University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Tuesday, March 17
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
7 a.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
The Michael A. Marino Classic
Steady Potgieter With Top-Four Finish at Michael A. Marino Classic
3/17/2026 10:48:00 PM | Golf
Louisiana moves up to finish in tie for 12th in 54-hole event
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – UL's Malan Potgieter posted a final-round even par and wound up in a tie for fourth individually Tuesday in the final round of the Michael A. Marino Classic hosted by Coastal Carolina.
The senior from Kirkwood, South Africa, made it eight top-four finishes in nine tournaments this year, carding a 73-63-72—208 (-8) total to finish two strokes out of the lead over the difficult 7,370-yard par-72 Dunes Golf and Beach Club layout.
Potgieter, who won last week's Louisiana Classics hosted by the Ragin' Cajuns with a 15-under-par 201 score, finished in the top four individuals for the eighth time in nine UL tournament appearances this year. He leads the country in top-three finishes with six this season.
"He had a cold putter today," Cajun coach Theo Silman said after Potgieter had 16 pars, one birdie and one bogey in a final round delayed two hours by Tuesday morning frost. "Had he putted like he did last week at the Classics, he would have won the tournament easily today and he knows that.
"It's still exciting to see what he's done so far, having the best season in program history, and I hope those who follow our program can appreciate what he's doing."
The Cajuns wound up tied for 12th in the 16-team field with a final-day five-over 293 score, tying for the fourth-best round of the day. UL rallied back from 16th place after an opening 18-over 306 with a four-under 284 in the middle round to finish at 19-over 883. North Carolina State captured the team title, turning in Tuesday's low score at three-under 285 and finishing at 15-under 849, four strokes ahead of 33rd-ranked Louisville (853).
Louisville's Cooper Claycomb and Max Bengtsson of host Coastal Carolina shared medalist honors at 10-under 206, with Brady Smith of Louisville was third at nine-under 207 and Potgieter shared fourth with Xander Goboy of North Carolina State.
Senior Jean Louis du Plessis had UL's low score of the day, celebrating his birthday with a two-under 70 – one shot off the low round of the day and one of only 10 subpar scores from the 90-player field – and finished at 80-78-70—228 (+12). Junior Carter Schmitt posted his best round of the tournament at even-par 72 and finished tied for 52nd at seven-over 78-73-72—223 (+7) as UL's next-best finisher.
Freshman James Holtsclaw posted a 79 for a 10-over 226 total and freshman Drew Sliman had an 81 Tuesday and finished at 21-over 237.
"It was a learning week for the rest of our lineup," coach Sliman said. "We expect more out of them and they expect more out of themselves. They need to understand this is part of the journey, struggle is part of the sport and they're going to be better for it down the road."
The Cajuns return to action March 30-31 when they participate in the Maridoe Invitational in Carrollton, Texas. That will be the final regular-season event before the Sun Belt Conference Championships April 27-29 at Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Miss.
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.
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsGolf) or check RaginCajuns.com for Louisiana golf updates.
The Michael A. Marino Classic
March 15-17, 2026
Dunes Golf and Beach Club (7,370 yards, par 72), Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Team Standings: 1. N.C. State 284-280285—849 (-15); 2. Louisville 282-283-288—853 (-11); T3. Charleston 289-276-296—861 (-3); T3. Coastal Carolina 290-277-294—861 (-3); 5. Liberty 284-280-299—863 (-1); T6. Kansas State 298-282-287—867 (+3); T6. Little Rock 291-282-294—867 (+3); 8. Baylor 290-286-293—869 (+5); 9. Michigan 287-290-293—870 (+6); 10. North Florida 296-289-288—873 (+9); 11. Florida Gulf Coast 288-288-299—875 (+11); T12. Louisiana 306-284-293—883 (+19); T12. Kent State 295-293-295—883 (+19); T12. Missouri 296-289-298—883 (+19); 15. UNLV 301-294-294—889 (+25); 16. Furman 300-288-304—892 (+28).
Individual Leaders: T1. Max Bengtsson, Coastal Carolina, 72-6371—206 (-10); T1. Cooper Claycomb, Louisville, 68-68-70—206 (-10); 3. Brady Smith, Louisville, 71-66-70—207 (-9); T4. Malan Potgieter, UL, 73-63-72—208 (-8); T4. Xander Goboy, N.C. State, 70-67-71—208 (-8).
