MONSTER DEMO DAY: Golfballs.com will hold its annual Golf Demo Day this Friday from noon until 5 p.m. at its traditional location, the Lafayette Golf Academy at 2231 Kaliste Saloom Road.

Traditionally, demo days are an opportunity for golfers to test and hit different clubs, and Friday will be no exception to that. The event is open to all at no charge, and players may hit as much as they like. But there will be more than just clubs to draw players this Friday, with food and drink and several other golf equipment lines on display.
"We’re going to have some shoe vendors with some new and closeout shoes, and some other products available," said Jamie McNamara, Golfballs.com director of purchasing and retail operations. "But we’ll still have all the latest and greatest in the new equipment from the manufacturers, and our customers will be able to hit whatever they desire."
Among the companies scheduled to be on hand are Titleist, Cobra, Callaway, TaylorMade, Adams Golf, FootJoy, Adidas, Wilson Staff, Tour Edge, Nike, Cleveland, Ping, Srixon, Oakley and Mizuno. The demo day is free to the public and food and drink will be available while supplies last courtesy of Coca-Cola and Community First Bank.
"It’s the largest demo day in Acadiana and probably in the state," McNamara said. "It’s something we look forward to every year and it’s a great way for us to provide a service to our local customers."

CAJUN GOLF: UL’s golf team took a sixth-place finish in last weekend’s LSU National Invitational played at the University Club in Baton Rouge, after moving as high as third place early in Sunday’s third and final round.
The Ragin’ Cajuns had a final-round 299 score and finished at 26-over 890 for the event, one won by No 24-ranked LSU at 853. Iowa (855), Purdue (877), Iowa State (882) and Louisiana Tech (887) finished ahead of the Cajun squad.
"It was definitely a demanding golf course, but we can’t let that affect us," said Cajun coach Theo Sliman. "The courses at the conference tournament and nationals will be just as tough. We do have positives to take away from the weekend, and we know we’re a much stronger team than what we showed."
Senior Andrew Noto led the Cajuns with a tie for 14th individually at four-over 220. Brandt Garon, playing in his hometown, finished tied for 21st at 223. UL returns to action next Monday in the two-day All-American Classic at The Woodlands, Texas, the final tournament before the April 23-25 Sun Belt Conference Championships at Muscle Shoals, Ala.

ACADIANA PRO-AM: The next outing for the Acadiana Pro-Am Association, sponsored by Community First Bank, is scheduled Thursday (tomorrow) at Squirrel Run. And if last month’s tournament is any indication, players should call for tee times ASAP.
The March tournament had a huge 135-player field take part at Spanish Trail, so pro-am organizers are encouraging players to call for tee times immediately at (337) 367-0863. All golfers are invited to take part in the April event, and all of the year-long tournaments on the first Thursday of each month.

LOCAL PREPS: Teurlings Catholic took a dual win over Westminster last Thursday in Acadiana Area High School Golf League play. The Rebels posted a team 163 score behind the 40 cards of Dakota Simon, Brandon Borne and Chris LeBlanc, while Westminster’s 191 team score was paced by Jack Tolson’s 41.
Notre Dame took a win over a four-team field last Tuesday at Squirrel Run, with a 165 score led by the one-over-par 37 of Kyle Camp and the 42 scores of JohnDavid Nickel and Will Mahaffey. Opelousas Catholic finished at 181 behind the 43’s of Jaminson Thomassee and Ryan Hackett, Catholic-New Iberia was third at 184 and had the low score of the day in Micah Goulas’ two-under 34, while Corey Johnson and Landyn Thibodeaux each shot 43 as individuals for Rayne.
Play in the AAHSGL continues for two more weeks through Tuesday, April 17, when the local league championship is scheduled at Squirrel Run.

USSSA PLAY: The USSSA Golf Junior Tour returns to action Saturday-Sunday, April 21-22, in the Big Wag Tournament at Squirrel Run. The event is open to boys and girls age 9-18 with the 12-14 and 15-18 age groups playing 36 holes and the 9-11 age group playing 18 holes (nine daily).
Entry fee is $150 for the two older age groups and $75 for the youngest group, with each player receiving tee gifts and a commemorative T-shirt. Players must be USSSA registered, and entries are available online at www.usssa.com with an April 18 entry deadline. More information is available from Robert Boudreaux at (337) 278-8431.

