UL squad has tourney’s low score on final day

MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. — UL’s golf team posted the lowest round in the entire Sun Belt Conference Tournament over its final 18 holes, and used that to claim a fourth-place team finish while also putting two players in the top 10 and three in the top 15.

The Ragin’ Cajuns carded a final-round eight-under-par 280 over the Robert Trent Jones at the Shoals’ “Fighting Joe” course and finished with a three-round total of 16-over 880 to move up from sixth place entering the final round.

South Alabama claimed the team title with a final-round 282 and a three-round eight-over 872 total, with first and second-round leader Middle Tennessee finishing at 878 — two ahead of the Cajuns — and New Orleans finishing at 879 for a one-stroke advanage over UL.

All four of UL’s counting scores in the final round were under par — three-under 69’s from Philipp Fendt and Andrew Noto and one-under 71’s from Kyle Pritchard and Mark Brockhurst — and Thomas Disch added an even-par 72 for the squad’s best team round of the spring season.

Those figures vaulted Fendt and Pritchard into a tie for sixth individually at one-over 217, while Noto finished 15th at five-over 221 after his final-round 69. All three earned All-Sun Belt Conference recognition, with UL and Middle Tennessee the only teams to boast three all-league selections (more on all-Sun Belt picks below).

The strong final round mirrored last year’s Sun Belt meet, when the Cajuns had the tournament’s low score in the final round with a five-under 283 on the way to a fourth-place finish.

Pritchard, a senior, had back-to-back 71 scores in the final two rounds.

“It’s a great honor for Kyle in his senior year,” said UL coach Theo Sliman of his tournament. “To play his last tournament the way he did was just awesome. He took the initiative and stepped up in the last two rounds.”

Fendt, UL’s leader in stroke average during the season, rallied from a three-over 75 in the middle round on the way to his 69, which matched  fellow sophomore Noto and was one stroke off the day’s best round.

“It’s impressive to earn all-conference as sophomores,” Sliman said. “This is a huge positive for their futures. It shows a lot about their performance this season and what is to come.”

Pritchard, Fendt, Noto earn all-Sun Belt honors

It is the second straight honor for Pritchard. The senior closes out his collegiate career, having played in 37 tournaments with 14 top-25 finishes. His best finish came at the Red Wolf Classic last season where he earned co-medalist honors.

It is the first all-conference award for Fendt and Noto. Last year, Fendt was named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. Both golfers were the top-finisher for UL in every tournament this season. Fendt led the Cajuns in nine tournaments and Fendt finished as the top Cajun golfer in three events.

2010 SUN BELT CONFERENCE MEN’S GOLF ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Kent Bulle, Middle Tennessee
Marc-Etienne Bussieres, South Alabama
Rodolfo Cazaubon, North Texas
Lloyd du Preez, Arkansas State
Philipp Fendt, Louisiana
Linus Gillgren, UALR
Hunter Green, Middle Tennessee
Jack Hiluta, South Alabama
Espen Kofstad, Denver
Ken Looper, New Orleans
Jason Millard, Middle Tennessee
Andrew Noto, Louisiana
Carlos Ortiz, North Texas
Kyle Pritchard, Louisiana
Alex Yost, WKU
Oscar Zetterwall, New Orleans

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Rodolfo Cazaubon, North Texas

COACH OF THE YEAR
Chris McCarter, New Orleans

Cajuns seek to match 2007 league title run

UL’s Ragin’ Cajun golf team will take part in the Sun Belt Conference Championship beginning Monday, Apr. 26 in Muscle Shoals, Ala. This year’s three-day tournament is being held at The Shoals, part of Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, with teams playing three 18-hole rounds Monday through Wednesday to determine the league title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Cajuns and the 12 other Sun Belt men’s golf teams will attempt to tackle The Shoals’ “Fighting Joe” course. The par-72 course that runs along Wilson Lake on the Tennessee River is hosting the Sunelt meet for the second time in three years.

Teeing off for the Cajuns will be Philipp Fendt, Andrew Noto, Kyle Pritchard, Mark Brockhurst and Thomas Disch.

As a team, UL is coming off a fourth-place finish at the ASU Red Wolf Classic. In the final round, the Cajuns posted a team-score of 4-under to jump from a tie in seventh to fourth.

