Golf Dawgs Set to Host at Old Waverly This Week

By Austin Coats, Student Assistant/Communications

WEST POINT, Miss. – The Masters is over, but the excitement isn't.

For its 10th tournament of the season, the Golf Dawgs are finally home.

To close its regular season, Mississippi State men's golf will host the seventh edition of the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship Monday and Tuesday, April 15-16, at Old Waverly Golf Club.

"This is a special week for our program because we get to play on our home course and in front of our home crowd only once a year," MSU men's golf coach Dusty Smith said. "I am looking forward to having our fans out there cheering us on.

"However, nothing changes for us. This is the next step in our process and the only thing that matters right now. We need to make sure to focus on things we can control and that we play to our standard."

Fifteen teams will compete at the par-72, 7,000-yard course over the two days. An 8:30 a.m. CT shotgun start will open the event Monday, welcoming the first two rounds, 36 holes of continuous play. The tournament will conclude Tuesday with 18 holes. State's lineup will begin from holes one through three.

Live results will be available via Golfstat.com.

Old Waverly Golf Club is widely regarded as one of the top courses in the southeast. In 2018, Golfweek named the course in its Top-100 Modern Golf Courses in the U.S.

State will host a 15-team field that includes SEC opponents Ole Miss and No. 4 Vanderbilt, as well as Bradley, Chattanooga, Lipscomb, Little Rock, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, South Alabama, South Dakota, Southern Miss and ULM.

Dusty Smith's lineup card for Mississippi State will include junior Peng Pichaikool, freshman Ford Clegg, junior Garrett Johnson, senior Austin Rose and sophomore Austin Fulton.

Pichaikool has led MSU so far this season with a 70.63 stroke average and six top-15 finishes. Pichaikool has twice placed as the runner-up this season, at the Louisville Cardinal Challenge in September and the Schenkel Invitational in March. The Bangkok, Thailand, native's superb season led to his selection for the Arnold Palmer Cup's International Team in March.

Pichaikool is one of three active Bulldogs to have placed in the top 10 at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship. As a freshman in 2017, Pichaikool led all MSU players by sharing a tie for fourth place.

Reigning SEC Co-Freshman Golfer of the Week Ford Clegg is second among SEC freshmen with five top-15 performances in 2018-19. Just a week ago, Clegg shot a career-best 209 to capture a tie for 13th at the Mason Rudolph Championship as State's best individual finisher.

Making his 23rd consecutive start in an MSU lineup, a streak that stretches back to the 2016-17 season, Garrett Johnson is looking to improve on his great performance in the 2018 tournament at Old Waverly. As a sophomore, Johnson carded a 4-under 68 in the final round on his way to a tie for fifth that led State to its fourth consecutive top-5 finish as a team.

In March, Johnson won the individual title at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate, becoming the first active MSU player to earn medalist honors, and the first of any Bulldog to win an event since Taylor Bibbs in 2017.

Austin Rose is getting set to play his final three rounds at Old Waverly. The senior has carded numerous important rounds for State in his career and will look to close it with a few more.

Austin Fulton will make just his second start of the campaign. Fulton's starts bookend the regular season as the sophomore helped State open the year at the Carmel Cup on Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Five more Bulldogs will play unattached to the team, as individuals. Senior Ross Bell, sophomores Cameron Clarke and Griffin Agent, redshirt freshman Ben Nelson, and freshman Austin Vukovits will all have a shot to compete on the player leaderboard.

Ross Bell is also playing for the last time at Old Waverly. As a freshman, Bell tied for eighth place and tied as State's best competitor. Bell has competed in seven events for MSU in 2018-19 and will carry the SEC graduate patch on his bag as he treks the Old Waverly course for the final time.

2019's event is the seventh edition of the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship. State's back-to-back victories in 2013 and 2014 are the team's only wins to-date. State swept team and individual honors in 2014 as Barrett Edens finished as a co-medalist, shooting 9-under par. In all six events, at least one MSU player has finished in the top 10 of the player leaderboard.

The 2019 Old Waverly Collegiate Championship is another way for Mississippi State fans to earn Hail State Rewards points. 250 points will be awarded to individuals attending the event on each day.

For more information on the Golf Dawgs or the 2019 Old Waverly Collegiate Championship, search "@HailStateMG" or use the hashtag "#OWCC19."

MSU men's golf coach Dusty Smith:

"This is a special week for our program because we get to play on our home course and in front of our home crowd only once a year. I am looking forward to having our fans out there cheering us on. However, nothing changes for us. This is the next step in our process and the only thing that matters right now. We need to make sure to focus on things we can control and that we play to our standard."

Old Waverly Collegiate Championship Field (Golfstat.com Top 50 Ranking)
Bradley
Chattanooga
Lipscomb
Little Rock
Louisiana
Louisiana Tech
Memphis
Middle Tennessee
Ole Miss
South Alabama
South Dakota
Southern Miss
ULM
Vanderbilt (4)

Mississippi State Lineup - Starting Hole
1. Peng Pichaikool (1B)
2. Ford Clegg (1A)
3. Garrett Johnson (2B)
4. Austin Rose (2A)
5. Austin Fulton (3)

MSU Individuals
I. Cameron Clarke (16A)
I. Ben Nelson (16A)
I. Griffin Agent (17)
I. Ross Bell (17)
I. Austin Vukovits (18)

Mississippi State University Athletics

Golf Dawgs Set to Host at Old Waverly This Week

Players Mentioned

Griffin Agent

Ross Bell

Taylor Bibbs

Cameron Clarke

Ford Clegg

Austin Fulton

Garrett Johnson

Ben Nelson

Peng Pichaikool

Austin Rose

Austin Vukovits

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