SHREVEPORT - Louisiana Tech shot three-under-par on the first playoff hole to defeat UL-Lafayette in a sudden death playoff and capture the 2007 Hal Sutton Intercollegiate played at Stone Bridge Country Club. After 54 holes, the Bulldogs and the Ragin Cajuns were tied with team totals of 879, forcing the two-team playoff which started on hole No. 1.
"The way we won was really something," said Tech head coach Jean Hall. "It was our five guys against their five guys on the first hole. They went first and shot two-under-par so we knew what we had to do.
"We went out and shot three-under to win it. Corey Bartlett made a nine foot birdie putt to win it for us after both Amrith (de Soysa) and Matthew (Harvey) each birdied the hole. It showed a lot of maturity on our part."
The tournament win was the first by the Bulldogs since capturing the 2005 Hal Sutton Intercollegiate. "I've been saying all year that we were close," Hall said. "Even this tournament we didn't play our best golf but we did enough to win. I'm hoping we carry the momentum into next week's tournament and then the WAC Championships."
Tech, which was tied for third place heading into Tuesday's final round, shot a team total of 291 thanks in large part to the play of senior Trey McNeill who fired a 68, the best score of the day by an individual. McNeill finished tied for fifth place in the individual competition with a three-round total of 216 followed by Derek Busby (8th, 219), Harvey (9th, 220), de Soysa (23rd, 227) and Bartlett (36th, 232).
Birmingham Southern's Robert Lindstrom won the individual title with a total of 209.