WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — The LSU men’s golf team shot a first round 16-over par 304 Thursday to stand in 23rd place with two rounds to play at the NCAA East Regional in Williamsburg, Va.
The Tigers finished one stroke ahead of Iona, and St. John’s University, who are tied for 24th place at 17-over par. LSU is making their first postseason appearance since 1998, and the first under head coach Greg Jones. The East field includes 27 teams. The top 10 teams will advance to the NCAA Championships May 30-June 1 in Durham, N.C.
LSU was led by junior Nathan Goulding in the first round Thursday, as he shot a 3-over par 75 to finish in a tie for 84th place. Senior Billy Dressler shot a 4-over 76 in round one.
Dressler is making his first tournament appearance since the Cleveland Golf/ASU Invitational March 31-April 1.
John Humphries also shot a 76,and senior Alan Morgan posted a 5-over 77. The 77 for Morgan ties his highest round of the season.
He shot a 77 twice earlier in the season. Morgan was named to the All-SEC First Team last week. The Lake Charles native leads LSU with a 71.3 stroke average, seven top-10 finishes, and two individual titles. Morgan participated as an individual at the East Regional last year at Moosic, Pa. Craig Taylor finished Thursday’s round tied with Morgan, also shooting a 77. East Tennessee State is atop the leaderboard after one round.
ETSU shot a 13-under 275 to finish the day one stroke ahead of Florida. The Gators are 12-under par following a round of 276.
The nation’s top-ranked team, Georgia, shot a 10-under par 278 to finish third. North Carolina State and Virginia Tech rounded out the top five. LSU is 29 shots back of the leader with two rounds left.
“We played OK today, but we will need to play even better tomorrow if we expect to make a move”, said Jones. “This is an oustanding field, and we have to jump over some real good teams ahead of us. We just need to play consistent golf, and put together some low rounds”, Jones said.
The Tigers will tee off beginning at 7:51 a.m. Friday for round two. LSU will play 18 holes Friday and again Saturday at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club’s Green Course.
TEAM SCORES
1. East Tennessee State 275 -13; 2. Florida 276 -12; 3. Georgia 278 -10; 4. North Carolina State 281 -7; 5. Virginia Tech 282 -6; 6. Charleston Southern 283 -5; 7. Duke 284 -4; T8. Clemson 285 – 3; T8. Georgia Tech 285 -3; T8. Ole Miss 285 -3; 11. Penn State 286 -2; T12. Georgia Southern 287 -1; T12. UAB 287 -1; 14. Yale 290 +2; 15. Xavier 293 +5; 16. Auburn 294 +6; 17. Virginia Commonwealth 295 +7; T18. Rhode Island 297 +9; T18. Richmond 297 +9; 20. Princeton 298 +10; 21. Georgia State 299 +11; 22. Seton Hall 302 +14; 23. LSU 304 +16; T24. Iona 305 +17; T24. St. John’s 305 +17; 26. Hartford 309 +21; 27. Maryland-Baltimore County 318 +30.
TOP TEN INDIVIDUALS
1. Camilo Villegas, Florida, 64 -8
2. Thomas Lee, E. Tennessee St., 66 -6
T3. Chris McKeel, Virginia Tech, 67 -5
T3. David Miller, Georgia, 67 -5
T5. Matt Abbott, Penn State, 68 -4
T5. Bryce Molder, Georgia Tech, 68 -4
T5. Chris Mundorf, North Carolina St., 68 -4
T5. Chris Wisler, E. Tennessee St., 68 -4
T9. Nick Gilliam, Florida, 69 -3
T9. Brandon LaCroix, Duke, 69 -3
T9. Troy Muller, Ole Miss, 69 -3
T9. Leif Olson, Duke, 69 -3
T9. Nick Rousey, Alabama, 69 -3**
T9. David Ryles, Charleston Southern, 69 -3
T9. Matt Weibring, Georgia Tech, 69 -3
** Rousey participating as an individual**
LSU SCORES
T 84. Nathan Goulding 75 +3
T 100. Billy Dressler 76 +4
T 100. John Humphries 76 +4
T 110. Alan Morgan 77 +5
T 110. Craig Taylor 77 +5