Monday, September 26
Cincinnati, Ohio (Coldstream CC)
All Day
Mississippi State
vs
Bearcat Invitational
Johnson, Dick and Motter pace MSU on Day One.
Three Bulldogs In The Top 20 After Day One at Bearcat Invitational
September 26, 2016 | Men's Golf
CINCINNATI, Ohio – Looking for back-to-back top five finishes to open the season, the Mississippi State men's golf team finished the opening 36 holes of the Bearcat Invitational in seventh place while three Bulldogs closed the day in the Top 20.
Mississippi State struggled in tough conditions to cared a 294, but bounced back in the second round to shave off eight strokes to wrap the day with a 286.
"We played the first round in much tougher conditions and made several bogeys and not many birdies. When the rain stopped, the conditions were more favorable to score and we were able to make a few birdies," MSU coach Clay Homan said. "I thought Garrett Johnson and Jackson Dick put together two good rounds, and Grant Motter was consistent for his first-career tournament."
Freshmen Garrett Johnson lead the Maroon and White with a 1-over-par 143 to tie for 10th. After finishing his opening 18 with a 72, Johnson birdied two of his final four holes to close round two with an even-par 71.
Australia native Jackson Dick shot identical rounds of 1-over 72 for a 144 score that put him in a tie for 13th place heading into Tuesday's final round.
Newcomer Grant Motter put himself in contention for a Top-20 finish as he overcame an opening-round 74 with a 71 in round two to sit in a tie for 18th with a 145.
Taylor Bibbs shaved six strokes off his first-round 78 to shoot a 72 and end the day tied for 40th with a 150. Fellow junior Taylor Grant shot a 151 to enter Tuesday tied for 44th.
Rounding out the Bulldog scorecard, Ross Bell turned in a two-round total of 155 to stand in a tie for 55th position.
MSU enters Tuesday's final round two shots out of fifth and 14 shots behind leader Michigan State. The Spartans' Sam Weatherhead shares the individual lead with Ohio State's Will Grimmer at 6-under.
"The course demands that you put the ball in the fairway, so we will need to do a good job of that tomorrow and make a few more putts," Homan said.
The Bulldogs will tee it up for the final round of the Bearcat invitational Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. CT.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateMG.
Bearcat Invitational
1. Michigan State (285+281=566, -2)
2. Ohio State (287+280=567, -1)
3. College Of Charleston (288+280=568, E)
4. Cincinnati (293+283=576, +8)
5. Kentucky (292+286=578, +10)
6. Louisville (290+289=579, +11)
7. Mississippi State (294+286=580, +12)
8. Middle Tennessee State (291+290=581, +13)
9. Akron (304+293=597, +29)
10. Xavier (304+301=605, +37)
MSU Players
T10. Garrett Johnson (72+71=143, +1)
T13. Jackson Dick (72+72=144, +2)
T18. Grant Motter (74+71=145, +3)
T40. Taylor Bibbs (78+72=150, +8)
T44. Taylor Grant (77+74=151, +9)
T55. Ross Bell (76+79=155, +13)
Mississippi State struggled in tough conditions to cared a 294, but bounced back in the second round to shave off eight strokes to wrap the day with a 286.
"We played the first round in much tougher conditions and made several bogeys and not many birdies. When the rain stopped, the conditions were more favorable to score and we were able to make a few birdies," MSU coach Clay Homan said. "I thought Garrett Johnson and Jackson Dick put together two good rounds, and Grant Motter was consistent for his first-career tournament."
Freshmen Garrett Johnson lead the Maroon and White with a 1-over-par 143 to tie for 10th. After finishing his opening 18 with a 72, Johnson birdied two of his final four holes to close round two with an even-par 71.
Australia native Jackson Dick shot identical rounds of 1-over 72 for a 144 score that put him in a tie for 13th place heading into Tuesday's final round.
Newcomer Grant Motter put himself in contention for a Top-20 finish as he overcame an opening-round 74 with a 71 in round two to sit in a tie for 18th with a 145.
Taylor Bibbs shaved six strokes off his first-round 78 to shoot a 72 and end the day tied for 40th with a 150. Fellow junior Taylor Grant shot a 151 to enter Tuesday tied for 44th.
Rounding out the Bulldog scorecard, Ross Bell turned in a two-round total of 155 to stand in a tie for 55th position.
MSU enters Tuesday's final round two shots out of fifth and 14 shots behind leader Michigan State. The Spartans' Sam Weatherhead shares the individual lead with Ohio State's Will Grimmer at 6-under.
"The course demands that you put the ball in the fairway, so we will need to do a good job of that tomorrow and make a few more putts," Homan said.
The Bulldogs will tee it up for the final round of the Bearcat invitational Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. CT.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateMG.
Bearcat Invitational
1. Michigan State (285+281=566, -2)
2. Ohio State (287+280=567, -1)
3. College Of Charleston (288+280=568, E)
4. Cincinnati (293+283=576, +8)
5. Kentucky (292+286=578, +10)
6. Louisville (290+289=579, +11)
7. Mississippi State (294+286=580, +12)
8. Middle Tennessee State (291+290=581, +13)
9. Akron (304+293=597, +29)
10. Xavier (304+301=605, +37)
MSU Players
T10. Garrett Johnson (72+71=143, +1)
T13. Jackson Dick (72+72=144, +2)
T18. Grant Motter (74+71=145, +3)
T40. Taylor Bibbs (78+72=150, +8)
T44. Taylor Grant (77+74=151, +9)
T55. Ross Bell (76+79=155, +13)
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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