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Golf: Cajuns finish 17th in tourney, but reap benefitsDan McDonald, The Advertiser, Oct. 31, 2017
Well, maybe he was only half-joking. The Ragin’ Cajuns didn’t perform nearly as well as Sliman would have hoped at the 20-team tournament, which ended Tuesday in the paradise location of Kauai, Hawaii. The Cajuns were 17th after Sunday’s disappointing 297 first-round score and rarely moved from that spot, finishing in 17th place at 297-288-293—878. But Sliman said his team’s participation in the tournament will still reap benefits. “It’s absolutely a huge recruiting tool for us moving forward,” Sliman said Monday night after the middle round of the three-day, 54-hole event. “To be able to say to recruits that we go to Hawaii every year, hopefully we keep doing this, that’s a big thing.” That was the idea about 18 months ago when Sliman was desperately trying to fill a fall schedule for the 2016 season. He was a couple of tournaments short and looking for a significant event, and decided to reach out to Hawaii head coach Ronn Miyashiro, whom he’d met at some past tournaments. “I gave him the sympathetic story, telling him that I was fortunate enough to honeymoon here (in Kauai) with my wife years ago, and how honored we would be to be able to come and compete in this tournament,” he said. “I told him if he had an opening we’d love to come, and he said he’d work on it.” Maybe by coincidence and maybe not, but the tournament has expanded from 16 teams in its inaugural six years ago to a current 20-team field. That expansion made room for the Cajuns last October, and they were invited once again this year. “He made room for us, which is pretty cool,” Sliman said. “You don’t see that often. Coach Ronn, in him you see the aloha spirit, which is very similar to the Cajun culture. There’s a lot of similarities to both cultures … they’re both very giving, and he’s that type of guy. We reached out at the last minute and he made it happen. I really respect the person that he is, and I hope we get to keep getting invited back.” This year’s short-handed Cajun squad has five newcomers who made the Kauai trip for the first time. Only junior Triston Elston and sophomore Jack Tolson III are still around from last year’s squad, and newcomers Colin Troxler, Bjorn Gudjonsson and Justin Caldwell joined them in the lineup. Two other newcomers, Cole Kendrick and Peter Hinnant, played as individuals. “It’s invaluable for our current players, the memories and experiences that these young men get to have just by coming here,” Sliman said. “I told them before we left that there’s a lot of people that live their whole lives and never get to come here, and never get to come to this island. It’s awesome that the university allows us and supports us to come here and compete.” Sliman would have liked a little more of that competition, especially because with the current format for NCAA postseason selection it’s important to play against quality competition, and even more important to finish ahead of them. “This tournament definitely has the strength of field,” Sliman said. “We had eight teams inside the top 50 and 11 inside the top 100 playing here, so it’s a strong field. It’s also a large field, so there’s an opportunity to pick up a lot of wins if you play well. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that.” The retooling of the Cajun program is a work in progress, and some major steps in that work have been taken within the past year. The completion of the $600,000 team and practice facility at Oakbourne over the summer was obviously the centerpiece of helping the Cajuns catch up to virtually everyone else in the country in terms of facilities. The formation of the Vermilion Links club, the official support organization for the team and a major source of outside funding, happened two years ago and has already provided six-figure assistance both for the new facility and with the operation of the program. The next step is also in progress, with the addition of a much-needed assistant coach now approved, the job announcement already posted and that hiring set to come in the near future. That position – one which the great majority of Sun Belt Conference schools already have – will be a huge boon in recruiting and will also allow more individualized work with active student-athletes. Now the task is to bring all of that together. “We’re going to make this program one that everyone will be proud of,” Sliman said. Bill Bass Open Just over two weeks remain before the