PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Sophomore Chris Wells fired a 2-under par 70 and senior Heath West added a 1-under par 71 Sunday to lead the LSU men’s golf team into second place of the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship at Sawgrass Country Club.
The Tigers trail defending champion South Carolina by two strokes after posting an even-par 288 in the opening round.
“We played really well today,” said LSU head coach Greg Jones. “This is a very tough golf course and we managed it pretty well. We made some birdies, made some putts and didn’t make very many mistakes. We were able to stay in it pretty well.”
Wells is in a five-way tie for first place with John Holmes of Kentucky, Nathan Smith of Duke, Robert Svensson of South Carolina and Ben Taylor of Georgia State, while West is currently in a tie for sixth place.
“I really like the way those guys played the course today,” Jones said. “Wells did just what he has done throughout this season, and Heath played well too. He made a triple bogey during his round, but other than that he was flawless.”
Freshman Beck Troutman shot an even-par 72 to sit in a tie for 13th, while sophomore Garrett Runion recorded a 3-over 75 and senior Jeff Riemann shot a 4-over 76 to tie for 38th and 50th, respectively.
Only 12 of the 90 individuals recorded scores under par in the opening round of the tournament. Jones said that windy conditions unique to the course could lead to higher scores in the second and third rounds.
“Sawgrass is a very difficult course,” Jones said. “The wind is always a big factor around this golf course, and it was very windy today. If the wind is there tomorrow it could be difficult to score low once again.”
Second-round competition begins Monday at 8 a.m. with the Tigers teeing off beginning at 9:30.
MERCEDES-BENZ COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIP — DAY ONE
TEAM SCORES (Par 288)
1. South Carolina 286 -2; 2. LSU 288 E; 3. Tennessee 291 +3; t4. Florida 292 +4; t4. UCLA 292 +4; t6. Augusta State 293 +5; t6. Kentucky 293 +5; t6. Georgia State 293 +5; 9. Duke 294 +6, 10. Alabama 297 +9; 11. UAB 299 +11; 12. Arkansas 300 +12; t13. North Florida 301 +13; t13. Central Florida 301 +13; 15. Coastal Carolina 306 +18; 16. Northwestern 308 +20; 17. Florida State 322 +34
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS (Par 72)
t1. John Holmes, Kentucky, 70 -2;
t1. Nathan Smith, Duke, 70 -2;
t1. Robert Svensson, South Carolina, 70 -2;
t1. Ben Taylor, Georgia State, 70 -2;
t1. Chris Wells, LSU, 70 -2
LSU SCORES
t1. Chris Wells 70 -2
t6. Heath West 71 -1
t13. Beck Troutman 72 E
t38. Garrett Runion 75 +3
t50. Jeff Riemann 76 +4