BATON ROUGE – The LSU men’s golf program has taken the National Golf Association Pro Golf Tour by storm in recent weeks as Class of 2011 alums Ken Looper and Andrew Loupe have taken back-to-back NGA Tour titles in tournaments held in the state of Florida over the past two weeks.
Looper secured his first career professional victory on Jan. 26 with a win at the Bridgestone Winter Series event held at Diamondback Golf Club in Haines City, Fla. That’s where Looper posted a winning 54-hole score of 13-under par 203 at the par-72 layout en route to an $11,893 payday.
After opening with a 4-under 68 in the first round, Looper climbed into a tie for second place with a score of 5-under 67 in the second round before taking the title with his 4-under 68 in the final round.
Looper finished two strokes clear of a pair of Floridians for the tournament title as Jeff Corr of Longwood and Daniel Mazziotta of Fort Myers finished in a tie for second place at 11-under 205 for the event. Former LSU teammate and 2011 NCAA Championships medalist John Peterson finished four shots off of the pace in a tie for fifth place overall at 9-under 207 for the championship.
“The win does a lot for me,” Looper said following his victory. “It boosts my confidence a lot by knowing that I can actually hang with these guys. I’ve only played in one professional event before in my life, and that was as an amateur. I didn’t know how I would stack up against the competition, but I guess I stack up pretty well. The win is not only good for my confidence, but it’s huge financially.”
Loupe added his name to the list of NGA Pro Golf Tour champions on Thursday with his three-stroke win at the Bridgestone Winter Series event held this week at Timacuan Golf Club in Lake Mary, Fla.
Loupe, a two-time All-American during his collegiate career at LSU in 2010 and 2011, opened up with an impressive tournament-low 9-under par 63 in Tuesday’s opening round before earning the victory with consecutive scores of 5-under 67 in the final two rounds for a 54-hole score of 19-under par 197. That win earned Loupe a payday of $13,595 in his first career professional victory.
Like Looper the week before, Loupe defeated the likes of Corr for his first NGA Tour victory, as the 2011 NGA Player of the Year finished three shots off the pace with a runner-up score of 16-under 200. Not just that, but Looper added a top-five finish to his resume with a fifth-place effort of 13-under 203.
Loupe’s win was his third top-five finish in 11 career starts on the NGA Pro Golf Tour. He has also made three Nationwide Tour starts over the past year, while twice earning a top finish of 18th place.
“There were a lot of great players in the field this week. I knew I had to stay on the gas pedal or they’d come get me,” Loupe said. “This was the straightest I’ve hit it off the tee in a long time. I hit my irons well and made a few putts, especially in the first round. But my ball-striking was the best part of my game this week. It definitely helps your confidence when you’re able to hit some shots under pressure.”