SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State men's golf heads east to take on the field at the 40th Louisiana Classics hosted by Sun Belt foe Louisiana at the Oakbourne Country Club in Lafayette, Louisiana. The two-day 54-hole tournament opens Monday.
Participating teams include host Louisiana, Illinois State, Little Rock, Oral Roberts, No. 7 LSU, Rice, Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston, No. 24 Texas A&M, Middle Tennessee and South Alabama.
TXST Lineup
Sakke Siltala
Jack Burke
Jaxon Donaldson
Ben Loveard
Joel Talusen
Enzo Dakiche (IND)
Course Information
Oakbourne CC | Lafayette, La.
Par 72 | 7,141 yards
Live Scoring:
https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournaments/233659/scoring/team
Team Notes
The Bobcats are coming off an eighth place finish at the Lake Las Vegas Invitational in Henderson, Nevada, shooting par or better in two of three rounds to finish +2.
Sakke Siltala led the Bobcats at the event, finishing fourth (-8).
Prior to its Nevada trip, TXST posted a season-best solo fourth place finish at the Hal Williams Collegiate where
Jack Burke had a career performance, finishing second to lead TXST. As a team, Texas State went 16-under led by Burke's -11.
Sun Belt Standouts
Sakke Siltala and
Jack Burke have both earned Sun Belt Conference Golfer of the Week honors this season. Most recently, Siltala received the nod after finishing inside the top five for the third time this season, placing fourth at the Lake Las Vegas Invite. Siltala was also honored on Nov. 1 after tying for second at the Kapolei Invitational. Burke took home accolades on Feb. 13 following a runner-up finish at the Hal Williams Collegiate.
Individual Notes
Sakke Siltala | Jr. | Finland
All 15 rounds counted toward TXST team score… Led the Bobcats in 4 of 5 tournaments this season… Highest finish was T2 at the Kapolei Invitational… Has a team-leading 70.13 stroke avg…. Registered 11 rounds under par and a team-best 6 in the 60s (low 66)… Has 4 top 25 finishes and 3 in the top 5… Team leading 61 birdies... Sun Belt Conference Golfer of the Week (Feb. 28, Nov. 1).
Jack Burke | Sr. | Orange, Texas
All 15 rounds counted toward TXST team score… Highest finish of 2nd at Hal Williams Collegiate… Second on the team with a 71.00 stroke avg…. Has 8 rounds under par including 4 in the 60s… Shot a season-low 65 (-6) in round 1 of the Hal Williams… Second on the team with 58 birdies… Has 4 top 25 finishes and 1 in the top 5… Sun Belt Conference Golfer of the Week (Feb. 13).
Jaxon Donaldson | Fr. | Wimberley, Texas
In the TXST lineup for all 5 tournaments as a freshman… Highest finish was T15 at the Hal Williams… Has 10 of 15 rounds counted… Stroke avg. of 73.47… Has 4 rounds under par with 3 in the 60s… Team leading 2 eagles... Registered 2 top 25 finishes.
Ben Loveard | Jr. | Luton, England
Played in 4 tournaments with 10 of 12 rounds counted… Registered 4 rounds under par including 2 in the 60s and a team-low 64 (round 2 Bubba Barnett)… Highest finish T10 at Bubba Barnett… Stroke avg. 72.58.
Joel Talusen | Fr. | Finland
Played in 3 tournaments with 8 of 9 rounds counting… Highest finish was T49 at the Lake Las Vegas Invitational.
Enzo Dakiche | Jr. | Paris, France | Individual
Competed at the season-opening Myrtle Beach Intercollegiate as part of the Bobcat lineup… Finished T69… Had 2 rounds counted toward the team score with 2 at even par… 75.00 stroke avg… Had his highest finish of T56 as an individual at the Lake Las Vegas Invite.
Play will begin with an 9 a.m. CT shotgun start Monday with the Bobcats on holes Nos. 9-13.
This 2023-24 season saw the Bobcats record four top five finishes that included claiming the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate title. They qualified for match play in the Sun Belt Conference Championship for the first time in team history after tying for third in the 72-hole stroke play portion.
The group also earned Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Presidents Special Recognition, while five Bobcats were named Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars.
