University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Monday, April 27
Madison, Miss.
8:30 a.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
SBC Championships
Early Struggles Puts Cajuns In 10th at SBC Championships
4/27/2026 8:03:00 PM | Golf
Holtsclaw shoots 1-under-71 to lead UL; second round set for Tuesday
MADISON, Miss. – UL's golf team struggled in the opening holes Monday on the first day of the Sun Belt Conference Men's Golf Championships, and the Ragin' Cajuns face an uphill climb over the next two days.
The Cajuns posted a 10-over-par 298 score on their first trip around the Annandale Golf Club layout, and stand in 10th place in the 14-team field going into Tuesday's second of three rounds of stroke play. They stand 16 strokes behind front-runner and defending champion Coastal Carolina, which put three players in the top nine individually and carded a 6-under 282 in Monday's first round.
More importantly, UL stands nine strokes out of fourth place, with the top four teams advancing to Thursday's match play competition, which will determine the league champion and the automatic berth into the NCAA Championships.
But Cajun coach Theo Sliman said that deficit can easily be overcome over the final two rounds to give his team a chance to make the match-play round for the first time since UL captured the Sun Belt title in 2023.
"Nine shots over 36 holes in team golf is really nothing," Sliman said. "I know, and these guys know they're capable of playing a lot better over the next two days. They had a very similar round just like this to open up at Lake Las Vegas, and came back and played really well in the last two rounds."
UL had an opening seven-over 289 in the Las Vegas event and came back to shoot 277-279 in the final two rounds to finish second as a team, with senior Malan Potgieter shooting 66-68 in those final two Vegas rounds.
Potgieter, the top-ranked player in the Sun Belt in the national rankings at No. 37, bogeyed four straight holes on his front side Monday, but came back with three straight birdies and finished with a three-over 75 – his second-highest score of the year in 31 rounds. The Kirkwood, South Africa, product – UL's individual leader in each of the Cajuns' 10 tournaments this season – is the only returnee from the 2023 championship team.
Senior Jean Louis du Plessis and junior Carter Schmitt had 4-over 76 scores, while freshman James Holtsclaw led the way with a 1-under 71 that has him tied for 10th individually, three strokes out of the individual lead.
"You could tell they were trying too hard and pressing too hard right out of the gate," Sliman said. "And it was the whole collective, even our leader Malan. They were trying too hard for a result instead of letting the results come to them. But I really believe that will change tomorrow."
Shreveport native Holtsclaw was two strokes away from his low round of the season, birdieing all four par-fives on the 7,143-yard par-72 Annandale layout. He birdied the par-five 18th hole to shoot even-par 36 on his first nine holes (UL's pairings started on the 10th hole) and then birdied the fifth and seventh holes on the way to a one-under 35 coming in.
"He had a couple of bad breaks where he could easily have been even lower," Sliman said of Holtsclaw. "That could have easily been a 68 or 69, but I'm really proud of him to shoot under par in his very first conference championship."
Arkansas State is two strokes behind Coastal after a four-under 284, with Southern Miss third at even-par 288 and South Alabama fourth at one-over 289. Jake Wallis of Arkansas State went four-under on his final three holes to grab the first-round lead at four-under 68, one shot better than Benjamin Fernandez of Southern Miss at three-under 69.
The second round is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, with the Cajuns going out in the second wave off the No. 10 tee at 9:15 a.m. Live scoring is available online at scoreboard.clippd.com, and ESPN+ will have live coverage beginning at 10 a.m.
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.
Sun Belt Conference Golf Championships – First-day Results
April 27-30, 2026
Annandale Golf Club (7,143 yards, par 72), Madison, Miss.
Team Standings: 1. Coastal Carolina 282 (-6); 2. Arkansas State 284 (-4); 3. Southern Miss 288 (even); 4. South Alabama 289 (+1); 5. James Madison 290 (+2); T6. Troy 294 (+6); T6. App State 294 (+6); T8. Texas State 297 (+9); T8. Georgia Southern 297 (+9); 10. Louisiana 298 (+10); 11. Georgia State 299 (+11); 12. Old Dominion 301 (+13); 13. ULM 303 (+15); 14. Marshall 923 (+35).
Individual Leaders: 1. Jake Wallis, Arkansas State, 36-32—68 (-4); T2. Benjamin Fernandez, Southern Miss, 33-36—69 (-3); T2. Sakke Siltala, Texas State, 35-34—69 (-3); T4. Harrison Sewell, Georgia Southern, 36-34—70 (-2); T4. Max Bengtsson, Coastal Carolina, 34-36—70 (-2); T4. Owen Kim, Coastal Carolina, 34-36—70 (-2); T4. Drew Sykes, Coastal Carolina, 35-35—70 (-2); T4. Thomas Crane, Troy, 37-33—70; T4. Thomas Schmitt, Arkansas State, 35-35—70 (-2).
