Baton Rouge, La. – The Golf Coaches Association of America announced on Thursday that rising senior Luis Gagne is a third team PING All-American.
A PING Honorable Mention All-American during his first two years on campus, Gagne upped his play during his junior campaign to the tune of a career-best 71.16 strokes per round. With the honor, Gagne becomes the sixth man in program history to rack up three career All-America honors. His 71.16 strokes per round is the second-best average for a single season in program history; it ties Brandon Pierce’s 71.16 that he registered during the 2014-15 season.
During the 2017-18 season, Gagne registered five top-10 finishes including a share of medalist honors at the 2017 David Toms Intercollegiate with a two-round tally of 4-under par 140 (70-70). The rising senior finished the season with three straight top-10 showings. He placed third at the Old Waverly Collegiate with a three-round total of 4-under par 212 to help LSU claim the team title. He then followed that up with a 3-under par 207 (66-70-71) at the SEC Championships to register his best finish of his career at the SEC tournament, a tie for third place; his play helped LSU take home the stroke play championship during the first three days of the tournament. He closed out the season with a tie for ninth place at the NCAA Stockton Regional at The Reserve at Spanos Parks with a three-round score of 5-under par 211 (71-68-72).
A 2017-18 Jack Nicklaus Award semifinalist and First Team All-SEC member, Gagne just finished the most remarkable weekend of his career by claiming a share of low amateur honors at the 2018 U.S. Open in Shinnecock Hills. The Costa Rica native registered a final score of 16-over par 296 through his four rounds at the toughest major of the year to match Matt Parziale’s score. Gagne had the flat stick working all week long totaling the fourth-lowest number of putts in the tournament with 118. Next up for Gagne will be the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup that will take place at the Evian Resort Golf Club in France (July 6-8). Gagne will be one of 12 players that will represent the International squad in the tournament that is dubbed as the collegiate version of the Ryder Cup.