After getting their season off to a great start at the Sam Hall Tournament, the Lions golf team kept the Lion pride going at the Golfweek Conference Challenge.
The tournament was held on Sept. 14-16 in Burlington, Iowa at the Spirit Hollow Golf Course.
The Lions faced adversity due to both the terrain and the weather.
“It was a great golf course, very challenging from tee to green. The short game was exceptionally challenging. The putting surface is much quicker,” said head coach Tim Baldwin. “It was very inconsistent. We had to try to manage that the best we could.”
This would give an advantage to anyone who was familiar with this type of terrain. Senior Baptiste Courtachon thrived from the pressure of the diverse course and led the team to eighth place overall with an overall three day score of one-over par. This is the second time Courtachon has made a top 10 finish. Senior Grady Brame and sophomore Paul Obermann finished in a tie for 13th place at five-over par. Last week’s team leader Eamon Bradley was off to a bumpy start for the first two rounds, carding a one-under 71, but on Tuesday he stepped it up and tied for 34th place at 10-over par. Sophomore Gustavo Leon was the last lion in the line-up, finishing in 49th place overall.
For the first round, the Lions tied for 6th place with Texas. During the second round, after the rain stopped and the game resumed, they stepped up their game and had a chance to grab third place from Iowa but were not successful. The team came within a few points, but in the final round, Iowa still came out ahead with a score of 10-over par. The Lions tied for fourth with Oregon State, scoring 21 over par. Overall, LSU placed first in all three rounds with a final score of 15-under par.
“We’re just trying to continue what we started this fall, winning last week at the Sam Hall intercollegiate. We were a little bit inconsistent with our four and five players, but it was definitely a good tournament for us,” said Baldwin.
The next time the team is going to play will be at the Shoal Creek Invitational on Monday, Sept. 29 at Graeme McDowell in Birmingham, Alabama where Graeme McDowell, a former golf champion, will be making an appearance. For more information on what is to come for the Lions golf team, visit lionsports.net.