Ursuline, St. Martin’s junior Guepet, Sacred Heart 7th grader Neves take home 2023 state golf titles

YOUNGSVILLE – Morgan Guepet of St. Martin’s won her third straight individual title and Ursuline Academy made its first-day lead stand up to take the Girls Division II team championship Tuesday at the Ochsner Health LHSAA State Golf Championships.

Guepet, who had a five-under-par 69 in Monday’s opening round, added a one-under 73 Tuesday over the 5,679-yard par-72 Les Vieux Chenes Golf Club layout. She had 15 pars and two birdies in the final 36-37—73 round to finish at six-under 142 and take a five-stroke win over runner-up Sophia Macias of Episcopal who finished at one-under 147. Those were the only two players to finish under par.

Ursuline, which won the 2022 title by a 27-stroke margin, finished with a 332 team total for two days to finish 13 strokes ahead of St. Martin’s and Ascension Christian, who tied for second at 345. Ascension Christian had the day’s low team round with a 170 total, led by a 79 from Peyton Flynn on her way to a fifth-place overall finish at 158.

Ursuline put two players in the top 10, with Arianna Blagrove finishing third individually after her second straight one-over 75 score. Samantha Schultz of Christ Episcopal, who was tied with Blagrove for second Monday with an opening round 75, finished fourth at 155.

Episcopal was fourth in the team standings at 353 and Westlake finished fifth at 419.

Seventh-grader Jade Neves of Sacred Heart-New Orleans, the first-day leader after a 75, added a three-over-par 77 to take the Girls Division I individual title with a two-round 152 score. Neves had three birdies in her round including one at the par-five 18th hole, one that helped her finish one shot ahead of defending champion Teagan Connors of The Willow School.

Connors, who was three strokes back after Monday’s opening round, had the day’s low round with an even-par 74 to finish at 153, while Callaba was third at 156 and Purgahn fourth at 160. Sahithi Koneru of Dominican was fifth at 161 and Abigail McWIlliams finished sixth at 163.

Barbe of Lake Charles put its two players in the top four individual finishers for the second straight day Tuesday and used that performance to run away with the Girls Division I team title.

C.E. Byrd had to hold off nearby rival Benton to do it, but the Yellow Jackets claimed their sixth Girls Division I title in the last eight years. The Yellow Jacketsheld a 13-stroke lead after an opening one-over-par 289 on Monday over the 6,536-yard par-72 Farm d’Allie course.

Nick Kelsey of St. Paul’s finished sixth at 146.

Catholic-Baton Rouge finished third in the team chase, tallying a 300 for Tuesday’s second low round and finishing with a 602 total, while St. Paul’s was fourth at 607.

St. Louis Catholic of Lake Charles turned in its second straight sub-300 round and made a big first-round lead stand up in capturing the Boys Division II team title.

The Saints added to their even-par 288 total from Monday with the day’s low round on Tuesday, a 299 that left them with a two-day 587 total. That was good enough for a 13-stroke win over defending champion St. Thomas More, which had its second straight 300 score and finished at 600, and third-place and tournament host Teurlings Catholic at 607. Holy Cross was two more strokes back in fourth place at 609.

Collin Jones of Westlake, competing as an individual, captured the individual title with a second straight one-under 71 on Tuesday. The senior birdied both of the par-fives on the back side of the 6,348-yard par-72 The Wetlands course in posting his first tournament win since his eighth grade season.

Jones won by one shot over Dax Reaux of Teurlings Catholic, who tied for the day’s low round with a three-under 69, and Stephen Faucheaux of Holy Cross, both at one-under 143.

Jones won by one shot over Dax Reaux of Teurlings Catholic, who tied for the day’s low round with a three-under 69, and Stephen Faucheaux of Holy Cross, both at one-under 143. Dane Galiano of St. Charles finished fourth, matching Reaux’s 69 and finishing with a two-round 145 total.

Thanks to the play of Jay Mendell and Kale Fontenot, Ascension Episcopal of Youngsville romped to its fifth straight Boys Division III championship. Mendell, last year’s runner-up, finished the two-day tournament with a 12-under-par 132 score – the lowest score in any division since the state tournament moved to Lafayette nine years ago.

Led by those two scores, AES finished 35 strokes ahead of its nearest competitor with a 567 team score, nine under par as a team. Loyola Prep finished second at 602, while Dunham was third at 648 and Isidore Newman was fourth at 680.

Episcopal of Acadiana made its big first-day lead stand up with Tuesday’s lowest round in Boys Division IV, and used that to capture the team championship.

The Falcons, who had a 16-stroke advantage after Monday’s first round with a team 304 total, added a 306 on Tuesday over the 6,105-yard par-70 Bayou Bend Country Club course. That 610 total was good enough for an 18-stroke win over two-time defending champion Ouachita Christian, which finished as runner-up at 628 and held off a charge by Quitman in third place at 631.

Logan Heltz of Christ Episcopal turned in his second straight sub-par round on Tuesday, adding a one-under-par 69 to his opening 67. The freshman’s Tuesday round included 15 pars and birdies at the first and 18^th holes, including hitting his second shot out of a divot within 10 feet and making the putt on the par-four 18^th for a 67-69—136 total.

Heltz, who finished as runner-up last year as an eighth grader, won by a six-stroke margin over Cole Haase of Riverside Academy, who added a 72 to his Monday even-par 70 and finished at 142.

LHSAA Girls’ Golf State Championships

May 1 – 2, 2023
Les Vieux Chenes – Lafayette
Divisions I and II

GIRLS’ Day 1 Tee Times and Results
Results:
Division I | Division II

GIRLS’ Day 2 Tee Times and Results
Results:
Division I | Division II

LHSAA Boys’ Golf State Championships

May 1st & 2nd, 2023
Division I – Farm d’Allie,
Division II – The Wetlands
Division III – Cane Row
Division IV – Bayou Bend

BOYS’ Day 1 Tee Times and Results
Results:
Division I | Division II | Division III | Division IV

BOYS’ Day 2 Tee Times and Results
Results:
Division I | Division II | Division III | Division IV