SEA ISLAND, Ga. — With winds gusting to 25 mph, the 30th-ranked LSU men’s golf team teed off under clear skies Friday and finished the first round of the 2005 SEC Men’s Golf Championship at Sea Island Golf Club in a tie for ninth place. The Tigers are tied with Arkansas after posting a 25-over par 305.
Scoring proved difficult for the 12-team field as only two rounds were recorded under par. LSU head coach Greg Jones believes that if the wind continues to blow it will benefit his team in the final two rounds.
“When the wind blows and the wind blows hard, anybody can play poorly,” Jones said. “It takes a little more creativity, some imagination and a lot more patience to play well. The wind can be an equalizer, and there’s still a lot of golf left to be played.”
The Tigers were led by sophomore Chris Wells and freshman Brent Struthers, who each shot a 5-over 75 and are in a tie for 21st after their first career round in the SEC Championships. Jones believes having this experience will benefit them as they compete in the second and third rounds.
“This is the kind of golf course that just seeing it once in a practice round is not enough,” Jones said. “This course is a very special golf course and requires a lot of knowledge to play well. Those guys know a little bit about how to play the course under any kind of wind, and I think all of our guys will play better tomorrow.”
Struthers agrees that having this experience will only benefit him as he continues not only in this tournament, but for the rest of his LSU career.
“It was a little overwhelming at first because it is my first round playing in the SECs in my career, but the coaches prepared me well and helped me get over that,” Struthers said. “I had to get over that hump, and once I did it was all up to me.”
Senior Jeff Riemann recorded a 6-over 76 to tie for 32nd, while freshman Beck Troutman and senior Brandon Aydlett sit in a tie for 45th and a tie for 57th, respectively.
“Every player had a couple of bad holes that led to some big numbers, and I believe we could have finished our round better,” Jones said. “We had some unforced errors, and the conditions certainly played a part in that. We just need to be more patient with ourselves and this course as we play tomorrow.”
The 17th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats lead the tournament by four shots over seventh-ranked Florida after recording a 10-over 290 Friday. John Holmes and Matt Wells paced the Wildcats and sit in second and third place, respectively. Richard Scott of Georgia leads the tournament by one shot over Holmes after firing a 2-under 68.
The Tigers will be paired with Vanderbilt and Ole Miss for the second round as play begins Saturday at 7 a.m. CDT. Live scoring will be provided by Golfstat and can be accessed through LSUsports.net.
SEC MEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP — FIRST ROUND
TEAM SCORES (Par 280)
1. Kentucky 290 +10; 2. Florida 294 +14; 3. Alabama 295 +15; 4. Auburn 296 +16; t5. South Carolina 298 +18; t5. Tennessee 298 +18; 7. Georgia 302 +22; 8. Mississippi State 303 +23; t9. LSU 305 +25; t9. Arkansas 305 +25; 11. Vanderbilt 306 +26; 12. Ole Miss 311 +31
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS (Par 70)
1. Richard Scott, Georgia, 68 -2; 2. John Holmes, Kentucky, 69 -1; 3. Matt Wells, Kentucky, 70 E; t4. Matt Every, Florida, 71 +1; t4. Mark Harrell, Alabama, 71 +1; t4. Philip Pettitt, Tennessee, 71 +1; t4. Gator Todd, Alabama, 71 +1
LSU SCORES
T21. Chris Wells 75 +5
T21. Brent Struthers 75 +5
T32. Jeff Riemann 76 +6
T45. Beck Troutman 79 +9
T57. Brandon Aydlett 84 +14