GAINESVILLE, Fla. ? The Mississippi State men's golf team began the 2009 spring season with an 11th place finish at the SunTrust Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. The Bulldogs ended the first round with a 290 and in a tie for 12th place and followed with a 287 in the second round improving to 11th place on Saturday. On Sunday, MState notched a 9-over-par 289 to close out the three-round event, finishing in 11th, which included 10 teams ranked in the top 50 in Golfstat (determines postseason play).
"Moving up a spot after day one helped," said head coach Clay Homan. "Every team you beat now is a team you don't have to beat later. The field in this tournament was very strong and, with that, you have to play very well."
MSU was led by senior Josh Bevell who finished in a tie for 26th at 5-over-par through three rounds. Bevell becomes the third different Bulldog this season to post the team's best score in a tournament (Noah Goldman and Matt Fast). The senior Fast finished up one shot behind Bevell at 6-over-par with three consecutive scores of 72 to finish in a tie for 35th. Out of a field of 74, senior Carlos Sainz, Jr. fired the 11th best score of the day with an even-par 70 to finish the tournament in a tie for 50th. Playing just two hours from his home city of Longwood, Goldman notched consistent 73-73-73 to finish the tournament in a tie for 55th place. Playing in his fourth tournament of the year, senior Brian Mason scored a 225 after three rounds of play.
Host Florida won the invitational with a 16-under-par showing, while Ole Miss finished second after a 2-over-par performance. UCF finished third with a 6-over-par 846 through three rounds, followed by Florida State who shot 7-over-par 847. Duke finished fifth with a 8-over-par 848 which was two shots ahead of Coastal Carolina and LSU who tied for sixth at 10-over-par. Chattanooga sat one shot back in eighth place at 11-over par. Georgia State finished 10th at 18-over-par and Wake Forest, Georgia Southern and UAB rounded out the field.
MSU will return to competition Friday, February 28, in Crestview, Fla., at the Troy State Invitational.
Team Results:
1.Florida 269-276-279, -16; 2. Ole Miss 274-281-287, +2; 3. UCF 281-285-280, +6; 4. Florida State 288-282-277, +7; 5. Duke 279-284-285, +8; t6. Coastal Carolina 279-286-285, +10; t6. LSU 285-288-277, +10; 8. Chattanooga 280-288-283, +11; 9. North Florida 285-284-287, +16; 10. Georgia State 286-288-284, +18; 11. Mississippi State 290-287-289, +26; 12. Wake Forest 288-292-287, +27; 13. Georgia Southern 289-293-290, +32; 14. UAB 292-296-291, +39.
Individual Results:
T26 Josh Bevell 72-69-74=215, +5
T35 Matt Fast 72-72-72=216, +6
T50 Carlos Sainz, Jr. 73-75-70=218, +8
T55 Noah Goldman 73-73-73=219, +9
67 Brian Mason 75-73-77=225, +15
