BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 7 ranked LSU men’s golf team is set to open its fall season in Loudon, Tenn., this weekend at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate, hosted by Tennessee.
The event, which is in its third year of existence, is set to be played at the par-70, 7,280-yard Tennessee National Golf Club. The Greg Norman-designed course sits along the Tennessee River and offers a long and challenging layout.
The Tigers enter this week as the second-highest ranked team at the tournament with their No. 7 rank from Golfweek. Ole Miss is ranked as the top competition at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate with their No. 6 rank.
LSU won last year’s edition with a 23-under overall score with four players finishing inside the top 25. Algot Kleen won the individual title, posting three rounds under par with a 5-under 65 in his second round. The Tigers return three of last year’s starting lineup to Tennessee: Matthew Dodd-Berry, Jay Mendell and Árni Sveinsson. Noah McWilliams, who is in this weekend’s lineup, also competed at the event last year as an individual.
The men are set to play three total rounds—teeing off with 18 holes on Friday, sticking with 18 holes apiece on Saturday and Sunday.
THE LSU LINEUP
Árni Sveinsson | Sophomore | Garðabær, Iceland
Sveinsson enters this season with a lot of deserved preseason hype. Entering the first tournament he has been named a Haskins watch list member and a preseason First Team All-American by two media sites. He is currently ranked the No. 3 European amateur and the No. 14 amateur golfer in the world. He finished 2024-25 second on the team in stroke average at 70.25 for 36 rounds, making him third best in school history behind Sam Burns (2016-17) and Algot Kleen (2024-25).
Noah McWilliams | Junior | Benton, La.
McWilliams averaged 72.48 for 21 rounds with nine rounds of par or under this past season. The junior scored his first-collegiate win in the Bayou City Collegiate at 12-under par 204, against a field of 81 (67-66-71).
Dan Hayes | Freshman | Manchester, England
Hayes signed with LSU as the number one junior in Europe. The freshman has an impressive resumé and will look to make an immediate impact in the program. Hayes is currently ranked the No. 3 U21 golfer in Europe with an average of 71.08, and also No. 10 overall in Europe according to European Golf Rankings’ website. Golf Channel tabbed him a preseason All-Freshmen this past week.
Matty Dodd-Berry | Senior | Wirral, England
Dodd-Berry appeared in 24 rounds this past season, averaging 71.88 with nine rounds of par or under. He finished 13th at the SEC Championships at 5-under 205 (67-67-71). Had his highest-collegiate finish at this tournament last season, tying for eighth.
Jay Mendell | Junior | Lafayette, La.
Mendell was named All-Southeast Region by the Golf Coaches Association of America after a year in which her stroke average dropped from 72.36 in 2024 to 71.08 in 2025. In 36 rounds this past season, he averaged 71.08 strokes per round with 24 rounds under par. Recorded two top-five finishes last year and is currently ranked at No. 75 as an American amateur.
THE LSU INDIVIDUALS
Hudson Lawson | Freshman | Haleyville, Ala.
Lawson was the 32nd ranked prospect in his class, and has had a decorated junior career. Lawson was a first team all-state selection all four years of his high school career, and was a National Golf High School All-American as a senior. Lawson also earned the North Alabama Player of the Year award in three consecutive seasons from 2022-2024. The Alabama native was also the champion of the 2024 AJGA – Visit Tuscaloosa Junior Championship shooting scores 67-66-69.
PARTICIPATING TEAMS [National ranking]
Ranked: Ole Miss [#6], LSU [#7], Tennessee [#14] and Georgia Tech [#17]
Unranked: ETSU, Toledo, Virginia Tech, Charleston (S.C.), UT Chattanooga, Iowa, North Florida, Loyola Marymount, Kentucky, Augusta University, Charlotte and NC State
Individuals only: Florida State [#11]
ROUND ONE TEE TIMES
Árni Sveinsson | 11:45 a.m. CT
Noah McWilliams | 11:56 a.m. CT
Dan Hayes | 12:07 p.m. CT
Matty Dodd-Berry | 12:18 p.m. CT
Jay Mendell | 12:29 p.m. CT
Ind. Hudson Lawson | TBD
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