MATHEWS, La. – The Louisiana Tech men's golf team won the Nicholls State-hosted LaTour Intercollegiate by a dominating 18 strokes at the LaTour Golf Club on Sunday.
 
Along with the team title, senior Sam Murphy won his first individual intercollegiate tournament after finishing the event with a combined -7 (69-68=137). Murphy secured the individual title after putting a birdie on the final hole.
 
"We just simplified everything," Murphy said. "With the cold weather and the conditions not being really good to score, the team did it well. I did all the simple things right and didn't make any dumb mistakes. We just have to play one shot at a time, and we didn't let the elements and everything going on affect our play."
 
Louisiana Tech finished the LaTour Intercollegiate 18 strokes ahead of second place Jacksonville State as LA Tech registered a combined -12 (288-276=564). Tech's -12 (276) second round performance tied for the lowest team round score in program history.
 
"These guys were ready to play before we ever left Ruston," head coach Matt Terry said. "They adapted really quick as we had to go to a different golf course that they'd never seen before in this kind of weather. We had one yardage book between all five of them and it didn't bother them one bit. The biggest key was their attitudes were right before we ever left Ruston. They got here and they were ready to compete. It showed by how we played today. It never got above 38 degrees with the wind chill and they tied the school record."
 
Mac Murphy was not far behind his brother as the senior tied for second with a -5 (72-67=139). Freshman Will Patrick had a career-low -3 (69) in Sunday's round to propel him to his first collegiate top-10 finish with a combined +1 (76-69=145, T-9th). Every Bulldog finished the tournament in the top-20 as junior James Swash tied for 15th with a +3 (75-72=147) and sophomore Lake Juban tied for 18th with a +4 (72-76=148).
 
Three Tech golfers finished Sunday's round under par as M. Murphy shot a -5 (67) after registering a team-best seven birdies. S. Murphy had a solid round as the senior shot either at or under par on 17 of the 18 holes for a -4 (68). Patrick's career-low -3 (69) rounded out Louisiana Tech's under-par scorers for Sunday's round.
 
Swash was three-over-par heading into the 13th hole, but shot three straight birdies on holes 13-15 to sit at an even par. The junior finished the round at-par after putting in the birdie on hole 18. Four Bulldogs shot a birdie on the 18th hole to help secure the record-tying round.
 
LA Tech won the LaTour Intercollegiate with a combined -12 (288-276=564). Jacksonville State +6 (293-289=582), Houston Baptist +11 (303-284=587), Samford +14 (303-287=590) and UT-Rio Grande Valley +15 (300+291=591) rounded out the top five at the tournament.
 
Louisiana Tech will next take on Ole Miss in a head-to-head contest on Saturday, Feb. 20, in Oxford, Miss.
 
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