Review
2015 SEC Championships
SEC Champions!
Tigers Win First SEC Crown Since 1987
The LSU Tigers lifted the SEC Championship trophy for the first time in 28 seasons when they turned a three-shot deficit entering the final round into a three-shot victory with a winning score of 13-under par 827 at the 2015 SEC Men’s Golf Championships held at Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course. Not since the sophomore season of the great David Toms in 1986-87 had the Tigers been crowned SEC Champions on the links, but the team of seniors Stewart Jolly and Ben Taylor, junior Zach Wright and sophomores Brandon Pierce and Eric Ricard earned their place in history as the champion golfers of the year for the 2014-15 season. They claimed the 16th SEC Championship in the program’s history to rank second all-time behind the 26 titles won by the Georgia Bulldogs while snapping Alabama’s run of three-straight wins from 2012-14. But the 2014 SEC runners-up appeared set for a second-straight silver-medal-winning finish at the championship as they fell five shots behind in second place to both three-time defending champion Alabama and title-challenging Vanderbilt on the back nine. They trailed the Crimson Tide by five shots as groups in the final wave began to make the turn before also falling five shots back of Vanderbilt late in the day. Closing at 1-under par as a team on the back nine and 2-under par over the final four holes, the Tigers staked their claim as SEC Champions as Alabama came in at 10-over par on the back nine with Vanderbilt posting its score of 4-over par on the final nine holes of the championship, including a cumulative 5-over par as a team through holes Nos. 15-18.
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With Jolly leading the way with a 1-under par 69, Taylor and Wright both firing matching scores of even-par 70 and Pierce adding a 2-over par 72 toward LSU’s team score in the final round, the Tigers took home the title with a total of 1-over 281 in the final round and winning effort of 13-under 827 in 54 holes played at the Seaside Course. The Commodores and South Carolina Gamecocks trailed three back in a tie for second place at 10-under 830 as each ended with an even-par 280 in the final round. Rounding out the Top 5 of the final team standings as this year’s SEC Men’s Golf Championships were Alabama and Auburn in a tie for fourth place at 7-under par 833. “It came down to the end, and our guys just kept playing,” said LSU head coach Chuck Winstead of his team’s performance late in the final round. “They really outplayed some great teams down the stretch. The course was tougher today, you could see that in the scores. It took a great amount of focus to get through it. They did that and competed very well all the way through the 54th hole. “The guys are thrilled, and I’m happy for them. They’ve worked hard to achieve something like this and certainly deserve it. We have five guys here who are not just very good players, but they’re all really competitive as a group. When you put our five guys up against some great teams that are here, they’re very competitive and want to take on the challenge of playing in a great championship event like we have here.” Jolly proved to be a catalyst in LSU’s charge on the back nine as he was the only Tiger to break par in the final round, firing a 1-under 69 to
2021-22 MEN’S GOLF RECORD BOOK
