SAUCIER, Miss–The No. 5 ranked LSU Men’s Golf team is set to begin play at the Fallen Oak Invitational here, Saturday.
The Tigers, ranked fifth in the first NCAA performance rankings, are coming off of a team and individual win at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The No. 12 ranked men’s golfer, Gunnlaugur Árni Sveinsson, took home the individual title at 7-under (209), while fifth-ranked Algot Kleen finished second on the individual leaderboard at 4-under par (212).
Kleen is ranked 10th in the latest PGAU rankings.
LSU is seeking its third tournament win of the fall season.
The tournament presents a strong field which will include five top 25 teams: Ole Miss (2), LSU (5), Illinois (15), Mississippi State (22), South Carolina (23). The rest of the field will consist of Southern Miss, Georgia, Wisconsin, UTSA, Iowa, UNLV, Purdue, and Kansas. The Fallen Oak Golf Course will play as a 7,487-yard par 72 layout with tree-lined fairways and sloping greens. With multiple challenging holes and lengthy par fives, the course will be a difficult task for every player.
LSU’s number one spot in the lineup for the tournament will be senior Kleen. The Sweden native currently has one individual win and two top 5 finishes on the season. He is carrying a 69.44 stroke average over nine competitive rounds.
SEC Freshman of the Week Sveinsson will play in the number two spot for the Tigers. The freshman from Iceland has impressed in his first three tournaments with the Tigers.
The Tigers’ number three spot will be Louisiana native, Jay Mendell. Mendell is coming off a T8 showing at Blessings and holds a 72.56 stroke average on the season. The sophomore has been a mainstay in the LSU lineup, competing in all nine competitive rounds.
The number four spot in the lineup for the Fallen Oak Invitational will be junior Alfons Bondesson. This will be Bondesson’s first appearance in the LSU lineup since the Valero Texas Collegiate. Bondesson last played in an individual event for the Tigers, competing in the Bayou City Collegiate Classic where he finished T20th after finishing with a 3-under 213.
Rounding out the lineup for the Tigers is sophomore Noah McWilliams. McWilliams will be making his second appearance in the LSU lineup, competing in the Valero Texas Collegiate as an individual. McWilliams will be coming off of an individual win at the Bayou City Collegiate Classic. McWilliams posted a 12-under (67-66-71) 204 and won in a playoff to take home the title.
Tiger fans can follow @lsumensgolf on all social platforms to receive periodical updates on the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational. Golfstat.com will provide live scoring for all rounds of the tournament.