By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
The LSU men’s golf team has won its last two tournaments at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup in Lake Bluff, Illinois, and the Bryan Brothers Collegiate title in Columbia, South Carolina.
And second-year coach Jake Amos is trying to keep the momentum going.
“I would say that our team is really deep from one to nine,” Amos said. “We have some guys stepping up, and pretty much everyone has got better than where they were last year. I credit that as the development of our guys from last year to this year.”
LSU’s roster has six players ranked in the top 250 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings – Arni Sveinsson (No. 11), Jay Mendell (No. 71), Alfons Bondesson (No. 87), Matthew Dodd-Berry (No. 127), Noah McWilliams (No. 152) and Dan Hayes (No. 226).
“Any individual can win. We know how talented we are, and it doesn’t matter what gets thrown at us, we’re just going to beat you,” Amos said. “We just have a really nice consistent balance of culture and expectation in the roster.”
McWilliams, a junior from Benton High in Benton near Shreveport, has finishes of second and third so far.
“He’s been a huge bright spot. Everything we believe in, he’s bought in massively,” Amos said. “He works hard, and his attention to detail’s gotten way better. His short game’s gotten way better. He’s developed so fast in this past year.”
LSU is getting good play from freshman Dan Hayes, who has 11th, 21st and 22nd finishes, while No. 11 world amateur sophomore Arni Sveinsson has second, 10th and 11th finishes.
“Just do your job. Everyone’s trying to win the event themselves,” Amos said. “And if everyone’s kind of preparing to win the event from one to five, then the team’s going to take care of itself.”
LSU looks to stay hot when the team participates in the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational at the Fallen Oak course Saturday in Saucier, Mississippi.
Be the first to comment