Centenary Ladies Ladies Improve in Round Two, but Fall Short

SHREVEPORT – The Centenary (334-326, 660) women’s golf team cut eight strokes off of its score on Sunday, but it still came up short in the Centenary College Ladies Invitational final round. The Ladies, who finished in second, were just six strokes behind the winner, North Dakota State (330-324), who shot a two-round score of 654.



Leading the way for Centenary was sophomore Jessica Garza (87-76, 163) and senior Chloe Mims (79-84, 163), who tied for fourth. The duo finished just eight strokes behind Andrea Zwartynski (78-77) of Houston Baptist, who won with a 155.



Ladies’ sophomore Tracy Williams (85-80, 165) also improved on her second-day round, as she completed the tournament in eighth place. Rounding out the team scores for Centenary was sophomore Leigh Newton (83-86, 169), who finished in 11th.



Playing unattached for Centenary was sophomore Bethany Cox (87-93), who finished in 19th place after shooting a 180.



The next action for Centenary will be on March 10-11 at the Lamar and Sam Houston State Invitational.

Duncan readies for another season

Armed with the experience three seasons on the LPGA Tour offers, Meredith Duncan is looking to make a splash this time around.

Today the “relaxed” former LSU golfer kicks off the 2008 LPGA season at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay in Kahuku, Hawaii. Duncan hopes the lessons learned from the trials of struggling to make cuts and money pay off the fourth go-round.

“I’ve realized you don’t have to be perfect,” Duncan said. “Golf is not a game of perfect. Last year, I just realized you can make a lot of pars and still make a lot of money out here. I’m going to try to put that in play.”

Duncan’s best finish on tour is a tie for 10th at the Long Drugs Challenge in 2006. After earning just $15,000 in her first try on Tour (2004), she has earned more than $77,000 in the past two seasons.

However, she has been unable to crack the top 90 in any season. That is the LPGA’s threshold for automatically earning playing privileges for the next season.

“My short-term goal is to get into the Kraft Nabisco (Championship),” Duncan said. “We have four events. My long-term goal is to finish in the top 70 so I can get in next year’s Kraft.

“I don’t want to shoot for making cuts and the bare minimum.”

The top 30 money winners from the 2008 LPGA Tour through March 30 will qualify for the Kraft Nabisco Championship (Apr. 3-6). The 2001 U.S. Women’s Amateur
champion enjoyed her best season on Tour in 2006, when she made six of 22 cuts and cashed in for $42,835. However, Duncan fared well last year despite having non-exempt status. She was only able to get in 14 events, but made five cuts and earned more than $34,000.

“The biggest improvement from '04 is that I don’t make as many big numbers,” Duncan said. “It really throws you off for the round. I’m a lot more patient. I’m just a lot more relaxed.”

Duncan earned her way back to the Tour this season with a ninth-place effort at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament and hopes to take advance of her fully-exempt status this season.

“I’m glad I don’t have to do Monday qualifiers -- really glad,” Duncan said. “There is so much that goes into that.

“I can play in more Monday Pro-Ams. I can take Monday off if I want. I can stay overnight on Sunday and fly in Monday if I want or, if I miss the cut the week before, I don’t have to fly in early.”

Duncan goes to battle with caddie Michelle Simpson, who looped for the final five events last season. As has been customary, Duncan’s mother, Debbie, is in Hawaii and will accompany her daughter to several events this season.

ULM Men’s Golf Opens Spring Season with Second Place Finish at Thunderbird Classic

ST. GEORGE, Utah—ULM rallied on the back nine but came up two strokes short of catching Kentucky in the final round of the Pat Hicks Thunderbird Classic at the Sun Brook Golf Course Tuesday afternoon.

The Warhawks finished second in the talent filled field of 18 teams in the opening tournament of the spring season. The Wildcats led by as many as eight strokes, but outstanding back nine performances by Nathan McMullen and Eddy Koracevic pulled ULM within just two strokes at the end.

McMullen shot a one-over 73 on Tuesday finishing in third place after holding the lead following the opening round. Koracevic fired a 68 propelling him into a tie for fourth place after entering the round tied for 15^th. David McKendrick gave the Warhawks three players in the top 10 finishing tied for eighth after shooting a 73 today.