ANOTHER TOP 10: The April 23-29 Zurich Classic in New Orleans picked up its third commitment from a world top-10-ranked player this week when eighth-ranked Justin Rose joined No. 1 Luke Donald and No. 5 Steve Stricker in the field.
Rose will be playing at TPC Louisiana for the fourth straight year, and will be just over a month away from his win in the World Golf Championship Cadillac event at Doral. He had five top-10 finishes last year and currently ranks sixth in the FedEx Cup standings.
The Zurich also announced its sponsor exemptions last week. Former world No. 1 David Duval, current world No. 24 Peter Hanson and former LSU All-American and national champion John Peterson received exemptions into the field.

GEOLOGY GOLF: The Lafayette Geological Society’s annual tournament is set for Friday, April 27, at The Wetlands with 11:30 a.m. registration and lunch and a 1 p.m. shotgun start.
All funds raised from the four-person scramble help the LGS with its scholastic grants to UL students and faculty as well as its science education seminars it stages for local elementary, middle and high schools. Mulligan sales also directly benefit UL Paine and Battle Scholarship funds. Players should be involved in some way with the oil and gas industry, but affiliation with the LGS is not required.
Entry fee is $100 per player or $400 per team and the field is limited to the first 128 players. Entry forms are available online at www.lafayettegeologicalsociety.org, and more information is available from Tim Bennett at (337) 291-2720 ext. 206 or 962-2916, or at tim@orbitenergy.com.

ALSO UPCOMING: The Society of Petroleum Engineers will hold its annual Spring Tournament next Friday, April 13, at Squirrel Run to raise funds for college scholarships and to help local high school science clubs. The four-person scramble has registration at noon and a 1 p.m. shotgun start. Information and entry forms are available from Corinne Cotten at (337) 839-5710 or Randy Rice at (337) 989-3077.
» Hebert Municipal will hold its annual Azalea Scramble next Saturday-Sunday, April 14-15, beginning at 8 a.m. each day. The two-person scramble has a $50 entry fee along with course fees, with breakfast and snacks served on Sunday. Handicaps are required and prizes will be given in both gross and net divisions. Information and entry forms are available at Hebert Municipal or by calling Mike Guidry at 291-5542.
» The South Louisiana Oil Scouts Association will hold its annual tournament on Wednesday, April 18, at the Farm d’Allie, following a crawfish boil on Tuesday night. Entries and information are available from Drew Villarreal at (337) 521-2202 or 278-7937 or at villarrealrd@stoneenergy.com.
» The Ronnie Gaspard Memorial Tournament is scheduled for Monday, April 23, at Le Triomphe, with registration at 11 a.m. and a shotgun start at noon. The four-person scramble has been one of the most successful events in the area in its eight years, raising over a half-million dollars for the UL Petroleum Engineering Department. Entry information and tee sponsorships are available from Jimmy McCartney at 261-1188 or 298-7070 or at jmccartney@workoverspec.com.
» The Sheriff Mike Neustrom Open is Friday, May 11, at The Wetlands and raises funds for area charities along with the sheriff’s summer youth golf program. The four-person scramble has a $150 entry fee per player including food and drink and has shotgun start times at both 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Information and entries are available from Amy Daigle at 236-5657 ext. 31, Ken Franques at 207-4288, Keith Sibille at 236-3999, Jim Edney at 236-5889 and Jules Broussard at 236-5678.

HELP WANTED: Les Vieux Chenes is looking to fill a position for an afternoon part-time snack bar attendant to work in the course’s renovated clubhouse. LVC pro Todd Robertson said that pay is $7.50 an hour plus tips, and that applicants must be at least age 18 with an outgoing personality and strong customer service skills.
Interested parties may come by the course or contact Robertson at 837-1159 or 371-9084 as soon as possible.

ACES: John Pierce of Abbeville, a 30-year golfing veteran, used a Ping 9-iron and a Taylor Made ball to ace the 120-yard 15th hole at Hebert Municipal on March 28. The 15-handicapper was playing in a group with Leo Levergne, Larry Markham and Murphy Delhomme.
Elaine Murphy of Opelousas posted the first hole-in-one of her career on that same day, using a 7-iron and a Bridgestone ball to hole out on the 110-yard eighth hole at The Wetlands. Murphy was playing in a group with John Murphy and Bob Chauvin.
Five different players have recorded holes-in-one at Abbeville Country Club so far this year, beginning with Jerry Brown’s ace on the 124-yard ninth hole on Jan. 21. Following that were William Hall’s hole-in-one on the tough 189-yard 14th hole on Feb. 25, Kirk Mitchell’s ace on the 120-yard 11th hole on March 8 and a two-for-one on March 6 when Wanda Cormier aced the 104-yard 15th and Rixie Hardy added a hole-in-one on the 120-yard 11th.