MOBILE, Ala. – Jay Mendell fired a 10-under 203 at the Hal Williams Collegiate in Mobile at Magnolia Golf Club to earn his first career individual title. Mendell shot all three rounds under par (67-68-68) to finish with a one stroke lead over his teammate, Connor Gaunt.
“It feels great,” said Mendell “I’ve worked really hard since the fall season ended and it’s great to see it pay off in a tournament. I’m very thankful for my family and my coaches for giving me the tools to be successful and take a step forward with my game.”
The Freshman shot a final round of 3-under 68 on Tuesday to take home honors. Mendell’s win is the first of his young career and marks his third time placing in the top ten.
“Jay earned this – he’s a great young player,” added Nelson. “He earned this and I’m so happy for him!”
LSU finished in second pace as a team with a total score of 22-under 830. The Tigers were able to improve each round after finishing in sixth after round one. LSU started the final round in third place behind VCU and Illinois.
When asked about the message heading into the final day, interim head coach Andrew Nelson said, “Stay within yourself.. who each of you are is good enough. Chin up, chest out, all day we compete.”
Gaunt was not far behind with a total of 9-under 204 that was highlighted by a final round of 6-under 65. Gaunt was able to bounce back from an opening round of 1-over 72 and climbed the leaderboard to finish in second place.
LSU resumed round two on Tuesday morning and went on to shoot a 6-under 278 to take a share of the lead with Illinois at 16-under 619. Gaunt led the Tigers with a 4-under 67 and both Mendell and Drew Doyle carded a 3-under 68 in the second round. Lance Yates contributed with a 2-over 73 to make a team round of 6-under 278.
“The way we competed in the second and third round was great,” said Nelson. “It is what I expected and what we talked about for the last two weeks. Play with confidence, play hard, and keep the belief high.”
In the third round, LSU scored its lowest team total of the tournament in hopes to catch the leader. Illinois separated itself with a final round of 9-under 275. LSU finished just three strokes off the lead with a tournament low team round of 12-under 272.
LSU will be back in action for the Lamkin San Diego Classic on March 4-5th at the San Diego Country Club. LSU will stay close to home the following week for the Louisiana Classics in Lafayette.
Team Leaders
1 Illinois -25
2 LSU -22
3 VCU -16
4 Davidson -3
5 Kansas St. -2
Individual Leaders
1 Jay Mendell (LSU) -10
2 Connor Gaunt (LSU) -9
3 Piercen Hunt (Illinois) -8
T4 Hugo Thyr (South Ala.) -7
T4 Esteban Vazquez (Memphis) -7
LSU Scores
1 Jay Mendell -10
2 Connor Gaunt -9
T21 Drew Doyle -1
T31 Lance Yates +1
T36 Alex Price E (ind.) +2
80 Noah McWilliams +16