Fendt is currently ranked as the 110^th golf in the Royal & Ancient World Amateur Golf Ranking. He ranks sixth among the Sun Belt with an average score this season of 72.23.

Noto is averaging 73.07 strokes per round this season and is ranked 11^th in the league.

Middle Tennessee won last year’s championship. The Cajuns claimed the conference championship in 2007.

UL’s newest recruits from Australia, Austria

UL’s Ragin’ Cajun golf coach Theo Sliman has announced two additions to his team for the 2010-11 season. Peter Lamaris and Christoph Weninger have signed National Letters of Intent to tee off for the Cajuns next season.

 “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed recruiting these young men,” said Sliman. “I feel that both these young men will make an immediate impact on our program, not only from their talent but also from their character as young men.”

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Acadiana-area schools in all six classifications seek state qualifying this week

Acadiana boys’ high school golf teams will be involved in six different regional tournaments this week, with all of those teams seeking to qualify for state title competition just over one week later.

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May 1-2 event helps raise funds for St. Jude Foundation

OPELOUSAS — Indian Hills in Openlousas will host its second annual St. Jude IHCC Four-ball Benefit on May 1-2 at the course, and will be seeking to again raise thousands of dollars for the St. Jude Foundation.

The two-man best-ball format actually kicks off on Friday, April 20, with the announcement of flights and pairings, after registration closes at noon that day. A social is scheduled at 7 p.m. that evening at the clubhouse,  and during the Calcutta party all players are invited to take a chance to make one putt for a $5,000 prize. Door prizes including cash for wives and girlfriends of paid tournament participants are also available.

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Twenty-one Louisiana Golf Association Member Club teams are scheduled to take part in the 22^nd annual LGA Club Team Championship. This year’s event will be held Saturday and Sunday, April 24-25, at the Links course at Pelican Point Golf Club in Gonzales. Pelican Point also hosted this event in 1999 and 2000.

OakWing Golf Club from Alexandria will return to defend the title it won last year at Tamahka Trails Golf Club in Marksville. Firing a two-day total of six under par, OakWing bested Mandeville’s Beau Chene Country Club by six shots. Beau Chene will also return to again battle for the crown.

Also taking part is the Jay & Lionel Hebert Municipal Course team, which won the 2006 event and became the first-ever municipal-course team to win the title.

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Golfballs.com awards limited-edition Scotty Cameron putter to contest winner

Amy Broussard survived two rounds of sudden-death to win top honors in Golfballs.com’s putting contest during the recent “Business After Hours” at the Golfballs.com Retail Cetner.

Broussard, an employee of LUS Fiber, made three straight aces on the putting course and then had another ace in the sudden-death round to win the top prize of a $300 limited-edition Scotty Cameron putter.

The contest was part of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce’s monthly “Business After Hours” program, which gathers Chamber members once a month at area businesses to facilitate business and personal relationships and assist with networking. The Golfballs.com Retail Center located at 126 Arnould Blvd. just off Johnston St. hosted the March 31 event.

Coca-Cola, Schilling Distributing and LoyaltyLogo.com were co-sponsors of the event.

Holes 13 and 14 drainage to be reworked

Les Vieux Chenes pro Todd Robertson recently announced that bids would be awarded in the near future to correct drainage problems on the course’s 13th and 14th holes, which have been plagued with problems since the course’s renovation last summer.

Robertson recently sent a statement to LVC members, which is repeated here:

“As most of you are already aware, LVC has been in the process of addressing our drainage issues that we have on Holes #13 and #14.  I have been informed that we will be receiving the final drainage plans for these 2 holes from the public works department later this week.  When we first looked at the drainage issues that we have, we thought that this would be a project that our maintenance staff could address in house.  Now, it has been determined that the type of work necessary  is outside the scope of our maintenance staff expertise.  So, the drainage work project will be bid out to a local contractor that specializes in this type of very specialized work.  We hope to have that bid in the very near future and start the work asap.  Please keep in mind that this is PRIORITY #1 for LVC and we will be working as fast as possible to get it completed.  Thanks for your patience.”

Todd Robertson
Head Golf Professional
Les Vieux Chenes GC

Long-time Acadiana golf icon dies at age 86 Wednesday

Funeral services for Luca Barbato were held Friday, April 2, 2010, in the Delhomme Chapel of the Flowers, after the 86-year-old Barbato passed away on Wednesday, March 31, at Lafayette General following a brief illness.

