Tag: LSU Golf

Former LSU golfer Sam Burns says he will withdraw from Masters if his wife goes into labor

Sam Burns’ wife Caroline is due to give birth in just over a week.

As former LSU golfer [autotag]Sam Burns[/autotag] competes at Augusta National this week for the Masters, he may be a little preoccupied with something else.

Burns’ wife Carolina is pregnant with a due date just over a week out. According to Golf Digest, Burns has vowed that he will withdraw from the Masters to be with her if she were to go into labor during the event.

He’s not the only one facing a similar predicament. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler — the heavy favorite to win at Augusta again this week — has also promised to withdraw if his wife Meredith, who is due by the end of the month, were to go into labor.

“It’s going to be pretty wild. I don’t think it’s hit either of us quite yet but it’s an exciting time for us as a family,” Scheffler said earlier this year. “It’s been a pretty exciting last seven months or so and we’re looking forward to hopefully getting the baby out of there nice and healthy and with a healthy momma, and then we’ll go from there.”

Burns turned pro in 2017 and has since won six events on the tour, ranking as high as ninth in the world during his career. He’s still searching for his first major title, and he finished tied for 29th in last year’s Masters.

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Former LSU golfer Sam Burns set for The Masters tournament

Former LSU golfer Sam Burns is set for his third Masters tournament this week.

The Masters is set to tee off at Augusta National later this week. LSU will be represented in the field, with former Tiger Sam Burns making his third Masters appearance.

Burns made some noise last year, shooting a 68 in his opening round. He made the cut and finished tied for 29th.

In his Masters debut in 2022, Burns missed the cut after shooting a 75 and 74 in rounds one and two.

He’s played some good golf recently, finishing in the top 10 in five of his last nine starts. He strung together three top 10 finishes to start 2024 and sits 22nd in the Official World Golf Ranking.

According to FanDuel, his odds to win the Masters are +7000. That makes him a long shot, but crazier things have happened.

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Burns was a two-time All-American at LSU and won national player of the year in 2017.

Texas grad and 2022 Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is the favorite to take home the green jacket, with his odds to win at +400.

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Former LSU golfer Sam Burns named to 2023 US Ryder Cup team

Sam Burns becomes the third LSU golfer to appear in a Ryder Cup.

Former LSU and current PGA Tour golfer [autotag]Sam Burns[/autotag] will be representing the United States at the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, where the US team will take on the European Team.

US captain Zach Johnson announced the selections on Tuesday.

“There’s no higher honor than to represent your country. To be a part of this Ryder Cup and tee up alongside these world class players is extremely exciting,” said Burns to the media at the captain’s picks announcement, according to an LSU release.

It will be Burns’ rookie appearance on the 12-man Ryder Cup roster, though he did represent his country at the Junior Ryder Cup in 2014. He’ll be the third overall LSU golfer to compete in a Ryder Cup, joining David Toms (2002, 2004, 2006) and Fred Haas (1953).

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LSU golfer Latanna Stone finishes as runner up at US Women’s Amateur

Latanna Stone had an impressive run in Los Angeles last week.

An impressive run for LSU graduate student golfer [autotag]Latanna Stone[/autotag] ended with a runner-up finish at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, which was played at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles this past weekend.

Stone came up short in the match-play final against Auburn’s Megan Schofill 4&3, but she took down the No. 7, 10 and 25 amateurs in the world to reach the final at the event despite battling injuries throughout the week.

“I think that I know that I can do this and hang out with the ’big guys,'” Stone said in a release. “It’s just so special. I have my parents and my coaches here and I’m going to cherish this moment forever.”

Stone will return to LSU for a fifth season this fall.

“It gives me a lot of confidence,” she said. “I’m so excited to go back and spend time with my teammates and coaches. I think we’re going to have a great year this year.”

Stone currently ranks as the No. 34 amateur in the women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings.

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3 LSU golfers to begin qualifying at US Women’s Amateur on Monday

Aine Donegan, Latanna Stone and Taylor Riley will represent the Tigers in Los Angeles this week.

Three LSU golfers will open qualifying at the 123rd U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles on Monday.

[autotag]Aine Donegan[/autotag], [autotag]Latanna Stone[/autotag] and [autotag]Taylor Riley[/autotag] are all among the 156-golfer field and look to be among the 64 golfers who advance beyond the two 18-hole rounds of qualifying and on to match play, which begins on Wednesday.

Stone, who will be a graduate student this fall, advanced to match play at the British Women’s Amateur earlier this summer. Donegan, a junior, was one of four amateurs to make the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach earlier this summer.

