Mississippi State
Shoal Creek/Graeme McDowell Invitational
Bell?s Career-Best Finish Leads MSU To 8th At Shoal Creek Invitational
September 29, 2015 | Men's Golf
BIRMINGHAM – Following his breakout performance during the first two rounds of the Shoal Creek Invitational, redshirt freshman Ross Bell finished in a tie for 12th to lead the Mississippi State men's golf team to an eighth-place finish.
Bell, playing just his second collegiate tournament, carded a final round two-over-par 74 to end the 36-hole event with a 218 (+2).
Bell's stellar effort guided Mississippi State to a 294 for the day and an 884 for the two-day event that put the Bulldogs one shot ahead of SEC rival Ole Miss.
“Eighth place is not where we want to be, but I continue to see improvement. I felt we really competed this week,” MSU coach Clay Homan said.
Senior Ben Wood shot a final-round 74 to finish in sole possession of 34th place with a 224 final tally.
Taylor Grant, the only Bulldog to have two sub-par rounds at Shoal Creek, fired a 71 to finish in a tie for 35th at nine-over 225.
Ben Follett-Smith carded a 79 over the final 18 holes to tie for 50th.
Rounding out the Bulldog scorecard, Jackson Dick had his best round of the event (75, +3) to finish in 59th place.
“In the short term, we need to tighten up our wedge play and continue to get better each day,” Homan said.
Host UAB claimed the team title behind individual winner Lee Hodges.
The Maroon & White return to Birmingham Oct. 5 as Ben Wood seeks to defend his Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate crown at Old Overton Golf Club.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow @HailStateMG on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Shoal Creek Invitational
1. UAB (292+283+276=851, -13)
2. North Florida (298+284+284=866, +2)
3. GRU Augusta (296+288+287=871, +7)
4. Houston (288+299+287=874, +10)
5. College Of Charleston (293+289+293=875, +11)
6. South Carolina (293+289+294=876, +12)
7. Washington (298+298+286=882, +18)
8. Mississippi State (297+293+294=884, +20)
9. Ole Miss (298+289+298=885, +21)
10. Troy (297+297+299=893, +23)
11. Winthrop (301+301+295, +33)
12. West Virginia (302+301+298, +37)
MSU Players
T12. Ross Bell (71+73+74=218, +2)
34. Ben Wood (78+72+74=224, +8)
T35. Taylor Grant (71+83+71=225, +9)
T50. Ben Follett-Smith (77+72+79=228, +12)
59. Jackson Dick (81+76+75=232, +16)