UL Scores: T10th. James Holtsclaw 35-36—71 (-1); T37. Malan Potgieter 38-37—75 (+3); T46. Jean Louis du Plessis 36-40—76 (+4); T46. Carter Schmitt 38-38—76 (+4); T57. Drew Sliman 40-38—78 (+6).
The Cajuns posted a 10-over-par 298 score on their first trip around the Annandale Golf Club layout, and stand in 10th place in the 14-team field going into Tuesday's second of three rounds of stroke play. They stand 16 strokes behind front-runner and defending champion Coastal Carolina, which put three players in the top nine individually and carded a 6-under 282 in Monday's first round.
More importantly, UL stands nine strokes out of fourth place, with the top four teams advancing to Thursday's match play competition, which will determine the league champion and the automatic berth into the NCAA Championships.
But Cajun coach Theo Sliman said that deficit can easily be overcome over the final two rounds to give his team a chance to make the match-play round for the first time since UL captured the Sun Belt title in 2023.
"Nine shots over 36 holes in team golf is really nothing," Sliman said. "I know, and these guys know they're capable of playing a lot better over the next two days. They had a very similar round just like this to open up at Lake Las Vegas, and came back and played really well in the last two rounds."
UL had an opening seven-over 289 in the Las Vegas event and came back to shoot 277-279 in the final two rounds to finish second as a team, with senior Malan Potgieter shooting 66-68 in those final two Vegas rounds.
Potgieter, the top-ranked player in the Sun Belt in the national rankings at No. 37, bogeyed four straight holes on his front side Monday, but came back with three straight birdies and finished with a three-over 75 – his second-highest score of the year in 31 rounds. The Kirkwood, South Africa, product – UL's individual leader in each of the Cajuns' 10 tournaments this season – is the only returnee from the 2023 championship team.
Senior Jean Louis du Plessis and junior Carter Schmitt had 4-over 76 scores, while freshman James Holtsclaw led the way with a 1-under 71 that has him tied for 10th individually, three strokes out of the individual lead.
"You could tell they were trying too hard and pressing too hard right out of the gate," Sliman said. "And it was the whole collective, even our leader Malan. They were trying too hard for a result instead of letting the results come to them. But I really believe that will change tomorrow."
Shreveport native Holtsclaw was two strokes away from his low round of the season, birdieing all four par-fives on the 7,143-yard par-72 Annandale layout. He birdied the par-five 18th hole to shoot even-par 36 on his first nine holes (UL's pairings started on the 10th hole) and then birdied the fifth and seventh holes on the way to a one-under 35 coming in.
"He had a couple of bad breaks where he could easily have been even lower," Sliman said of Holtsclaw. "That could have easily been a 68 or 69, but I'm really proud of him to shoot under par in his very first conference championship."
Arkansas State is two strokes behind Coastal after a four-under 284, with Southern Miss third at even-par 288 and South Alabama fourth at one-over 289. Jake Wallis of Arkansas State went four-under on his final three holes to grab the first-round lead at four-under 68, one shot better than Benjamin Fernandez of Southern Miss at three-under 69.
The second round is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, with the Cajuns going out in the second wave off the No. 10 tee at 9:15 a.m. Live scoring is available online at scoreboard.clippd.com, and ESPN+ will have live coverage beginning at 10 a.m.
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.
Sun Belt Conference Golf Championships – First-day Results
April 27-30, 2026
Annandale Golf Club (7,143 yards, par 72), Madison, Miss.
Team Standings: 1. Coastal Carolina 282 (-6); 2. Arkansas State 284 (-4); 3. Southern Miss 288 (even); 4. South Alabama 289 (+1); 5. James Madison 290 (+2); T6. Troy 294 (+6); T6. App State 294 (+6); T8. Texas State 297 (+9); T8. Georgia Southern 297 (+9); 10. Louisiana 298 (+10); 11. Georgia State 299 (+11); 12. Old Dominion 301 (+13); 13. ULM 303 (+15); 14. Marshall 923 (+35).
Individual Leaders: 1. Jake Wallis, Arkansas State, 36-32—68 (-4); T2. Benjamin Fernandez, Southern Miss, 33-36—69 (-3); T2. Sakke Siltala, Texas State, 35-34—69 (-3); T4. Harrison Sewell, Georgia Southern, 36-34—70 (-2); T4. Max Bengtsson, Coastal Carolina, 34-36—70 (-2); T4. Owen Kim, Coastal Carolina, 34-36—70 (-2); T4. Drew Sykes, Coastal Carolina, 35-35—70 (-2); T4. Thomas Crane, Troy, 37-33—70; T4. Thomas Schmitt, Arkansas State, 35-35—70 (-2).
UL Scores: T10th. James Holtsclaw 35-36—71 (-1); T37. Malan Potgieter 38-37—75 (+3); T46. Jean Louis du Plessis 36-40—76 (+4); T46. Carter Schmitt 38-38—76 (+4); T57. Drew Sliman 40-38—78 (+6).
Players Mentioned
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