Monday, October 7
South Bend, Ind. (Warren GC)
All Day
Mississippi State
vs
Fighting Irish Classic
State Set to Tee Off at Fighting Irish Classic
October 06, 2019 | Men's Golf
By McRae Clay, Student Assistant/Communications
SOUTH BEND, Indiana – For the first time in program history, the Mississippi State men's golf team will travel up north to the Hoosier State to play in the Fighting Irish Classic at the Warren Golf Course on the Notre Dame campus.
The Bulldogs will play three rounds from Oct. 7-8 and will open with 36 holes on Monday.
The Fighting Irish Classic features a diverse field playing the par-71 7,023-yard course. The Warren Golf Course is one of the premier public courses in the Midwest and recently hosted the 2019 U.S. Senior Open won by Steve Stricker.
The Bulldogs will compete against 14 teams highlighted by No. 1 Arizona State (Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll). In addition, the field consists of No. 10 North Carolina and host No. 17 Notre Dame (Golfweek). Boston College, Georgia Southern, Iowa, Iowa State, Kent State, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri-Kansas City, Rutgers and Toledo round out the competitive field.
"I know our team is eager to get back out and compete again, head coach Dusty Smith said. "We had a great couple of weeks to prepare. Our focus has been on getting better from 150 yards and in playing golf our way. I challenged the team to play to our standard and not to worry about anything else."
For the first time this season, Smith's starting lineup will change. It features senior Peng Pichaikool, who is coming off a top 3 finish at the Asia-Pacific Am last week. Senior Garrett Johnson and sophomore Ford Clegg will both compete for the third time this season. Juniors Cameron Clarke and Austin Fulton will round out the lineup. Sophomore Daniel Martinez will make his Bulldog debut playing as an individual.
" If we play golf how we know how to play and focus on us we will be successful. Everyone has a job to do on every shot and it requires your full attention to detail," said Smith. "That's what it takes to be great."
Pichaikool is looking to carry momentum from his success in Shanghai to this tournament. His appearance at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was highlighted by his seven-under, 65 final round where he carded 14 consecutive bogey free holes fueled by two eagles and a birdie on the back nine.
For the third time this fall, Johnson will tee off for the Maroon and White. He opened the season at the Carmel Cup with a solid 16th place finish with a score of 3 under par, highlighted by a final round 68 at Pebble Beach.
Clegg also has participated in every MSU event this season. The Birmingham native finished second-best on the team at the Trinity Forest Invitational in Dallas with a score of 1 over, 214 which earned him a tie for 33rd.
Last time out, Clarke led the squad with a total score of one-under, 70. He secured a bogey-free back nine in rounds two and three and carded one of three eagles from the Bulldogs at the Trinity Forest Invitational. He finished the event tied for 24th, the fourth top 25 finish in his Bulldog career.
Fulton, who also appeared in the season opener at Pebble Beach, will travel for the second time this year.
For the first time in his Bulldog career, Martinez with compete for State. The Austin, Texas native spent his freshman year at Penn State before transferring to MSU.
The Bulldogs will begin their opening round at 7:30 a.m. CT. with a shotgun start. Scores will be updated courtesy of Golfstat.com.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Instagram or Twitter by searching @HailStateMG.
SOUTH BEND, Indiana – For the first time in program history, the Mississippi State men's golf team will travel up north to the Hoosier State to play in the Fighting Irish Classic at the Warren Golf Course on the Notre Dame campus.
The Bulldogs will play three rounds from Oct. 7-8 and will open with 36 holes on Monday.
The Fighting Irish Classic features a diverse field playing the par-71 7,023-yard course. The Warren Golf Course is one of the premier public courses in the Midwest and recently hosted the 2019 U.S. Senior Open won by Steve Stricker.
The Bulldogs will compete against 14 teams highlighted by No. 1 Arizona State (Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll). In addition, the field consists of No. 10 North Carolina and host No. 17 Notre Dame (Golfweek). Boston College, Georgia Southern, Iowa, Iowa State, Kent State, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri-Kansas City, Rutgers and Toledo round out the competitive field.
"I know our team is eager to get back out and compete again, head coach Dusty Smith said. "We had a great couple of weeks to prepare. Our focus has been on getting better from 150 yards and in playing golf our way. I challenged the team to play to our standard and not to worry about anything else."
For the first time this season, Smith's starting lineup will change. It features senior Peng Pichaikool, who is coming off a top 3 finish at the Asia-Pacific Am last week. Senior Garrett Johnson and sophomore Ford Clegg will both compete for the third time this season. Juniors Cameron Clarke and Austin Fulton will round out the lineup. Sophomore Daniel Martinez will make his Bulldog debut playing as an individual.
" If we play golf how we know how to play and focus on us we will be successful. Everyone has a job to do on every shot and it requires your full attention to detail," said Smith. "That's what it takes to be great."
Pichaikool is looking to carry momentum from his success in Shanghai to this tournament. His appearance at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was highlighted by his seven-under, 65 final round where he carded 14 consecutive bogey free holes fueled by two eagles and a birdie on the back nine.
For the third time this fall, Johnson will tee off for the Maroon and White. He opened the season at the Carmel Cup with a solid 16th place finish with a score of 3 under par, highlighted by a final round 68 at Pebble Beach.
Clegg also has participated in every MSU event this season. The Birmingham native finished second-best on the team at the Trinity Forest Invitational in Dallas with a score of 1 over, 214 which earned him a tie for 33rd.
Last time out, Clarke led the squad with a total score of one-under, 70. He secured a bogey-free back nine in rounds two and three and carded one of three eagles from the Bulldogs at the Trinity Forest Invitational. He finished the event tied for 24th, the fourth top 25 finish in his Bulldog career.
Fulton, who also appeared in the season opener at Pebble Beach, will travel for the second time this year.
For the first time in his Bulldog career, Martinez with compete for State. The Austin, Texas native spent his freshman year at Penn State before transferring to MSU.
The Bulldogs will begin their opening round at 7:30 a.m. CT. with a shotgun start. Scores will be updated courtesy of Golfstat.com.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Instagram or Twitter by searching @HailStateMG.
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