Riley, a sophomore and California native, reached the semifinal in the California State Women’s Amateur earlier this year.

Match play in Los Angeles begins on Wednesday and will be televised beginning at 5 p.m. CT on the Golf Channel.

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LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad finishes 3rd in European Amateur Championships

Ingrid Lindblad entered the final round with a one-stroke lead but ultimately finished third.

LSU graduate student golfer [autotag]Ingrid Lindblad[/autotag] ended an impressive run at the European Women’s Amateur Championships with a third-place finish out of an original field of 144.

Lindblad entered the final round with a one-stroke lead, but after shooting an even-par final round of 71, she ultimately finished third with a 5-under total for the tournament.

The world’s top-ranked amateur wasn’t the only LSU golfer at the event. [autotag]Carla Tejedo[/autotag] also posted a top-10 finish in a tie for eighth, while [autotag]Aine Donegan[/autotag] and [autotag]Edit Hertzman[/autotag] finished T42 and T52, respectively.

Julia Lopez Ramirez of Spain ultimately won the tournament after very impressive rounds of 63 and 67 to close out the tournament, with the former score allowing her to move up 25 spots during the third round.

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LSU’s Aine Donegan completes play at US Women’s Open

Aine Donegan finished one spot behind the low amateur.

Editor’s Note: The following is an official press release courtesy of LSU’s athletics department.

BATON ROUGE – Aine Donegan took her final walk around Pebble Beach on Sunday as one of the most important women’s golf tournaments, the United States Women’s Open, came to a conclusion.

The rising LSU junior finished with a 5-over round of 77 to complete the 72 holes at 9-over par score of 297 (69-76-75-77). She finished one shot behind low amateur which was 8-over par, but in making the cut at the Open she will receive an exemption if she wishes to play in the U.S. Women’s Amateur in August.

Donegan just missed an 11-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole that would have gotten her into a tie for the low amateur spot with Benedetta Moresco, who shot 73 in the final round. Overall Donegan finished in a tie for 45th.

Here is the transcript of Donegan’s post-round interview with the USGA Media following the final round:

Q: You had an amazing approach shot over there coming in. Unfortunately, the putt didn’t sink. What did it feel like walking off 18 and having your family there, just soaking it all in?

ÁINE DONEGAN: Yeah, very emotional. Today was a long day. I’m fighting a bit of an illness at the moment. Woke up feeling horrible and I didn’t have much energy, to be honest. Finally got up-and-down on 17 and then to hit one out of the seaweed onto the fairway and then hit a shot into that — I mean, if you’d told me looking at my drive coming off 18 with a par, I’d be taking it. But no, feeling very, very thankful right now to have my friends here and just everyone who’s out here supporting me.

Q: Overall on the week, what are your thoughts and feelings about the whole week?

ÁINE DONEGAN: I couldn’t have asked for a better week. My goal was to make the cut. And then obviously today is disappointing, but I’m coming off a long stretch of events, and unfortunately today I didn’t feel great yesterday, and I knew I was kind of getting a bit sick, and then today I have no energy and a bit of a cold and stuff. So happy with how the week went, and I can’t thank the USGA and all the fans enough for everything, really. And my coach Gary (Madden) from Glenlo Abbey and everyone at home as well supporting me.

Q: What did you feel like you learned about yourself this week?

ÁINE DONEGAN: Probably that I played with a lot of different pros, and probably that it’s more – my ball-striking would be probably on par with them and stuff, and my putting is probably more just decision making and less kind of silly mistakes. I made a double bogey today (13) from just a stupid shot out of the bunker. That would be what I’ve learned. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned that these tournaments are tiring, definitely. I kind of admire the pros more after that, after this week, for how much they travel and just how exhausting it actually is. That would be the biggest thing.

Q: Are you tempted at all or thinking at all about turning professional, or are you focused on finishing college?

ÁINE DONEGAN: No, I’m going to finish college. No doubt about it. I love LSU, and it wouldn’t even cross my mind.

Q: Do you have any plans to play in any other pro event as an amateur this summer?

ÁINE DONEGAN: Yeah, I have a final qualifier for The Open, and then I have the Irish Open at Dromoland Castle hopefully. If they give me an invite. I got invited last year so hopefully that again this year. And it’s only 10 minutes from my house, which will be very nice.

LSU’s Aine Donegan remains low amateur entering final round of US Women’s Open

Aine Donegan sits at 4-over through 54 holes.

Editor’s Note: The following is an official press release courtesy of LSU’s athletics department.

BATON ROUGE – LSU rising junior Aine Donegan battled through a sunny, but windy day at Pebble Beach in the third round of the U.S. Women’s Open and came home with a 3-over 75 to remain in low amateur position heading to Sunday’s final round.

