LSU alums Peterson, Loupe earn PGA TOUR Cards

Former LSU Teammates John Peterson and Andrew Loupe Earn PGA Tour Cards

Previously crowned the 2011 NCAA Champion, John Peterson won the money title in the inaugural Web.Com Tour Finals in the new PGA Tour Qualifying format. A qualifying that consisted of four tournaments concluding at the Dye’s Valley Course in Ponte Vedra, Florida proved no match for Peterson, who had four top five finishes that earned him $230,000 and an invitation to compete at The Players Championship.

Peterson, a First-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC star at LSU, is just happy to be moving on up,

“It’s just a big relief,” Peterson said of earning his PGA Tour Card for the first time in his career. “I didn’t have the greatest start to my pro career. It took me a little longer to get to this point, but I’ve got it and now it will be time to go out there and compete against the best week in and week out. I look forward to representing LSU on the PGA Tour.”

Not new to the big leagues in golf, Peterson had a fourth place finish at the 2012 U.S. Open Championship at The Olympic Club in San Francisco and made the cut in his debut at The Masters Tournament earlier this year.

Andrew Loupe’s journey to receive his PGA Tour Card was decided on his last hole when he holed a five-footer for par to earn the very last spot. The new qualifying was beneficial for Loupe, who gained entry by finishing sixth in the Web.Com Tour Final after missing the cut in the first three events.

“I was extremely nervous for him,” Peterson said as he watched his former LSU roommate with his family and Loupe’s family. “He has always been strong mentally. He was like that in college and I just knew he would make that par putt coming back. It means a lot to both of us, but it means a lot to LSU, too.”

The duo of Peterson and Loupe will try to earn teh kind of accolades accrued by a long-time Bengal Tiger standard bearer in golf.

“We’ve had David Toms forever. He set the bar pretty high. We’ve brought the program back to the Top 10 by the time we graduated, so to get in the PGA Tour together is huge,” Peterson explained.

Peterson and Loupe were coached at LSU by Chuck Winstead.

After his round, Loupe was asked what his friendship with Peterson means to him. It is special to both men. “That guy is like a brother to me. I lived with him for three years. He’s a great dude. I’m always pulling for him and he’s always pulling for me. I’m just very happy,” said Loupe.

A Baton Rouge native, Loupe now has a close bond with Peterson from Fort Worth, TX. He is also a former Honorable Mention All-American, First-Team All-SEC and the 2009 Louisiana Amateur Champion.

LSU fans will have the opportunity to watch three Tigers on the PGA Tour next season as Loupe and Peterson will join the cagey veteran Toms for what is sure to be an exciting 2013-2014 season.

Toms is one of the true greats of the sport. A 13-time PGA Tour winner and a former major champion with his victory at the 2001 PGA Championship, Toms is a tough act to follow. But these two up-and-coming contenders will make their marks soon.