Sunday, March 17
Statesboro, Ga. (Forest Heights CC)
All Day
Mississippi State
vs
Schenkel Invitational
State Finishes Fourth at Schenkel, Pichaikool the Runner-Up
March 17, 2019 | Men's Golf
STATESBORO, Ga. – Junior Peng Pichaikool and freshman Ford Clegg remained steady in Mississippi State's fourth place finish at the Schenkel Invitational over the weekend.
Sunday's result marked the fourth consecutive tournament that both players have finished in the top 15 on the player leaderboard at the par-72, 6,947-yard Forest Heights Country Club.
Pichaikool, who finished as the individual runner-up, has now collected top-15 finishes in all six tournaments he has played in for MSU this season. Sunday was his second-best finish in 2018-19, as he placed behind ranked opponent and medalist Steven Fisk, representing host Georgia Southern on its home course.
The Bangkok, Thailand native carded a field-best three eagles over the weekend, highlighted by two in the final round. Pichaikool collected an eagle on the par-5 18th hole on both Friday and Sunday to close each round. Sunday's eagle on 18 gave him a one-stroke edge for the runner-up spot on Georgia Southern's Brett Barron.
Pichaikool's runner-up finish tied a career-best achievement from earlier during the season at the Louisville Cardinal Challenge in September.
Shooting 1-under-par for the event, Clegg earned a share of 13th place. As of Sunday, Clegg and Georgia's Trent Phillips are the only two SEC freshmen golfers with four or more top-15 finishes.
Garrett Johnson was MSU's next-best finisher, grabbing a share of 28th at 4-over-par. Senior Austin Rose shot a 5-over 221, and fellow senior Ross Bell shot 8-over. Playing as an individual, redshirt freshman Ben Nelson tied for 43rd at 7-over-par.
State had its best round Friday on the opening 18 holes, shooting a 5-under 283 which put them in a tie for the lead. A 283 on Saturday put MSU in second by three strokes, but Georgia Southern shot an unprecedented 20-under-par on Sunday to move from third to first. The Bulldogs shot 6-over-par in the final round to conclude the weekend with a 2-under 862.
The Golf Dawgs have another quick turnaround as the play their third tournament in as many weeks at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate, a two-day event, set to begin Saturday March 23 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateMG.
MSU men's golf coach Dusty Smith:
"Today was a bit of a struggle for us. We did not do enough of the little things well this week to ultimately be successful. I am proud of our fight but in order to compete at the highest level, we need to do a better job of fighting for every shot and eliminating the simple mistakes. Peng was huge for us today, and I am so impressed with how he battled today. We will learn from this experience. Being in a final pairing with a chance to win a golf tournament will help us down the road. I know this team will be better because of it."
Sunday's result marked the fourth consecutive tournament that both players have finished in the top 15 on the player leaderboard at the par-72, 6,947-yard Forest Heights Country Club.
Pichaikool, who finished as the individual runner-up, has now collected top-15 finishes in all six tournaments he has played in for MSU this season. Sunday was his second-best finish in 2018-19, as he placed behind ranked opponent and medalist Steven Fisk, representing host Georgia Southern on its home course.
The Bangkok, Thailand native carded a field-best three eagles over the weekend, highlighted by two in the final round. Pichaikool collected an eagle on the par-5 18th hole on both Friday and Sunday to close each round. Sunday's eagle on 18 gave him a one-stroke edge for the runner-up spot on Georgia Southern's Brett Barron.
Pichaikool's runner-up finish tied a career-best achievement from earlier during the season at the Louisville Cardinal Challenge in September.
Shooting 1-under-par for the event, Clegg earned a share of 13th place. As of Sunday, Clegg and Georgia's Trent Phillips are the only two SEC freshmen golfers with four or more top-15 finishes.
Garrett Johnson was MSU's next-best finisher, grabbing a share of 28th at 4-over-par. Senior Austin Rose shot a 5-over 221, and fellow senior Ross Bell shot 8-over. Playing as an individual, redshirt freshman Ben Nelson tied for 43rd at 7-over-par.
State had its best round Friday on the opening 18 holes, shooting a 5-under 283 which put them in a tie for the lead. A 283 on Saturday put MSU in second by three strokes, but Georgia Southern shot an unprecedented 20-under-par on Sunday to move from third to first. The Bulldogs shot 6-over-par in the final round to conclude the weekend with a 2-under 862.
The Golf Dawgs have another quick turnaround as the play their third tournament in as many weeks at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate, a two-day event, set to begin Saturday March 23 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching @HailStateMG.
MSU men's golf coach Dusty Smith:
"Today was a bit of a struggle for us. We did not do enough of the little things well this week to ultimately be successful. I am proud of our fight but in order to compete at the highest level, we need to do a better job of fighting for every shot and eliminating the simple mistakes. Peng was huge for us today, and I am so impressed with how he battled today. We will learn from this experience. Being in a final pairing with a chance to win a golf tournament will help us down the road. I know this team will be better because of it."
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