State Continues Fall At Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate

by Austin Coats, Student Assistant/Communications

VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. – Three Golf Dawgs will have the opportunity to represent the Mississippi State men's golf team for the first time this season as they play in the 33rd Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate Monday and Tuesday.

Senior Ross Bell, sophomore Cameron Clarke and freshman Austin Vukovits will each make their first starts of the 2018-19 campaign on Dusty Smith's lineup card at the par-70, 7,209-yard Old Overton Club in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.

The 12-team, 60-player field will play two 18-hole rounds on Monday, then finish with another 18 holes on Tuesday.

"I feel like this week is a huge opportunity for our team," MSU men's golf coach Dusty Smith said. "Nothing changes for us. Our focus is on our process and playing Mississippi State golf, playing to our standard."

State is coming off of a three-week break from play after Smith's team earned a top 5 finish at the Louisville Cardinals Challenge in September. It was Smith's seventh-career top 5 finish as head coach.

Junior Garrett Johnson will lead the Golf Dawgs out Monday, starting his 15th consecutive tournament for MSU, going back to his freshman season in 2016-17.

Freshman Ford Clegg has played in both of State's tournaments thus far and has compiled the third-best stroke average on the team, a 72.67 mark, behind Peng Pichaikool and Johnson.

Austin Vukovits will make his Bulldog debut at Jerry Pate. He is scheduled to be the first Bulldog to tee off Monday as he begins the day from the 10th hole tee 8:20 a.m. CT.

MSU is set to compete on a 12-team leaderboard, which includes SEC opponents Auburn, Arkansas and the hosts, Alabama. UAB, Samford, Charlotte, Minnesota, army, UNLV, BYU and Air Force fill out the field.

Smith's lineup snaps a 20-tournament starting streak for junior Peng Pichaikool, who played at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Singapore this weekend and finished tied for 30th out of 120 players.

MSU men's golf coach Dusty Smith:

"I am really looking forward to this next step. We talked a lot over the last three weeks of taking advantage of opportunities that are in front of us. I feel like this week is a huge opportunity for our team. With Peng being out of the lineup, it's going to take a total team effort. Nothing changes for us. Our focus is on our process and playing Mississippi State golf, playing to our standard."

For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateMG.

State Continues Fall At Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate

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Players Mentioned

Ross Bell

Cameron Clarke

Ford Clegg

Garrett Johnson

Peng Pichaikool

Austin Vukovits

Mississippi State University Athletics