Rain and muck proved to hardly be a deterrent as the Southeastern’s golf team took to the greens. On Monday, March 7-8, the 26th Annual Louisiana Classic was held at the Oakbourne Country Club in Lafayette, Louisiana. Despite an enthusiastic start, the team pulled through with a less than expected ranking 5th out of 26 teams and carded a round score of 296.

Southeastern’s Horacio Leon was the top performer and garnered a 12th-place tie at 218 (70-72-76) after shooting a 4-over 76. Philipp Westermann (73-75-74-222) and Rhys West (78-71-73-222) finished tied for 30th place while Cedric Scotto (73-78-73-224) tied for 42nd. The team’s latest addition, freshman Daniel Zuluaga (75-74-76-225), ended the classics in a tie for 45th place.

The tournament championship went to Illinois as they scored a round 284 and finished 854 in the 54-Hole Tournament. LSU (860) finished second, followed by Louisiana-Lafayette (870) and Kent State (871).

The weather was not the only thing rolling in the storm clouds in Lafayette. Head Coach Tim Baldwin was less than thrilled with his team’s rankings.

“We didn’t quite reach our goal this week. We wanted to beat LSU, they were there, 6th or 7th in the country,” said Baldwin who also expressed disappointment at failing to beat Illinois and finish in the top four teams. “We really haven’t hit our stride. Nobody really stepped up; we were kind of flat again.”

Baldwin blamed the results on a lack of a proficient putting game and a low player turn out to practices. Still, the coach managed to put on a face of optimism.

“We’re just working on finding chemistry, working on getting the ball in the hole quicker,” said Baldwin. “We’re getting the ball closer but not making enough putts.”

The coach retains high hopes for the Conference Championship and thinks that the team can do well in regional season play.

Still, the results of the Louisiana Classics were not detrimental to the team’s record. According to Baldwin, the team went into the game with a national ranking of 72 and left the classic placed 66th in the country.

Baldwin noted his team’s potential and hinted at his optimism for the team’s next match versus, Louisiana Tech in the Bull Dog Classic, which will be held at Squire Creek Golf Club in Chaundrant, Louisiana March 13-15.