BATON ROUGE ? The LSU men’s golf team will tee it up for the first time this season as it looks to defend its title at the second-annual Shoal Creek Intercollegiate beginning Monday at Shoal Creek Country Club in Birmingham, Ala.
The Tigers will be competing against a strong 15-team field that features Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee from the Southeastern Conference, as well as tournament host UAB, Baylor, Central Florida, Florida State, Georgia Southern, Michigan State, NC State, North Florida, Samford, SMU and Virginia. The course will play to a par 72 and 7,114 yards for the championship.
“We’re looking forward to getting this season started with a great tournament like the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate,” said LSU head coach Chuck Winstead. “The guys are excited to be here. They’ve prepared well and are looking to have some fun playing a great golf course against a quality field.”
LSU captured the team championship in 2005 by firing a 54-hole total of 1-under par 863 and will compete with a lineup that includes three veterans who saw action in the inaugural event last season.
Sophomore Beck Troutman led the way for the Tigers by finishing in a tie for fourth place, while senior Chris Wells followed closely behind in a tie for eighth and sophomore Jarrod Barsamian finished in a tie for 38th in just his second career start. Junior Brian Noonan and freshman Brent Blaum will be making their first appearance in the event.
“We’ve got really good team chemistry with the guys this season, and we’re looking forward to finally getting this season started tomorrow morning,” Winstead said. “Three of these five were in the lineup that won here last year, and that’s definitely a positive because they know this golf course and have had success here before.”
Shoal Creek Country Club, which is ranked 49th on Golf Digest’s list of “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses,” has played host to many prestigious events, including the PGA Championship twice in 1984 and 1990 and the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1986. It had not hosted a major collegiate tournament in nine years prior to last season.
“This is a world-class venue, one of the finest golf courses in the entire country,” Winstead said. “It’s a Jack Nicklaus design that has hosted two PGA Championships over the years. Shoal Creek is a challenging golf course, but one where we have experience and have had success. We’re looking forward to a great tournament.”
The Tigers are set to play two rounds on Monday and will tee off with a shotgun start at 8:15 a.m. CDT. Tuesday’s final round is also scheduled to begin at 8:15 a.m. with set tee times from holes No. 1 and No. 10. There will be no live scoring for the event.