five of the 12 schools in the field are currently ranked in the top 25 of the latest Golfweek/Sagarin ranking, including top-ranked and defending SEC champion Florida. Georgia is ranked fourth, South Carolina 12th, Arkansas 20th, and Kentucky 24th. Tennessee is ranked 30th, while Vanderbilt is just inside the top 50 at No. 49.
“This is always a fun event to come to and one that you always want to play well in because it is so special,” said LSU head coach Greg Jones. “We feel good right now coming off of a big win in our home tournament and look to play good, consistent golf here this weekend and give ourselves a chance to win.”
The Tigers are coming off of a thrilling one-shot victory in the fourth-annual LSU Spring Invitational two weeks ago in Baton Rouge. LSU rallied from a 12-stroke deficit entering the final round of play to win its third tournament of the season. The Tigers won both the Baylor Invitational and Country Club of Louisiana Intercollegiate during the fall.
The Tigers will use the same five players that have combined to win all three of LSU’s tournaments this season, and that is senior Garrett Prather, and juniors Andrew Lanahan, Jeff Riemann, Brandon Aydlett, and Heath West. Prather, a native of Crowley, La., will be making his third-career appearance at the SEC’s, while West is competing for the third-straight year. Aydlett, Lanahan, and Riemann will all be making their debut in the event.
Prather owns a 73.7 stroke average this season with two top-20 finishes and eight rounds of par or better. He tied for 36th at the 2002 SEC Championships also played in Sea Island. Lanahan, a Jacksonville, Fla., native is second on the squad with a 73.2 stroke average and four top-20 finishes as well as one top-10 finish. He has placed in the top 20 in four of the Tigers’ last five tournaments.
Riemann has a 74.1 stroke average with two top-20 finishes and one top 10 to his credit. The Gulfport, Miss., native has shot eight rounds of par or better. Aydlett has both a top-20 and top-10 finish this season to go with a 74.1 stroke average.
West, a strong candidate for All-conference honors has had a steady junior campaign. The native of Dothan, Ala., leads the team with a 72.7 stroke average and four top-10 finishes. West has also finished in the top 20 six times and has recorded 13 rounds of par or better. He was named SEC Golfer of the Week on April 8 after placing 12th in the LSU Spring Invitational. West tied for fifth place as a freshman at the 2002 SEC Championships.
The Tigers finished 12th last season at the SEC’s, led by John Humphries’ fifth-place finish. LSU was in position to win the championship in 2002 but ended up tying for fourth. The Tigers have 15 SEC titles to their credit, which is the second-most by any school in conference history. LSU won back-to-back championships in 1986 and 1987, led by current PGA star David Toms.
The tournament begins at 8 a.m. on Friday at the par-70 course which has a yardage of 6,898. Florida is the defending conference champion after the Gators shot a 16-over 856 to win their 13th SEC Championship last season. The Gators’ Brett Stegmaier claimed in the individual championship. Georgia leads the conference in all-time titles with 22.
The Tigers are paired with Alabama and Tennessee for Friday’s initial round and will tee off beginning at 8 a.m. on hole No. 1.