Parker Dire finished tied for 43^rd after carding an even-par 72 and Will Ticheli rounded out the field for the Warhawks with an 81.

Denver’s Scott Tashie took individual medalist honors winning in a playoff over Rice’s Michael Buttacavoli. McMullen finished just one stroke behind the leaders.

The finish is the Warhawks second straight near the top of the standings. In the final event of the fall, ULM finished fourth at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate and McKendrick won the individual title.

Team Results:
1. Kentucky 282-280—562, 2. ULM 278-286—564, 3. Denver 287-283—570, 4. Oral Roberts 290-284—574, 5. Utah 290-285-575, 6. Rice 294-282—576, 7. UC Riverside 287-290—577, 8. Campbell 2897-291—578, 9. BYU 293-286—579, 10. Southern Utah 290-291—581, 11. UMKC 297-289—586, 12. Weber State 298-299—597, 13. Grand Canyon State 314-286—600, 14. Dixie State CC 295-306—604, 15. Utah Valley State 314-294—608, 16. Utah State 309-308—617, 17. Idaho State 307-312—619, 18. Centenary 312-314--626

Individual Results:
1. Scott Tashie (Denver) 69-68—137, 2. Michael Buttacavoli (Rice) 70-67—137, 3. Nathan McMullen (ULM) 65-73—138, T4. Eddy Koracevic (ULM) 71-68—139, T4. Fredric Sunberg (Campbell) 68-71—139, T4. Scott Stiles (Oral Roberts) 70-69—139, T4. Andrew Cortez (UC Riverside) 70-69--139

ULM Individuals:
3. Nathan McMullen 65-73—138, T4. Eddy Koracevic 71-68—139, T8. David McKendrick 67-73—140, T43. Parker Dire 75-72—147, T111. Will Ticheli 83-81—164

Men's Golf Opens Spring Sixth at Gator; Loupe Fourth

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The spring season is now officially underway for the LSU men’s golf team, and freshman Andrew Loupe has gotten off to a fast start after earning his first career Top 10 finish at the Gator Invitational at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.

After taking the lead with rounds of 2-under 68 and 5-under 65 on Saturday, Loupe posted a 2-over par 72 in Sunday’s final round to finish the championship in a tie for fourth at 5-under 205.

Loupe, whose previous best finish in a tournament this season was a tie for 11th place in both the Squire Creek Invitational and Bridgestone Collegiate Championship during the fall, fired the best tournament score by a Tiger this season and the lowest of his young career.

Junior Jarrod Barsamian matched Loupe’s effort with a 2-over 72 of his own in the final round to lead the Tigers into a tie for sixth place in the team standings with a 54-hole score of 13-over 853, including an 11-over 291 on Sunday. Barsamian was the Tigers’ No. 2 performer on the weekend as he tied for 28th place at 5-over 215.

Sophomore Bryant Lach carded a 3-over 73 on Sunday to wrap up the championship in a tie for 38th at 7-over 217, while senior Brian Noonan was one stroke back in a tie for 44th at 8-over 218 and freshman John Peterson finished in a tie for 57th at 12-over 222 in his spring debut.

Florida ran away with the team title for the fifth year in a row as three Gators blistered the course with Top 10 finishes en route to firing a 54-hole team score of 20-under 820 for the weekend.

The Florida State Seminoles finished a distant second at 8-under 832. Mississippi State posted a solid 2-over 842 to take third place, while UAB was two strokes back in fourth at 4-over 844 and South Alabama rounded out the top five after recording a three-round total of 11-over 851. LSU finished in a tie with nationally-ranked squads from Duke and Wake Forest.

Michael Schachner of Duke and Zach Sucher of UAB were declared co-medalists after wrapping up the final round with matching scores of 7-under 203. Florida’s Tyson Alexander finished one shot back in third place at 6-under 204, while Loupe tied Florida All-American Billy Horschel for fourth place at 5-under 205 for the championship.

The Tigers will return to action next month as they return to the state of Florida to compete in the Seminole Intercollegiate at Golden Eagle Country Club in Tallahassee from March 2-4. Florida State will play host to the Tigers’ first three-day event of the season.

