Jake Amos’ first team meeting as head coach of the LSU Tigers went longer than usual.
How much longer? Try over two hours.
“We talked about my expectations for them, making sure that everyone had a crystal-clear vision of what I wanted them to do and how I wanted everyone to act,” said Amos, who was hired this past May after leading East Tennessee State to a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championship. “It was a really blunt, honest conversation of what the year is going to look like and what the future is going to look like. … I wanted to put everyone on edge.”
Most important to Amos was attention to detail – things such as looking presentable, keeping the facilities clean, practicing smart and not just beating balls, positive body language.
The Tigers, who not only brought in three new coaches but also three freshmen and three transfers to a now 11-man squad, responded immediately.
LSU won the fall-opening Visit Knoxville Collegiate on Sunday at Tennessee National, shooting 23 under to beat SEC rivals Ole Miss and Tennessee, by two and 19 shots, respectively. And senior Algot Kleen – one of the new faces, though not to Amos – took the individual title by four shots in his Tigers debut after transferring from ETSU. Four of the five LSU starters finished inside the top 25, including another ETSU transfer Matthew Dodd-Berry (T-8), Missouri transfer Alfons Bondesson (T-12) and true freshman Arni Sveinsson (T-25). Even sophomore Jay Mendell, one of the holdovers, counted each of the first two rounds before slipping to a T-29 showing.
Mendell, Amos says, has helped him in this transition more than any player, making sure the newcomers feel welcome and getting the returners to buy into a different regime.
“He’s a massive part in us having consistency,” Amos said. “He’s basically the heart of this team.”
If Mendell is the heart, Kleen is the horse.
A lightly recruited player out of Sweden, Kleen had a disappointing freshman campaign but has improved his scoring average at least a shot in two straight seasons. As a junior, Kleen posted a win at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate, seven other top-10s and only finished outside the top 20 three times in 13 starts, one of those being a T-23 at this same tournament last fall. Yet, despite the stellar season, Kleen was overshadowed by teammate Mats Ege and wasn’t selected as an All-American.
“No doubt in my mind he should’ve been,” Amos said.
During a frustrating run this summer for Kleen, Amos texted his star player a reminder: You know, last season you were underrated. Amos listed Kleen’s results as well. Kleen responded by making it into a playoff at the U.S. Amateur, where he fell just short of match play.
Kleen bogeyed just four holes in Knoxville while posting 12 under and comfortably blowing past all-SEC talents such as Ole Miss teammates Cameron Tankersley (second) and Michael La Sasso (T-3), Tennessee’s Lance Simpson (T-3) and USF’s Jake Peacock (T-3).
“He’s one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached,” Amos said of Kleen, who begins the fall No. 17 in the PGA Tour University rankings. “He’s so good at golf it’s criminal. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, but he’s poised for a massive year…
“He wants to be No. 1 in PGA Tour U, and he knows he’s got to win a lot to do that.”
Successful start, for player, team and coach.