Thursday, April 26
Sea Island, Ga. (Sea Island CC)
All Day
Mississippi State
vs
SEC Championship
(Photo Credit: Steve Colquitt)
Grant, Bibbs Lead State In SEC Second Round
April 26, 2018 | Men's Golf
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Solid days from Taylor Grant and Taylor Bibbs led Mississippi State in Thursday's second round of the SEC Men's Golf Championship.
Grant fired a 1-under 69, while Bibbs moved into a tie for 13th with an even-par 70 Thursday on the 6,898-yard Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club.
After a bogey on the 10th to open his round, Grant used three birdies to make the turn at 1-under-par. He added another bogey on No. 2 before finishing the front nine at even par to sit in a tie for 31st for the championship with a 144 total.
Bibbs moved into the Top 15 as he followed an opening-round 71 with a 70 on Thursday. He shot 2-under on his opening nine holes and added another birdie on No. 2 before going on to fire an even par round and wrap the opening two days of play with a 141.
The pair helped MSU shoot 5-under on the back nine and move up as high as seventh, but the front nine proved to be challenging as State wrapped Thursday in 13th place with a two-day total of 17-over-par 577.
"We were able to come out with a lot of energy and momentum early on in the round," MSU men's golf coach Dusty Smith said. "We were in great position at the turn but made some mistakes coming down the stretch. I felt like we had all guys in it the entire round, which was important for us."
Heading into Friday's final round of stroke play, State sits six shots back of a Top-8 finish that would move the Bulldogs on to the weekend's match play portion of the championship.
Sophomores Peng Pichaikool and Garrett Johnson both sit tied for 44th at 6-over after two rounds. Pichaikool improved in round two with a 1-over 71, while Johnson shot a 74.
Freshman Cameron Clarke matched Johnson with a 74 and is 12-over going into the third round.
LSU took over the team lead at 3-under while Ole Miss' Cecil Wegener stands alone atop the player leaderboard at 5-under.
Third round play will begin at 6:30 a.m. CT, while MSU will come to the tee on the 10th hole at 7:10 a.m. to start its day.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateMG.
MSU men's golf coach Dusty Smith:
"We were able to come out with a lot of energy and momentum early on in the round. We were in great position at the turn but made some mistakes coming down the stretch. I felt like we had all guys in it the entire round, which was important for us. We need to learn and grow from how we felt on our back nine today. The guys are competing hard, but at this level you have to be sharp in all aspects of your game. We need to do a better job of focusing on the right things and trusting each other and our process. Tomorrow will be a huge day for us. We need to bow our necks and put some steel in our spine."
SEC Championship
1. LSU (281+276=557, -3)
2. Vanderbilt (276+283=559, -1)
3. Alabama (283+280=563, +3)
4. Ole Miss (288+277=565, +5)
5. Auburn (280+286=566, +6)
6. Kentucky (286+283=569, +9)
7. Tennessee (280+290=570, +10)
8. Florida (293+278=571, +11)
T9. Texas A&M (296+277=573, +13)
T9. Georgia (291+282=573, +13)
11. Arkansas (289+285=574, +14)
12. South Carolina (288+287=575, +15)
13. Mississippi State (293+284=577, +17)
14. Missouri (287+296=583, +23)
MSU Players
T13. Taylor Bibbs (71+70=141, +1)
T31. Taylor Grant (75+69=144, +4)
T44. Garrett Johnson (72+74=146, +6)
T44. Peng Pichaikool (75+71=146, +6)
67. Cameron Clarke (78+74=152, +12)
Grant fired a 1-under 69, while Bibbs moved into a tie for 13th with an even-par 70 Thursday on the 6,898-yard Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club.
After a bogey on the 10th to open his round, Grant used three birdies to make the turn at 1-under-par. He added another bogey on No. 2 before finishing the front nine at even par to sit in a tie for 31st for the championship with a 144 total.
Bibbs moved into the Top 15 as he followed an opening-round 71 with a 70 on Thursday. He shot 2-under on his opening nine holes and added another birdie on No. 2 before going on to fire an even par round and wrap the opening two days of play with a 141.
The pair helped MSU shoot 5-under on the back nine and move up as high as seventh, but the front nine proved to be challenging as State wrapped Thursday in 13th place with a two-day total of 17-over-par 577.
"We were able to come out with a lot of energy and momentum early on in the round," MSU men's golf coach Dusty Smith said. "We were in great position at the turn but made some mistakes coming down the stretch. I felt like we had all guys in it the entire round, which was important for us."
Heading into Friday's final round of stroke play, State sits six shots back of a Top-8 finish that would move the Bulldogs on to the weekend's match play portion of the championship.
Sophomores Peng Pichaikool and Garrett Johnson both sit tied for 44th at 6-over after two rounds. Pichaikool improved in round two with a 1-over 71, while Johnson shot a 74.
Freshman Cameron Clarke matched Johnson with a 74 and is 12-over going into the third round.
LSU took over the team lead at 3-under while Ole Miss' Cecil Wegener stands alone atop the player leaderboard at 5-under.
Third round play will begin at 6:30 a.m. CT, while MSU will come to the tee on the 10th hole at 7:10 a.m. to start its day.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateMG.
MSU men's golf coach Dusty Smith:
"We were able to come out with a lot of energy and momentum early on in the round. We were in great position at the turn but made some mistakes coming down the stretch. I felt like we had all guys in it the entire round, which was important for us. We need to learn and grow from how we felt on our back nine today. The guys are competing hard, but at this level you have to be sharp in all aspects of your game. We need to do a better job of focusing on the right things and trusting each other and our process. Tomorrow will be a huge day for us. We need to bow our necks and put some steel in our spine."
SEC Championship
1. LSU (281+276=557, -3)
2. Vanderbilt (276+283=559, -1)
3. Alabama (283+280=563, +3)
4. Ole Miss (288+277=565, +5)
5. Auburn (280+286=566, +6)
6. Kentucky (286+283=569, +9)
7. Tennessee (280+290=570, +10)
8. Florida (293+278=571, +11)
T9. Texas A&M (296+277=573, +13)
T9. Georgia (291+282=573, +13)
11. Arkansas (289+285=574, +14)
12. South Carolina (288+287=575, +15)
13. Mississippi State (293+284=577, +17)
14. Missouri (287+296=583, +23)
MSU Players
T13. Taylor Bibbs (71+70=141, +1)
T31. Taylor Grant (75+69=144, +4)
T44. Garrett Johnson (72+74=146, +6)
T44. Peng Pichaikool (75+71=146, +6)
67. Cameron Clarke (78+74=152, +12)
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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