Donegan through 54 holes is at 4-over par 220 and is T19 in the overall standings. She is three-shots clear in the race for the silver medal for low amateur. If she is able to hold the spot after Sunday’s round it would mark two straight years that an LSU golfer would have captured the silver medal as Ingrid Lindblad was the low amateur in the 2022 event.

Donegan had a strong start to the round with three birdies in the first seven holes before issues on the eighth hole dropped her back in t standings. But she didn’t let the problems on the eighth derail her round as she fought back on the final 10 holes to shoot one over on the more difficult back nine.

“Out of all the rounds here at the US Open, that’s probably the best I’ve hit it,” Donegan said in an NBC Sports interview. “I hit two bad shots out of the whole round and they were the two that came on eight.”

Caddy Gary Madden gave Donegan some good advice heading to the final nine holes of the round.

“He said just act like you had seven pars and two bogeys which wouldn’t be the worst score.”

Donegan improved in greens in regulation on Saturday, hitting 12-of-18 and after three rounds has made 11 birdies which ties her for fourth in the field in birdies made. She is sixth in the field in putting at 1.66 putts per hole.

Donegan closed her round with a 21-foot par putt on the par 5 18th which drew a loud response from the crowd around the final hole.

“I heard the crowd today,” she said. “They were particularly loud the first seven holes and then got a bit quiet but they came back for the final few holes. There are so many Irish out here and I’m very proud of myself. I’m very pleased to be where I am right now.”

The other amateurs are Benedetta Moresco and Monet Chun at +7 and Amari Avery at +9.

The final round is Sunday and will be televised on NBC Sports, beginning at 2 p.m. CT.

LSU’s Aine Donegan makes cut at US Women’s Open, sits just outside of top 10

Round 2 didn’t go as well as Round 1 for Aine Donegan, but she remains the low amateur.

Editor’s Note: The following is an official press release courtesy of LSU’s athletics department.

BATON ROUGE – LSU rising junior Aine Donegan, on a day when the number of under par scores dropped drastically at Pebble Beach Golf Links, easily made the cut Friday to play the weekend at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open.

Donegan, who again had success finding the fairways hitting 11-of-14 on Friday, came home in 4-over 76 to finish 36 holes at 1-over 145 (69-76) and will be one of four amateurs to make the cut.

As of 9 p.m. CT, Donegan was in a tie for 12th place in the tournament, eight shots out of the lead. She was tied with Amari Avery for low amateur, but Avery still had four holes to play. Only seven golfers were under par for 36 holes.

Through two rounds, Donegan has hit 23-of-28 fairways through two rounds, but will be looking to improve on her greens in regulation stat, hitting just 8-of-18 on Friday. Donegan late in the second round was third in the field in putting, averaging 1.6 putts per hole through 36 holes. Donegan is T9 in birdies with nine through two days.

The third round will be televised on NBC Sports starting at 2 p.m. CT.

LSU adds top Division III golfer Alex Price

The graduate transfer from Christopher Newport University won the Division III Jack Nicklaus Award last season.

Editor’s Note: The following is an official press release courtesy of LSU’s athletics department.

BATON ROUGE – Alex Price, the NCAA Division III winner of the Jack Nicklaus Award as the nation’s top golfer in 2023, has signed with LSU as a graduate transfer, head coach Chuck Winstead announced on Friday.

Price joins the Tigers after a four-year career at Christopher Newport University where he was a four-time All-America selection and led the nation in scoring average at 69.96 as senior.

Price also became the second Division III golfer to ever be selected to the prestigious Palmer Cup, which was held in early June. The Palmer Cup is a Ryder Cup-style event and annually selects the top college golfers to compete against a team of International players.

Price went 3-1 in his four matches at the Palmer Cup helping the Team USA defeat the International squad.

A native of Hillsboro, Va., Price shot par or better in 21 of his 26 rounds as a senior. He won two tournaments in his final season at CNU and finished runner-up three times, including the NCAA Division III National Championship where he posted a school-record score of 6-under 282. His final round of 5-under 67 also set the school mark for the event.

In 2022, Price earned first team PING All-America honors and became one of the first Division III golfers to ever reach the quarterfinals at the U.S. Amateur. He capped his junior season ranked No. 4 in Division III in the GolfStat rankings after averaging 72.6 for his 26 rounds.

In four years at CNU, Price won three tournaments, finished runner-up six times and had 15 Top 5 finishes easy making him the most accomplished golfer in school history. His career stroke average of 71.7 is a school record.