Bill Bass Open, the UL athletic department’s annual Homecoming golf tournament that helps raise funds for the Ragin’ Cajun golf team. The tournament is always held on the Friday of Homecoming week, and is scheduled this year for Friday, Nov. 17, at its traditional Les Vieux Chenes home. That’s one day before the Cajun football team meets New Mexico State in its annual Homecoming game. The four-person scramble will have a single flight this year, beginning with registration and lunch starting at 10:30 a.m. and a shotgun start at noon. The tournament has featured both morning and afternoon flights in the past few years, but with this year’s Homecoming celebration coming after the end of daylight savings time, only one flight will be staged. The tournament is open to all golfers, not just Ragin’ Cajun fans, and will include lunch before play and awards following the event, as well as an assortment of souvenir tee gifts. Entry fee is $150 per player, with members of the RCAF and the Vermilion Links getting a $25 discount on entry fees. Entry forms are available at all local courses and golf retailers and have been mailed to all players who have taken part in the tournament over the past four years. Entries and more information are also available online at ragincajuns.com/BillBassOpen, and entries may also be faxed to (337) 857-8763. Anyone needing more information may call (337) 857-8754. USSSA Junior Tour The USSSA Junior Tour will stage its next event on Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 25-26, with the annual Gobbler Tournament at Southern Trace in Shreveport. The event features boys’ and girls’ play in three age groups, with boys and girls age 12-14 and 15-18 divisions playing 18 holes daily and boys and girls 9-11 playing nine holes per day. Deadline to enter is Wednesday, Nov. 22, and more information is available from Robert Boudreaux at (337) 278-8431 or at robert.boudreaux@usssa.com. Vieux Chenes Seniors The team of Mike Landry, Tim Gravette, Dennis Leger and Walter Jackson combined for a nine-under 63 to take top honors last Thursday in the Vieux Chenes Senior Men’s Association monthly event for October at Les Vieux Chenes. That group finished atop a 30-player field, with the team of Don Everett, Ron Breaux, Curtis Stewart and Jim Worley finishing second with a 64, Mark Alexander, Bill Ball, Gerald Latiolais and David Chapelle third with a 65, and Glenn Morales, Darrel Cooper, Pat Hebert, Don Judice and Bill LeBlanc fourth also at 65. Raymond Gaudet took closest to the hole honors on the 17th hole. The next outing for the Vieux Chenes Senior Men’s Golf Association is set for this Thursday (tomorrow) at Les Vieux Chenes, with the tournaments for November moved up one week so as not to conflict with Thanksgiving. The dates for the rest of the year are Nov. 16 and Dec. 7. Registration is from 7 to 7:30 a.m. with play beginning at 8 a.m. The group is open to all senior players, and information on the group is available at Les Vieux Chenes or by calling 837-1159. ‘Chicken’ Tournament The rescheduled date for the second Jimmy “Chicken” Thomas Classic, washed out by Hurricane Harvey in August, is less than two weeks away with its new dates of Sunday-Monday, Nov. 12-13, at Oakbourne. The event raises funds for the UL golf team and is one of the major events staged by the Vermilion Links Club, the official support group for Cajun golf. The tournament includes a meet-and-greet with the team on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at Oakbourne, with the two-man scramble set for a 1 p.m. shotgun start on Monday, Nov. 13. The tournament and accompanying events are open to any golfer who wants to get involved with the UL program and/or the Vermilion Links. Entry for the tournament is complimentary for Links founding members, and spots are also available with a $200 per-player or a $400 per-team entry fee. More information is available from David Church at 280-2961 or dchurch@dartenergyservices.com, or from UL coach Theo Sliman at 962-3348 or tsliman@louisiana.edu. Players who had previously entered before the rainout are asked to contact Church to reconfirm their entries for the new date. (“Making the Turn” appears each Wednesday from February-November in the Daily Advertiser. Clubs, courses and individuals with information about local golf events may email Dan McDonald, editorial director at Golfballs.com, at danmcdonald@cox.net, FAX to (337) 857-8763 or call (337) 857-8754 and leave a message with phone number.)
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