AWENDAW, S.C. – The LSU men’s golf team earned its third win of the season on Tuesday as it finished 15-under 849 at The Hootie at Bulls Bay in Awendaw, SC. The Tigers carded a 1-under 287 in the final round to secure a six-stroke victory.
“I am very proud of this team,” said interim head Coach Andrew Nelson.”Each day they show up and compete. We are working hard, but learning to play and compete hard one day at a time. This team is learning and building and it’s so fun to coach them every day.”
LSU’s win marks the 126th team title in program history and the third of the season. It marks the second win through five events with interim head coach Andrew Nelson at the helm. The Tigers have played their best golf as of late marking the most wins in a season since the 2017-2018 season when the Tigers won three times.
“First, this feels special,” said Nelson. “I have worked hard with these young men and we challenge each other every day. I’m blessed and thankful to win with them. It’s hard to go and win. I am proud of our team and proud to be a part of this special program. I’m proud to coach at LSU.”
“(Andrew) Nelson has done a great job with the situation he was dealt,” said Jay Mendell. “He always stays positive and has our heads held high no matter what the outcome is and it really frees us up to do our best.”
New Mexico opened the day with a two stroke advantage over the Tigers at 16-under 560. The Lobos shot a 7-over 295 on Tuesday to drop to second place while the Tigers went 1-under 287 on day three. LSU led the field with 55 total birdies as the best team from the five par-threes at Bulls Bay Golf Club averaging 2.99.
“We showed a lot of toughness today,” added Nelson. “We had an hour out there where we were dealing with a lot of adversity. The guys managed themselves and their games well and our last 5-6 holes were some of the best of the week. We had a chance to go play good golf and finish strong, and that’s exactly what we did. This win was fun and I’m proud of each one of our guys.”
Jay Mendell finished the final round tied for first at 6-under 210 with two others. The Freshman carded two birdies in his final five holes to advance to 1-under for the day and tied for first place.
“I had no idea that it put me in the lead,” said Mendell on his birdie putt at No. 16. “I was just so focused on finishing the best I could and wasn’t worried about where I stood.”
Mendell entered a playoff with Frankie Harris and Jack Lundin to determine individual honors. Mendell came up just short of his second career win and finished T2. Mendell ended The Hootie as the best player on par-fours with a 4-under average of 3.83.
Connor Gaunt started the final round at 6-under and in solo possession of second place. Gaunt remained in second or tied for first for the remainder of the day. The graduated senior bogeyed No. 17 to finish the final round at 1-over 73. Gaunt was a major key in setting up the Tigers for success in the first two rounds as he finished the event with a field leading 15 birdies.
Drew Doyle also played a major part in boosting the Tigers to their third win. Doyle led LSU in the final round with a 2-under 70 that featured a 3-under 32 on the back nine. Doyle gained 5-strokes on all par threes as he averaged 2.67 over three rounds. Tuesday’s win marks the first time Doyle was in the lineup when the Tigers earned team honors.
“I’m so happy to see Drew get his first win in the lineup,” added Mendell. “He does a lot for us and has been a great role model for me.”
Lance Yates carded a 1-over 73 as the final contributing score and Alex Price finished the final round at 6-over 78. Yates contributed in the second round and Price’s even par in round one did the same.
LSU will conclude regular season play in Bryan, Texas as it heads to The Aggie Invitational on April 6-7 at the Traditions Club. The Tigers will open postseason play at the SEC Championships in St. Simons, Ga. on Wednesday April 24th.
Team Scores (R1-R2-R3 – TOT)
1 LSU 284-278-287 – 849 -15
2 New Mexico 286-274-295 – 855 -9
3 Purdue 298-272-287 – 857 -7
4 Charleston 291-286-281 – 858 -6
5 South Carolina 287-289-284 – 860 -4
T6 East Tenn. St. 287-289-289 – 865 +1
T6 Missouri 299-280-286 – 865 +1
8 West Virginia 288-287-292 – 867 +3
9 Kent State 299-286-288 – 873 +9
10 NC State 300-289-287 – 876 +12
11 Coastal Carolina 295-286-298 – 879 +15
12 Kentucky 300-290-291 – 881 +17
13 Furman 299-291-294 – 884 +20
14 Toledo 304-295-288 – 887 +23
15 Marquette University 294-303-295 – 892 +28
LSU Scores (R1-R2-R3 – TOT)
T1 Jay Mendell, LSU 71-68-71 – 210 -6
T4 Drew Doyle, LSU 72-69-70 – 211 -5
T4 Connor Gaunt, LSU 69-69-73 – 211 -5
T41 Lance Yates, LSU 75-72-73 – 147 +4
T67 Alex Price, LSU 72-75-78 – 225 +9
Individual Top 15 (R1-R2-R3 – TOT)
T1 Frankie Harris, South Carolina 70-72-68 – 210 -6
T1 Jack Lundin, Missouri 71-69-70 – 210 -6
T1 Jay Mendell, LSU 71-68-71 – 210 -6
T4 Nick Dentino, Purdue 72-67-72 – 211 -5
T4 Drew Doyle, LSU 72-69-70 – 211 -5
T4 Connor Gaunt, LSU 69-69-73 – 211 -5
T4 Max Green, West Virginia 67-74-70 – 211 -5
T4 Matthew Watkins, New Mexico 71-66-74 – 211 -5
T9 Carson Herron, New Mexico 71-71-71 – 213 -3
T9 Algot Kleen, East Tennessee St. 71-70-72 – 213 -3
T9 Nevill Ruiter, College of Charleston 72-72-69 – 213 -3
T12 Herman Sekne, Purdue 76-66-72 – 214 -2
T12 Peyton Snoeberger, * Purdue 71-74-69 – 214 -2
T14 Barend Botha, Toledo 73-73-69 – 215 -1
T14 Mats Ege, East Tennessee St. 70-76-69 – 215 -1
T14 Alex Goff, Kentucky 74-69-72 – 215 -1
T14 Spencer Oxendine, NC State 72-73-70 –215 -1
T14 Trent Tipton, West Virginia 74-70-71 – 215 -1