GATOR INVITATIONAL – FINAL ROUND RESULTS

TEAM SCORES (Par 840)
1. Florida 269-273-278 – 820 -20; 2. Florida State 278-276-278 – 832 -8; 3. Mississippi State 288-275-279 – 842 +2; 4. UAB 276-280-288 – 844 +4; 5. South Alabama 283-282-286 – 851 +11; t6. LSU 283-279-291 – 853 +13; t6. Duke 289-281-283 – 853 +13; t6. Wake Forest 288-278-287 – 853 +13; 9. Coastal Carolina 283-283-290 – 856 +16; 10. Georgia Southern 287-282-292 – 861 +21; 11. Ole Miss 280-281-301 – 862 +22; 12. North Florida 284-286-295 – 865 +25; 13. South Florida 291-294-288 – 873 +33; 14. Georgia State 290-290-308 – 888 +48

TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (Par 210)
t1. Michael Schachner, Duke, 68-68-67 – 203 -7; t1. Zach Sucher, UAB, 68-67-68 – 203 -7; 3. Tyson Alexander 66-70-68 – 204 -6; t4. Andrew Loupe, LSU, 68-65-72 – 205 -5; t4. Billy Horschel, Florida, 67-68-70 – 205 -5; t6. Jonas Blixt, Florida State, 67-67-73 – 207 -3; t6. Marc-Ettienne Bussieres, South Alabama, 68-72-67 – 207 -3; t6. Seath Lauer, Florida State, 72-68-67 – 207 -3; t9. Brendan Gielow, Wake Forest, 71-68-69 – 208 -2; t9. Drew Kittleson, Florida State, 72-68-68 – 208 -2; t9. Bank Vongvanij, Florida, 68-67-73 – 208 -2

LSU SCORES
T4. Andrew Loupe 68-65-72 – 205 -5
T28. Jarrod Barsamian 72-71-72 – 215 +5
T38. Bryant Lach 73-71-73 – 217 +7
T44. Brian Noonan 70-74-74 – 218 +8
T57. John Peterson 75-72-75 – 222 +12

LSU Golf Team Start Season With Solid Performance

(UWIRE) BATON ROUGE, La. — In his third season at LSU, coach Chuck Winstead is looking for his program to turn the corner and develop into a team that can compete with the best in the nation.

"When coach took over three years ago, the first thing he told us was he did not want to run an average program — LSU deserved to be the best," LSU senior Brian Noonan said. "Coach is constantly bringing in young talent. The facilities are improving, and the future of this program looks very bright."

When the Tigers traveled to Gainesville, Fla., for the Gator Invitational in 2007, the team shot 44-over par for the tournament and finished 12th out of the 14 teams in the tournament. In this season’s Gator Invitational the Tigers showed how far they have come.

This past weekend, the team returned to Gainesville and finished tied for sixth in the tournament, firing a 54-hole score of 13-over par.

The Tigers were tied for sixth with No. 8 Duke and No. 18 Wake Forest.

The top performer for LSU was freshman Andrew Loupe, who tied for fourth after firing a 5-under-par 205.

No. 14 Florida ran away with the title after shooting a 20-under 820. Duke’s Michael Schachner and UAB’s Zach Sucher shared the individual title, finishing at 7-under.

Despite the major turnaround from last year, Winstead is still looking at his lineup and working to figure out what mix of players will produce the superior results.

"We don’t go into a tournament with expectations to finish first, sixth or 14th," Winstead said. "With this being the first tournament of spring, we went in with a mindset to work on our game."

The development of the younger players on the team will be an important measure to see how the program grows throughout the next few seasons.

Loupe showed flashes of the talent the team has in their underclassmen. Loupe shot a 5-under par 65 on Saturday to grab the lead in the tournament before stumbling to a 2-over-par 72 on Sunday to finish two shots out of the lead. It was Loupe’s first top-10 performance of his young career.

"Andrew Loupe had a great weekend, his best weekend as a Tiger," Winstead said. "He is a very devoted young man and he really led this group with his level of play. I am quite certain he has a bright future ahead of him."