A native of Baton Rouge, Luca was born in 1923 as the 8th child of Joseph Barbato and the former Lena Ciaccio, both immigrants from Sicily. Born into tough times, he made a living on what would later become his lifelong passion: golf. Caddying for 25 cents for nine holes in the ’30s, he was learning the basics of his future profession.

After graduating high school, he served as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army during WWII. He crossed the Pacific Ocean by carrier to New Guinea and served his country in Japan. His crew was the first to reach Okinawa after it was secured at Yokahama. Returning to LSU after the war, he met the love of his life, Dorothy Griffin. They married in 1947.

It was at LSU that his passion for golf began to flourish. He was a member of the LSU golf team winning the NCAA Team Championship in 1948. With Dottie by his side, he started his professional career at River Oaks Country Club in Houston. He then began his local career as Head Golf Professional at Oakbourne Country Club from 1961 to 1970. He moved on to be PGA Professional and Co-lease operator of Acadian Hills Country Club from 1970-1975 and sole lease operator from 1975-1990. With each position, his passion for playing, teaching, and sharing his knowledge of the game touched thousands of lives.

For more than 60 years, he devoted his life to sharing the love of the game with others. He led, raised, and educated a family of golfers in Lafayette and throughout Louisiana. He dedicated his life and energies to raising that family to be the best they could be. He would never have admitted how many golfers he helped to learn the game. He taught amateurs from beginners to state champions. He also took an active role in educating many of the Golf Professionals in Louisiana and nearby states. He was a model to his fellow professionals, and he was one of the most respected people in his field. Like every good father, he always led by example.

Some of the highlights of his career include: Election to PGA membership (1965); Professional Golfer of the Year (1973); Horton Smith Award for education (1982); Senior Champion (1978 and 1988); PGA Gulf States Section President (1972-73) succeeding his brother Joe Barbato; and inaugural inductee into the Gulf States Section PGA Hall of Fame (1998). Additionally, the Barbato-Thomas Award, named in honor of Luca Barbato and Henry Thomas, is presented annually to a Louisiana resident for their contribution to the game of golf and/or support of the PGA professional.

He is survived by his wife, Dottie Barbato; one daughter, Barbara Barbato, of Kingwood, Texas; and three sons, Daniel Barbato (Fran), of Lafayette, Don Barbato (Betty), of Kingwood, Texas, and Daryl Barbato (Kim), of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

His grandchildren are Cullen Barbato (Sarah), Lindley Barbato Palmer (Greg), Sarah Brooks Barbato, Rebekah Roehm Prince (Jeremy), Andrew Roehm, Jennifer Roehm, Lyle Barbato (Anna), Becky Barbato Mitchell (Bryan), Neal Barbato, Jonathan Barbato, Micah Barbato Collins (Mike), Tom Barbato, Aaron Barbato, Allison Barbato and his great-grandchildren are: Jack Barbato, Emily Barbato, Lee Palmer, Anne Calvert Palmer, Daniel Palmer, Andrew Paul Roehm, Greta Roehm, Addisyn Trahan, and nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and seven siblings: Louis Barbato, Mike Barbato, Joe Barbato, Katie Lebeau, Tina Polazoa, Josephine Martini and Mary Bowers.

The family wishes to express its gratitude to the doctors, nurses, and staff on the 6th floor at Lafayette General and especially to Dr. Ed Lyons and Dr. David Baker. Their compassion and joyful service was appreciated by his family. The family also wants to thank Chris Burney for his love and support during his illness.

Pallbearers were Luca’s grandsons: Cullen Barbato, Lyle Barbato, Andrew Roehm, Tom Barbato, Neal Barbato, Jonathan Barbato, and Aaron Barbato. Honorary pallbearers: Dr. Sam Foreman, George Casino, Chad Williams, Charlie Dugas, Cliff Wagner, Pat Aertker and Chris Burney.

Memorial contributions may be made in his memory to the following: PGA Jr. Golf, 100 Avenue of the Champions, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410; First Baptist Church Vision 71, 1100 Lee Avenue, Lafayette, LA 70501; The Open Door, 1709 Dulles Drive, Lafayette, LA 70506.