University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Sunday, March 15
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
7 a.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
The Michael A. Marino Classic
Potgieter, Cajuns Ready For Michael A. Marino Classic
3/14/2026 6:22:00 PM | Golf
54-hole tournament begins Sunday through Tuesday
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – UL's Malan Potgieter looks to continue the nation's most successful collegiate golf streak and the Ragin' Cajun squad looks to start gearing up for the postseason this weekend when they participate in the Michael A. Marino Classic.
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A 16-team field including four of the nation's top-50 and 11 of the top-100-ranked teams will take part in the 54-hole event that begins Sunday at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
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The field includes Louisville, the top-ranked team at No. 33, a pair of teams that played in last week's UL-hosted Louisiana Classics in No. 47 Little Rock and No. 81 Michigan, and Sun Belt Conference rival and tournament host Coastal Carolina. UNLV (No. 37) and Florida Gulf Coast (No. 50) are also in the field along with Kansas State, Missouri, Furman, Charleston, North Carolina State, Baylor, Kent State, North Florida and Liberty.
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Teams will play 18 holes daily over the par-72 layout that can stretch to 7,165 yards and borders the Atlantic Ocean. Play begins at 8 a.m. (EDT) Sunday and live scoring is available at Scoreboard.clippd.com.
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Potgieter is the top-ranked player in the field at No. 48, and goes into the Marino meet with six top-three finishes out of eight tournaments this season. The next-most top-three finishes in the country is four by Jackson Koivun of Auburn and Ben James of Virginia – the Nos. 1 and 2 ranked players in this week's Scoreboard rankings.
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The senior from Kirkwood, South Africa, is coming off a three-stroke victory in UL's own 41st annual Louisiana Classics, where he shot 15-under 65-67-69-201 on Monday and Tuesday. He became the first player in tournament history to win the individual title back-to-back, after winning a playoff and becoming the first-ever UL winner in 2024.
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He carries a 68.71 stroke average into the Marino – an average of 3.16 strokes below par in his 24 rounds this season – and has finished out of the top four individually only once all season.
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"His maturity and his mindset in preparation is just like that of a professional golfer," said Cajun coach Theo Sliman. "When you have that kind of preparation and talent competing against college players, he can be dominant."
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Sliman is hoping the rest of his squad can follow Potgieter's lead into this weekend and into the Maridoe Invitational March 30-31 in Carrollton, Texas. Those are the Cajuns' last two regular-season tournaments prior to the Sun Belt Championships April 27-30 at Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Miss.
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UL finished a disappointing ninth out of 16 teams in the Louisiana Classics, after a second-place finish three weeks ago in the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate. The only other Cajun in the top 50 in the Classics was Shreveport freshman James Holtsclaw, who carded a consistent 71-71-71—213 (-3) to tie for 19th and claim his first collegiate top 20 finish. Holtsclaw (73.56) is second on the team in spring stroke average at 72.33 and tied for 22nd in the Lake Las Vegas event at 2-under.
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"Everyone needs to shift, not a big shift but a little shift of mindset," Sliman said. "They need to shift mentally, seeing Malan do it and seeing James do it in the last two tournaments. We have options, and we have depth, and so far we've played nicely against conference schools this spring, so I think we're getting close to having a collective group."
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Senior Jean Louis du Plessis (72.89), who tied for 13th at the Lake Las Vegas event, junior Carter Schmitt (72.90) and freshman Drew Sliman (74.28) make up the rest of UL's five-man lineup.
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Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Â
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsGolf) or check RaginCajuns.com for Louisiana golf updates.
Â
A 16-team field including four of the nation's top-50 and 11 of the top-100-ranked teams will take part in the 54-hole event that begins Sunday at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Â
The field includes Louisville, the top-ranked team at No. 33, a pair of teams that played in last week's UL-hosted Louisiana Classics in No. 47 Little Rock and No. 81 Michigan, and Sun Belt Conference rival and tournament host Coastal Carolina. UNLV (No. 37) and Florida Gulf Coast (No. 50) are also in the field along with Kansas State, Missouri, Furman, Charleston, North Carolina State, Baylor, Kent State, North Florida and Liberty.
Â
Teams will play 18 holes daily over the par-72 layout that can stretch to 7,165 yards and borders the Atlantic Ocean. Play begins at 8 a.m. (EDT) Sunday and live scoring is available at Scoreboard.clippd.com.
Â
Potgieter is the top-ranked player in the field at No. 48, and goes into the Marino meet with six top-three finishes out of eight tournaments this season. The next-most top-three finishes in the country is four by Jackson Koivun of Auburn and Ben James of Virginia – the Nos. 1 and 2 ranked players in this week's Scoreboard rankings.
Â
The senior from Kirkwood, South Africa, is coming off a three-stroke victory in UL's own 41st annual Louisiana Classics, where he shot 15-under 65-67-69-201 on Monday and Tuesday. He became the first player in tournament history to win the individual title back-to-back, after winning a playoff and becoming the first-ever UL winner in 2024.
Â
He carries a 68.71 stroke average into the Marino – an average of 3.16 strokes below par in his 24 rounds this season – and has finished out of the top four individually only once all season.
Â
"His maturity and his mindset in preparation is just like that of a professional golfer," said Cajun coach Theo Sliman. "When you have that kind of preparation and talent competing against college players, he can be dominant."
Â
Sliman is hoping the rest of his squad can follow Potgieter's lead into this weekend and into the Maridoe Invitational March 30-31 in Carrollton, Texas. Those are the Cajuns' last two regular-season tournaments prior to the Sun Belt Championships April 27-30 at Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Miss.
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UL finished a disappointing ninth out of 16 teams in the Louisiana Classics, after a second-place finish three weeks ago in the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate. The only other Cajun in the top 50 in the Classics was Shreveport freshman James Holtsclaw, who carded a consistent 71-71-71—213 (-3) to tie for 19th and claim his first collegiate top 20 finish. Holtsclaw (73.56) is second on the team in spring stroke average at 72.33 and tied for 22nd in the Lake Las Vegas event at 2-under.
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"Everyone needs to shift, not a big shift but a little shift of mindset," Sliman said. "They need to shift mentally, seeing Malan do it and seeing James do it in the last two tournaments. We have options, and we have depth, and so far we've played nicely against conference schools this spring, so I think we're getting close to having a collective group."
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Senior Jean Louis du Plessis (72.89), who tied for 13th at the Lake Las Vegas event, junior Carter Schmitt (72.90) and freshman Drew Sliman (74.28) make up the rest of UL's five-man lineup.
Â
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Â
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsGolf) or check RaginCajuns.com for Louisiana golf updates.
Players Mentioned
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