Sunday, March 4
Auburn, Ala. (RTJ Grand National)
All Day
Mississippi State
vs
Tiger Invitational
Grant Ace Highlights Big Day For Bulldogs
March 04, 2018 | Men's Golf
AUBURN, Ala. – Top 20 rounds from three Bulldogs put the Mississippi State men's golf team in third through the opening day of competition at the Tiger Invitational in Auburn, Ala.
State shot a 1-over 289 Sunday at the Par-72, 7,149-Yard RTJ Grand National Lake Course.
"I thought we did a nice job of staying in our moment today," MSU head men's golf coach Dusty Smith said. "Garrett (Johnson) was solid all day, Taylor (Grant) was in control and Peng (Pichaikool) was able to turn his round around on the back to help us out.
Senior Taylor Grant shot a 1-under 71 to lead the Bulldogs, and his hole-in-one on the Par-3 third hole gave him a strong start to his day.
"The hole in one was definitely a cool experience and got me off to a good start," Grant said. "It's funny because coach told me yesterday that I was going to get one soon, so I guess he was right."
Sophomores Peng Pichaikool and Garrett Johnson were right on his tail, each shooting even to sit tied for 16th. Pichaikool rallied on the back nine, collecting six birdies to close out the first round.
Freshman Cameron Clarke didn't finish too far behind; he'll go into Monday's second round 2-over and tied for 31st.
Junior Ross Bell shot a 7-over 79 into a tie for 77th.
The host, Auburn, leads the field after a 7-under day, while four players sit tied for first at 4-under.
The Tiger Invitational continues Monday with round two as the Bulldogs look to build on their strong first round. Live scoring will be available all day via Golfstat as the round is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. CT.
"We need to come out tomorrow with the same mindset we did today," Smith said. "We need to continue to focus on what makes us successful. Tomorrow is another opportunity for us to grow and to continue to mold what this team will become."
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateMG.
MSU head men's golf coach Dusty Smith:
"I thought we did a nice job of staying in our moment today. Garrett was solid all day, Taylor was in control and Peng was able to turn his round around on the back to help us out. We need to come out tomorrow with the same mindset we did today. We need to continue to focus on what makes us successful. Tomorrow is another opportunity for us to grow and to continue to mold what this team will become."
Senior Taylor Grant:
"It was a great day for us out there, we were tough and played hard all day. We put ourselves in a good position for the next two days. The hole in one was definitely a cool experience and got me off to a good start. It's funny because coach told me yesterday that I was going to get one soon, so I guess he was right. We are excited to get back out there tomorrow."
Tiger Invitational
1. Auburn (281, -7)
2. Kennesaw State (284, -4)
3. Mississippi State (289, +1)
T4. Maryland (292, +4)
T4. Charlotte (292, +4)
6. UNCG (293, +5)
T7. Minnesota (296, +8)
T7. Southern Miss (296, +8)
T7. Georgia State (296, +8)
10. Missouri (297, +9)
T11. Kansas State (299, +11)
T11. James Madison (299, +11)
13. UNCW (301, +13)
T14. Troy (302, +14)
T14. Chattanooga (302, +14)
16. South Alabama (303, +15)
17. Samford (313, +25)
MSU Players
T13. Taylor Grant (71, -1)
T16. Peng Pichaikool (72, E)
T16. Garrett Johnson (72, E)
T31. Cameron Clarke (74, +2)
T77. Ross Bell (79, +7)
State shot a 1-over 289 Sunday at the Par-72, 7,149-Yard RTJ Grand National Lake Course.
"I thought we did a nice job of staying in our moment today," MSU head men's golf coach Dusty Smith said. "Garrett (Johnson) was solid all day, Taylor (Grant) was in control and Peng (Pichaikool) was able to turn his round around on the back to help us out.
Senior Taylor Grant shot a 1-under 71 to lead the Bulldogs, and his hole-in-one on the Par-3 third hole gave him a strong start to his day.
"The hole in one was definitely a cool experience and got me off to a good start," Grant said. "It's funny because coach told me yesterday that I was going to get one soon, so I guess he was right."
Sophomores Peng Pichaikool and Garrett Johnson were right on his tail, each shooting even to sit tied for 16th. Pichaikool rallied on the back nine, collecting six birdies to close out the first round.
Freshman Cameron Clarke didn't finish too far behind; he'll go into Monday's second round 2-over and tied for 31st.
Junior Ross Bell shot a 7-over 79 into a tie for 77th.
The host, Auburn, leads the field after a 7-under day, while four players sit tied for first at 4-under.
The Tiger Invitational continues Monday with round two as the Bulldogs look to build on their strong first round. Live scoring will be available all day via Golfstat as the round is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. CT.
"We need to come out tomorrow with the same mindset we did today," Smith said. "We need to continue to focus on what makes us successful. Tomorrow is another opportunity for us to grow and to continue to mold what this team will become."
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateMG.
MSU head men's golf coach Dusty Smith:
"I thought we did a nice job of staying in our moment today. Garrett was solid all day, Taylor was in control and Peng was able to turn his round around on the back to help us out. We need to come out tomorrow with the same mindset we did today. We need to continue to focus on what makes us successful. Tomorrow is another opportunity for us to grow and to continue to mold what this team will become."
Senior Taylor Grant:
"It was a great day for us out there, we were tough and played hard all day. We put ourselves in a good position for the next two days. The hole in one was definitely a cool experience and got me off to a good start. It's funny because coach told me yesterday that I was going to get one soon, so I guess he was right. We are excited to get back out there tomorrow."
Tiger Invitational
1. Auburn (281, -7)
2. Kennesaw State (284, -4)
3. Mississippi State (289, +1)
T4. Maryland (292, +4)
T4. Charlotte (292, +4)
6. UNCG (293, +5)
T7. Minnesota (296, +8)
T7. Southern Miss (296, +8)
T7. Georgia State (296, +8)
10. Missouri (297, +9)
T11. Kansas State (299, +11)
T11. James Madison (299, +11)
13. UNCW (301, +13)
T14. Troy (302, +14)
T14. Chattanooga (302, +14)
16. South Alabama (303, +15)
17. Samford (313, +25)
MSU Players
T13. Taylor Grant (71, -1)
T16. Peng Pichaikool (72, E)
T16. Garrett Johnson (72, E)
T31. Cameron Clarke (74, +2)
T77. Ross Bell (79, +7)
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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