LSU's Remarkable Comeback Keeps Championship Hopes Alive

CARLSBAD, Calif. – LSU’s golf team showcased an extraordinary performance on Sunday, defying the odds to stay in contention for the NCAA Championship. Head coach Jake Amos had initially arranged for the Tigers to return home on Sunday night, believing their chances were slim after they finished T-27 out of 30 teams after the first two rounds.

During the second round, LSU found itself as low as 31st place and trailing by 17 shots to qualify for the next stage of the tournament. On the eve of the final round, Amos opted for a light-hearted approach, taking the team to In-N-Out and avoiding discussions about their earlier struggles on the course.

Sunday morning was filled with games like Mario Kart and ping-pong until Amos laid out a daring strategy: be aggressive early on the 10th and 11th holes, hold steady through the challenging 12th to 14th, and then push hard for birdies on the back nine. “Tigers don’t quit,” Amos emphasized. The team executed this plan flawlessly, finishing with an impressive 18-under 270—the best round of the day by nine strokes and the third-best score in NCAA Championship history relative to par.

LSU not only made the cut but climbed to T-12, tied with San Diego, Tennessee, and Stanford, all just three strokes behind eighth-place Duke. Meanwhile, Auburn leads the tournament at 22 under, with Texas in second at 19 under.

Freshman Dan Hayes shined for LSU, carding an 8-under 64, which set a new tournament record at La Costa and surpassed the previous program record held by 2011 NCAA champion John Peterson. Alongside Hayes, Jay Mendell, Matthew Dodd-Berry, and reigning first-team All-American Arni Sveinsson contributed significantly with under-par rounds. “Outrageous,” was how Amos described Hayes’ performance, with another SEC coach exclaiming, “That was f—king unbelievable!”

With their remarkable turnaround, Amos had to cancel the return flights he had booked, as the Tigers continue to look ahead to the next rounds of the championship.