UL Scores: T4. Malan Potgieter 73-63-72—208 (-8); T52. Carter Schmitt 78-73-72—223 (+7); T67. James Holtsclaw 77-70-79—226 (+10); T80. Jean Louis du Plessis 80-78-70—228 (+12); 88. Drew Sliman 78-78-81—237 (+21).
The senior from Kirkwood, South Africa, made it eight top-four finishes in nine tournaments this year, carding a 73-63-72—208 (-8) total to finish two strokes out of the lead over the difficult 7,370-yard par-72 Dunes Golf and Beach Club layout.
Potgieter, who won last week's Louisiana Classics hosted by the Ragin' Cajuns with a 15-under-par 201 score, finished in the top four individuals for the eighth time in nine UL tournament appearances this year. He leads the country in top-three finishes with six this season.
"He had a cold putter today," Cajun coach Theo Silman said after Potgieter had 16 pars, one birdie and one bogey in a final round delayed two hours by Tuesday morning frost. "Had he putted like he did last week at the Classics, he would have won the tournament easily today and he knows that.
"It's still exciting to see what he's done so far, having the best season in program history, and I hope those who follow our program can appreciate what he's doing."
The Cajuns wound up tied for 12th in the 16-team field with a final-day five-over 293 score, tying for the fourth-best round of the day. UL rallied back from 16th place after an opening 18-over 306 with a four-under 284 in the middle round to finish at 19-over 883. North Carolina State captured the team title, turning in Tuesday's low score at three-under 285 and finishing at 15-under 849, four strokes ahead of 33rd-ranked Louisville (853).
Louisville's Cooper Claycomb and Max Bengtsson of host Coastal Carolina shared medalist honors at 10-under 206, with Brady Smith of Louisville was third at nine-under 207 and Potgieter shared fourth with Xander Goboy of North Carolina State.
Senior Jean Louis du Plessis had UL's low score of the day, celebrating his birthday with a two-under 70 – one shot off the low round of the day and one of only 10 subpar scores from the 90-player field – and finished at 80-78-70—228 (+12). Junior Carter Schmitt posted his best round of the tournament at even-par 72 and finished tied for 52nd at seven-over 78-73-72—223 (+7) as UL's next-best finisher.
Freshman James Holtsclaw posted a 79 for a 10-over 226 total and freshman Drew Sliman had an 81 Tuesday and finished at 21-over 237.
"It was a learning week for the rest of our lineup," coach Sliman said. "We expect more out of them and they expect more out of themselves. They need to understand this is part of the journey, struggle is part of the sport and they're going to be better for it down the road."
The Cajuns return to action March 30-31 when they participate in the Maridoe Invitational in Carrollton, Texas. That will be the final regular-season event before the Sun Belt Conference Championships April 27-29 at Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Miss.
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.
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsGolf) or check RaginCajuns.com for Louisiana golf updates.
The Michael A. Marino Classic
March 15-17, 2026
Dunes Golf and Beach Club (7,370 yards, par 72), Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Team Standings: 1. N.C. State 284-280285—849 (-15); 2. Louisville 282-283-288—853 (-11); T3. Charleston 289-276-296—861 (-3); T3. Coastal Carolina 290-277-294—861 (-3); 5. Liberty 284-280-299—863 (-1); T6. Kansas State 298-282-287—867 (+3); T6. Little Rock 291-282-294—867 (+3); 8. Baylor 290-286-293—869 (+5); 9. Michigan 287-290-293—870 (+6); 10. North Florida 296-289-288—873 (+9); 11. Florida Gulf Coast 288-288-299—875 (+11); T12. Louisiana 306-284-293—883 (+19); T12. Kent State 295-293-295—883 (+19); T12. Missouri 296-289-298—883 (+19); 15. UNLV 301-294-294—889 (+25); 16. Furman 300-288-304—892 (+28).
Individual Leaders: T1. Max Bengtsson, Coastal Carolina, 72-6371—206 (-10); T1. Cooper Claycomb, Louisville, 68-68-70—206 (-10); 3. Brady Smith, Louisville, 71-66-70—207 (-9); T4. Malan Potgieter, UL, 73-63-72—208 (-8); T4. Xander Goboy, N.C. State, 70-67-71—208 (-8).
UL Scores: T4. Malan Potgieter 73-63-72—208 (-8); T52. Carter Schmitt 78-73-72—223 (+7); T67. James Holtsclaw 77-70-79—226 (+10); T80. Jean Louis du Plessis 80-78-70—228 (+12); 88. Drew Sliman 78-78-81—237 (+21).
Players Mentioned
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