BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — LSU senior Chris Wells earned his eighth career top-10 finish and first of the 2006-07 season as he fired a 4-under 67 in Tuesday’s final round to finish in a tie for sixth place at the prestigious Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate at Old Overton Club.
Wells paced the Tigers to a ninth place finish in the team standings as the All-SEC performer posted a career low 54-hole total of 8-under 205, including back-to-back 4-under 67s in the second and third rounds. LSU fired a team total of 3-under 281 on Tuesday to finish with an 8-under 843 in three rounds.
“It’s good to see Chris Wells play the way we all know he can play,” said LSU head coach Chuck Winstead. “It was nice to see him go out there this week and have a good event against a strong field. He’s a hard worker and that hard work translated into an outstanding finish in one of the premier events in college golf.”
Junior Brian Noonan broke par for the third straight round and fourth in five tries by carding a final round 1-under 70 to finish the event in a tie for 20th place at 4-under 209. The Austin, Texas, native leads the team with five rounds at par or better and is now a cumulative 6-under par in six rounds on the young season.
Fellow junior Beck Troutman posted a 3-over 216 in three rounds, including a season low 2-under 69 in Monday’s second round, to finish the event in a tie for 42nd place, while sophomore Jarrod Barsamian tied for 52nd and true freshman Brent Blaum finished the week in a tie for 57th.
“We took a step forward this week from the season opener two weeks ago,” Winstead said. “The guys have shown a lot of improvement over the course of the last two months, and there are still areas where we can keep improving. We will get to work this week in preparation for our next event and over the next several months as we get ready for a busy spring season.”
Tournament host Alabama extended its four-shot lead after the second round and finished seven strokes ahead of second-place Texas Tech with a 54-hole score of 33-under 819 for its third straight tournament title. Crimson Tide junior Joseph Sykora fired a final round 6-under 65 to claim medalist honors by two strokes with a 14-under 199.
Mark Haastrup of Georgia State made up four strokes on second-round leader Will Griffin of Texas Tech as the two finished in a tie for second place at 12-under 201. Haastrup fired a 4-under 67 in the final round with Griffin holding his ground on Tuesday with an even-par 71.
The Tigers will break for just four days before returning to action on Sunday in the inaugural Oklahoma Intercollegiate at historic Oak Tree Golf Club in Edmond, Okla. Oak Tree Golf Club has played host to many prestigious tournaments in its illustrious history, including the 1988 PGA Championship and the 2006 Senior PGA Championship.
“We look forward to playing another tremendous golf course with a rich history and tradition like Oak Tree has,” Winstead said. “It’s great for this program to be able to compete in events at courses like Shoal Creek Country Club, Old Overton Club and now Oak Tree Golf Club this coming weekend. It’ll be a lot of fun and a great experience for these guys.”
JERRY PATE NATIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE ? FINAL ROUND RESULTS
TEAM SCORES (Par 852)
1. Alabama 270-272-277 ? 819 -33; 2. Texas Tech 274-272-280 ? 826 -26; 3. Texas 280-276-272 ? 828 -24; 4. BYU 284-274-272 ? 830 -22; 5. Georgia State 277-280-276 ? 833 -19; 6. East Tennessee State 290-272-272 ? 834 -18; 7. Auburn 297-271-271 ? 839 -13; 8. UAB 272-279-290 ? 841 -11; 9. LSU 283-279-281 ? 843 -9; 10. Arizona 280-280-287 ? 847 -5; 11. Tulsa 284-285-281 ? 850 -2; 12. Purdue 287-283-284 ? 854 +2
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (Par 213)
1. Joseph Sykora, Alabama, 67-67-65 ? 199 -14; t2. Mark Haastrup, Georgia State, 63-71-67 ? 201 -12; t2. Will Griffin, Texas Tech, 68-62-71 ? 201 -12; 4. Rhys Davies, East Tennessee State, 69-65-68 ? 202 -11; 5. Daniel Summerhays, BYU, 68-69-67 ? 204 -9; t6. Chris Wells, LSU, 71-67-67 ? 205 -8; t6. Oscar Floren, Texas Tech, 72-67-66 ? 205 -8; t6. Peter Richardson, Purdue, 66-68-71 ? 205 -8; t6. Clay Ogden, BYU, 73-67-65 ? 205 -8; t10. Brad Smith, UAB, 68-67-71 ? 206 -7; t10. Michael Thompson, Alabama, 68-67-71 ? 206 -7
LSU SCORES
t6. Chris Wells 71-67-67 ? 205 -8
t20. Brian Noonan 70-69-70 ? 209 -4
t42. Beck Troutman 71-69-76 ? 216 +3
t52. Jarrod Barsamian 77-77-68 ? 222 +9
t57. Brent Blaum 71-74-81 ? 226 +13