BROUSSARD – After having the 2020 tournament cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and having last year’s limited with no fans permitted to attend due to health and safety guidelines, the Chitimacha Louisiana Open returns to normalcy when it tees off Thursday with plenty of spectators and enthusiasm.
“When people heard that we were having no spectators last year, they told me my job got easier,” said Chitimacha Louisiana Open executive director Danny Jones. “But I would have gladly traded the COVID issues and protocols for spectators any day. It was fun to have golf back last year, but it wasn’t fun to do it without the people and those who have supported us for so long.”
The tournament begins Thursday over the 7,061-yard par-71 Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club layout, with the final round of the 72-hole event set for Sunday. The tournament’s winner will receive an all-time-high $135,000 first-place check.
“If you play well, you’re going to get rewarded very well,” 26-year-old pro Dawson Armstrong said. “The fairways are tight. yoU need to hit good tee shots and give yourself chances to hit the greens. If you keep yourself in position throughout the day, you can really take advantage of this place.”
“This is kind of the start of the full season,” Braden Thornberry added. “This is the one where everybody’s here. We’ve had some decent weather. Everybody is fully ready to go, we’ve had some time off with the decent weather.”
The 144-player field features all five winners on the Korn Ferry Tour his season, including Akshay Bhatia (The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic), Brandon Harkins (The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic), Carson Young (Panama Championship), Brandon Matthews (Astara Golf Championship) and Byeong Hun An (Suncoast Classic).
There will also be former Louisiana Open champions in the field, highlighted by 2021 winner Roberto Diaz, who posted an 18-under-par 266 score to win a final-day duel with Peter Uihlein and take the $108,000 top prize.
The other former champions in the field are Fabian Gomez (2010) and Julian Etulain (2018).
Also in this week’s field are two high school stars (University High’s Luke Haskew and Episcopal’s Boyd Owens) that earned a spot by qualifying at the Links on the Bayou in Alexandria on Monday.
“It’s pretty great playing with all these great players on this really well-respected tour,” said Haskew who won the 2021 Louisiana State Amateur.”It’s the tour right below the PGA Tour, so this is very good competition I’m playing against.”
“I don’t even know,” Owens on what his goal is this week. “I don’t even know what to expect, because I’ve never been here. Just compete hard, if that means making the cut, then that’s my goal. If that means coming in top 10, then that’s my goal. I just don’t really know what to expect.”