STATESBORO, Ga. — Freshman sensation Clayton Rotz enjoyed the best round of his young career Friday as he fired a 4-under par 68 to lead the LSU men’s golf team on the first day of the prestigious Schenkel/E-Z-Go Invitational at Forest Heights Country Club.
Rotz, who finished the day in a three-way tie for first place, collected six birdies on his round, including back-to-back birdies on the par-three 13th and par-four 14th holes.
The native of Chambersburg, Pa., paced the Tigers into sole possession of fifth place after Friday’s action as the squad fired a 1-under 287 on the afternoon. This marks the first time this spring that the Tigers have broken par in a round and is the team’s lowest round since firing a 4-under 284 in the final round of the Bridgestone Collegiate Championship in October.
Rotz wasn’t LSU’s only freshman with an impressive start to the Schenkel Invitational as Baton Rouge native Andrew Loupe carded a 1-under round of 71. Loupe kicked off his round by holing one of three birdies on the day and found himself in a tie for 12th place with four other golfers heading into Round 2.
Sophomore Bryant Lach and freshman John Peterson each posted solid rounds of 2-over 74 to finish the afternoon in a tie for 36th, while junior Jarrod Barsamian posted a score of 9-over 81.
The 13th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers will carry a three-stroke lead into Saturday’s second round after totaling a team score of 6-under 282 in the first round. The top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide finished the day in sole possession of second place at 3-under 285, while South Carolina and UAB are one stroke ahead of the Tigers in a tie for third at 2-under 286.
Rotz holds a share of the lead with Mark Anderson of South Carolina and Zach Sucher of UAB as the trio holds a slim one-stroke lead over three other golfers.
The Tigers are paired with Florida and UAB in Saturday’s second round and will tee off from the front nine beginning at 8:45 CDT. Live scoring of the second round of the Schenkel/E-Z-Go Invitational will be provided by Golfstat and can be found online at www.golfstat.com.
SCHENKEL/EZ-GO INVITATIONAL ? FIRST ROUND RESULTS
TEAM SCORES (Par 288)
1. Tennessee, 282 -6; 2. Alabama, 285 -3; t3. South Carolina, 286 -2; t3. UAB, 286 -2; 5. LSU, 287 -1; 6. Florida, 290 +2; 7. Kentucky, 294 +6; t8. Augusta State, 295 +7; t8. Michigan State, 295 +7; t10. Auburn, 296 +8; t10. North Carolina State, 296 +8; 12. Notre Dame, 297 +9; 13. North Carolina, 298 +10; 14. Georgia Southern, 301 +13; 15. North Florida, 303 +15; 16. New Mexico, 304 +16; 17. Minnesota, 305 +17; 18. Boston College, 318 +30.
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (Par 72)
t1. Clayton Rotz, LSU, 68 -4; t1. Mark Anderson, South Carolina, 68 -4; t1. Zach Sucher, UAB, 68 -4; t4. Michael Thompson, Alabama, 69 -3; t4. Stewart Whitt, Alabama, 69 -3; t4. Robin Windgardh, Tennessee, 69 -3; t7. Tyler Brown, Florida, 70 -2; t7. Patrick Cunning, South Carolina, 70 -2; t7. Matt Hill, North Carolina State, 70 -2; t7. Chris Paisley, Tennessee, 70 -2; t7. Brad Smith, UAB, 70 -2.
LSU SCORES
T1. Clayton Rotz 68 -4
T14. Andrew Loupe 71 -1
T36. Bryant Lach 74 +2
T36. John Peterson 74 +2
T92. Jarrod Barsamian 81 +9