Joining Loupe in LSU’s freshman class are standouts Clayton Rotz and Jarrod Barsamian, together they comprise Golfstat.com’s No. 4 ranked freshman class. The trio combined for eight top-20 finishes during the fall season.

Noonan said the achievement of the freshman trio is pushing the upperclassmen on the team to get better and not get outplayed by their younger counterparts.

In addition to the young players that are already proving their worth, over the winter break Winstead inked Golfweek’s No. 4 2008 recruiting class. The three-man class includes the top two prospects in the state of Texas — No. 10 prospect Sang Yi and No. 16 Josh Jones.

Nicklaus/PGA teaching grants awarded to 18 chapters of The First Tee --N.O. Chapter is Recipient

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- The PGA Foundation, in conjunction with golf legend Jack Nicklaus, has begun the 2008 golf season awarding teaching grants totaling $90,000 to 18 chapters of The First Tee representing 14 states.

To date, 155 of the 206 active chapters of The First Tee nationwide have been recipients of either a PGA of America or Nicklaus/PGA teaching grant. The combined PGA and Nicklaus/PGA grants total $1,810,000.

Since 2001, The PGA of America and Nicklaus have partnered to create a $2 million endowment to provide teaching grants to certified chapters of The First Tee that utilize PGA Professionals for instruction.

"The PGA of America is proud to kick off this New Year with our partner Jack Nicklaus to extend Nicklaus/PGA Teaching Grants coast to coast," said PGA of America President Brian Whitcomb. "The wonderful messages and reports we receive are that these grants continue to produce success stories in communities. The First Tee momentum has helped grow the game of golf and brought many young people into the game."

The program continues to highlight The PGA of America's commitment to partner with its PGA Professionals to grow participation in golf.

The current Nicklaus/PGA teaching grants totaling $5,000 each have been awarded to The First Tee Chapters in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.

Since its inception in 1997, there are 206 chapters of The First Tee in operation and 264 golf-learning facilities that have introduced the game of golf and its values to more than 2.2 million participants and students (which include the students of the National School Program). The focus is to give young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop, through golf and character education, life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship.

The PGA Growth of the Game Program is one of a number of initiatives administered by The PGA of America through its PGA Foundation

The PGA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, is dedicated to enhancing lives through the game of golf. The Foundation provides people of every ability, race, gender, and social and economic background an opportunity to experience the game and learn vital life lessons. The PGA Foundation achieves its mission through programs which provide instruction and access to playing the game of golf along with enriching those lives by providing educational, employment and scholarship opportunities.

For more information about the PGA Foundation, visit www.pgafoundation.org, or call (561) 624-7612.

Nicklaus/PGA of America Teaching Grant - $5,000 awarded to each chapter
The First Tee of Greater Trenton - Hamilton, N.J.
The First Tee of The Tri-Valley - Pleasanton, Calif.
The First Tee of Myrtle Beach - Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The First Tee of Columbia Basin - Pasco, Wash.
The First Tee of New Orleans - New Orleans, La.
The First Tee of Albany - Albany, Ga.
The First Tee of Clearwater - Clearwater, Fla.
The First Tee of Modesto - Modesto, Calif.
The First Tee of Metropolitan NY/Essex County - Newark, N.J.
The First Tee of Northern Nevada - Reno, Nev.
The First Tee of Eagle County - Edwards, Colo.
The First Tee of Idaho - Boise, Idaho
The First Tee of the Lake Norman Region - Cornelius, N.C.
The First Tee of Central Louisiana - Pineville, La.
The First Tee of Harford County, Md. - Aberdeen, Md.
The First Tee of Metropolitan NY/Nassau County - East Meadow, N.Y.
The First Tee of Metropolitan NY/Golf Club at Chelsea Piers - New York, N.Y.
The First Tee of Brazoria County - Lake Jackson, Texas

Since 1916, The PGA of America's mission has been twofold: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf.

By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, the Association enables PGA Professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the $195 billion golf industry.

By creating and delivering dramatic world-class championships and exciting and enjoyable golf promotions that are viewed as the best of their class in the golf industry, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere.

The PGA of America brand represents the very best in golf.