EDMOND, Okla. — Head coach Chuck Winstead and the LSU men’s golf team are set to compete in their third and final tournament of the fall season beginning with Sunday’s first round at the inaugural Oklahoma Intercollegiate at historic Oak Tree Golf Club.
The course will play to a par 71 and a lengthy 7,417 yards for the three-day event, which features an eight-team field that includes tournament host Oklahoma, Arkansas, Baylor, Michigan, Ohio State, SMU and Tulsa along with the Tigers.
Oak Tree Golf Club has played host to many prestigious tournaments in its illustrious history, including the 1984 United States Amateur Championship, the 1988 PGA Championship and the 2006 Senior PGA Championship, and this will be the first event played from the course’s lengthened yardage of 7,417 yards.
“The guys are looking forward to playing a great golf course like Oak Tree,” Winstead said. “It has proven over time to be one of the most challenging courses in the country and a lot of great tournaments have been played here over the years. We’re excited to play here and to be a part of this great tournament.”
The Tigers will compete with a similar lineup as their first two tournaments as senior Chris Wells, juniors Brian Noonan and Beck Troutman, and freshman Brent Blaum are each making their third tournament appearance of the season, while freshman Bryant Lach has cracked the lineup for the first time.
LSU is coming off of a ninth-place finish in the prestigious Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate on Tuesday in which Wells earned his eighth career top-10 finish by tying for sixth place with an 8-under 205, including back-to-back 4-under 67s in the second and third rounds. Noonan leads the team with a 70.5 stroke average in six rounds and is a cumulative 6-under par on the year.
“We’ll have to see what the weather does over the next three days as to how this course will play,” Winstead said. “Playing a course that is this challenging is great for our players in their development, and we’re excited to have the opportunity to play courses like Shoal Creek Country Club, Old Overton Club and now Oak Tree Golf Club.
“The average score here this summer in the Senior PGA Championship was 76, so scores will probably be a little high. Rain is in the forecast for the first two rounds, and that will definitely be a factor. The team that makes the most pars and the least amount of big numbers this week will win the tournament.”
LSU breaks for four months after returning to Baton Rouge from the Oklahoma Intercollegiate in preparation for a busy spring season in which it is scheduled to compete in seven tournaments. The Tigers will open the spring season by making their annual return to the Gator Invitational at the University of Florida Golf Course in Gainesville on Feb. 10.