SEA ISLAND, Ga.– The 24th ranked LSU men’s golf team shot a final round score of 297 to finish in eighth place at the 2001 Southeastern Conference Championships Sunday at Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course.
The Tigers shot a three-day total of 887. They shot identical scores of 295 in each of the first two rounds.
LSU finished fifth last season at the 2000Championships held in Killen, Ala. The country’s top-ranked team, the Georgia Bulldogs, fired a final round 282 to win their second straight SEC Championship. The Bulldogs finished 16 strokes ahead of second place Florida to claim their third SEC title in four years. Auburn, Alabama, and Ole Miss rounded out the top five.
Georgia’s Bryant Odom finished as the top individual at Sea Island. Odom fired a 70 in both the second and third rounds, as well as a first round 67 to edge Florida’s Bubba Dickerson by four strokes. Every player which finished in the top five was from Florida or Georgia.
Senior Craig Taylor was the Tiger’s best finisher for the 2001 event.
Taylor posted a 68 Sunday to finish in a three-way tie for ninth place. He shot a 73 and a 75 prior to Sunday’s final round. The ninth place finish is Taylor’s second top 10 finish for the season, and career. The 68 is Taylor’s best score since firing a 68 in the second round of the LSU Spring Invitational March 6.
Fellow senior Alan Morgan finished in a tie for 24th place. He sandwiched a 70 between two 75’s during the weekend. He finished 10-over par with a total of 220. Nathan Goulding shot a final round 76 to tie for 35th place. John Humphries finished 45th, and Garrett Prather finished in 51st place.
Georgia’s Odom was the only golfer to finish under par in the event.
Georgia set numerous Championships record on their way to their second consecutive title. The Bulldogs shot a 275 Friday in the first round to set an 18-hole record. The score was two better than the 275 Florida posted in the 1994 event in which the Gator’s won.
Georgia is the first team to win consecutive SEC titles since Mississippi State won the title in 1996 and 1997. Florida won four straight titles from 1991-94. The Tigers won back-to-back titles in 1986-87, led by David Toms.
The Bulldogs have now won 24 SEC golf titles, while LSU has won 15. The Georgia women’s golf team also won the SEC Championship Sunday in Gainesville, Fla, edging LSU by five strokes.
Next up for the Tigers will be the NCAA regional. The Tigers will either play in the NCAA East Regional at Williamsburg, Va., or the Central Regional at Stillwater, Okla. The Tigers will find out May 8 where they will be playing, when it is announced by the NCAA Division I Golf Committee.
TEAM SCORES
1. Georgia 275-284-282–841 +1; 2. Florida 285-286-286–857 +17; 3. Auburn 291-283-287–861 +21; 4. Alabama 294-286-289–869 +29; 5. Ole Miss 290-292-296–878 +38; 6. Tennessee 289-292-298–879 +39; 7. South Carolina 292-292-294–880 +40; 8. LSU 295-295-297–887 +47; 9. Vanderbilt 301-297-293–891 +51; 10. Arkansas 305-303-303–909 +69; 11. Mississippi State 304-297-309–910 +70; 12. Kentucky 295-310-317–922 +82
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS
1. Bryant Odom, Georgia, 67-70-70–207 -3; t2. Bubba Dickerson, Florida, 71-73-67–211 +1; t2. Camilo Villegas, Florida, 69-70-72–211 +1; 4. Nick Cassini, Georgia, 73-70-69–212 +2; 5. Erik Compton, Georgia, 70-76-67–213 +3
LSU SCORES
t9. Craig Taylor 73-75-68–216 +6
t24. Alan Morgan 75-70-75–220 +10
t35. Nathan Goulding 77-72-76–225 +15
45. John Humphries 70-79-79–228 +18
t51. Garrett Prather 77-78-78–233 +23