State, Johnson Take Top-5 Finish at Home

Tuesday, April 16

West Point, Miss. (Old Waverly GC)

All Day

Mississippi State

Old Waverly Collegiate Championship

Credit: Aaron Cornia

State, Johnson Take Top-5 Finish at Home

April 16, 2019 | Men's Golf

Golfstat

by Austin Coats, Student Assistant /Communications

WEST POINT, Miss. – Different year, same story: Garrett Johnson shined bright at home to lead Mississippi State men's golf to an important top-5 finish at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship.

The junior shot his third 3-under 69 of the week on Tuesday as he carded a 9-under-207, tying a career-best tournament total. Johnson placed tied for third at MSU's home event, which bested his tied-for-fifth performance at Old Waverly Golf Club a year ago and a tied-for-11th showing in 2017.

Johnson's 69 combined with junior Peng Pichaikool's 68 in the final round to help State card a field-best 5-under par score. State finished with a 13-under 851 at Old Waverly to take fifth place, a much-needed top-5 performance for the squad.

"It was a really good final day. I thought all of our guys hung in there nicely," MSU men's golf coach Dusty Smith said. "The wind picked up a little bit different from yesterday. The wind was out of the south which is what you want on this golf course. The hole locations were tough. We got off to a really solid start. A couple of guys birdied number one, and I was proud of how we played.

"Peng's performance today tells me that he's not a quitter, it tells me that he is coachable and it tells me that he has a lot of heart," Smith said. "It was a big deal for him to go out, shoot a 68 under these conditions and get some confidence back heading into the SEC Tournament."

Among ten total golfers in Maroon in White, four Bulldogs finished in the top 15. Playing as individuals, Ross Bell and Ben Nelson shot 4-under and 3-under par for the two days to card successful showings at home. Bell's tied-for-eight finish bookends his Bulldog career with top-10 performances as a freshman and as a senior at Old Waverly Golf Club.

Johnson caught fire on the back nine Tuesday, collecting three birdies between holes 12 and 15. On 12, Johnson buried his second shot from the other side of the green and over a slope. On 18, he narrowly missed another with a great chip in as he made par.

Ford Clegg was State's second-best player on MSU's team scorecard. The reigning SEC Co-Freshman Golfer of the Week started the tournament shooting 33 holes without a bogey. He shot 3-under in the first round for his sixth top-15 showing of the season, which is tied for the most on the team with Pichaikool.

Carding a 1-under 215, senior Austin Rose carded a season-best tournament total in saying farewell to Old Waverly. His tied-for-20th finish was his lowest since September 2017 at the Bearcat Invitational. He shot important rounds on Monday, carding a 71 and a 70, respectively.

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MSU men's golf coach Dusty Smith:

"It was a really good final day. I thought all of our guys hung in there nicely. The wind picked up a little bit different from yesterday. The wind was out of the south which is what you want on this golf course. The hole locations were tough. We got off to a really solid start. A couple of guys birdied number one, and I was proud of how we played. I was happy to see our team bounce back after a tough finish yesterday and play a good round. I hope our players take a lot of confidence out of this week into next week."

On Peng Pichaikool…
"Peng's performance today tells me that he's not a quitter, it tells me that he is coachable and it tells me that he has a lot of heart. He was pretty down yesterday. For him to come out, do what he does and put yesterday behind him – he's a huge part of our team. It was a big deal for him to go out, shoot a 68 under these conditions and get some confidence back heading into the SEC Tournament."

On Garrett Johnson…
"I know Garrett can carry over what he did in this tournament over to the SEC Championship. Golf is so week-to-week. You have to make sure you prepare yourself mentally. Just because you played well this week doesn't mean you're going to play well next week. You have to prepare right, and you have to make sure you're doing all the little things right to compete at a high level. I know he can do that, and we're all looking forward to it."

Junior Garrett Johnson:

"This week, my driver was the key for me. The past few weeks, I've been struggling being able to hit the fairway, and normally that's what I do really well. From there, I was able to put my ball in position where I can succeed out here. I have to stay patient, that's my game. If I try and force things, that's when I start getting into trouble. I knew that good things were going to come. I hit a big putt on 12 and was able to get things going from there."

Old Waverly Collegiate Championship
1. ULM (278+276+292=846, -18)
2. Ole Miss (284+278+285=847, -17)
3. Vanderbilt (283+278+288=849, -15)
4. Little Rock (280+283+287=850, -14)
5. Mississippi State (284+284+283=851, -1)
6. Middle Tennessee (283+283+289=855, -9)
7. Chattanooga (287+284+291=862, -2)
8. Memphis (288+290+289=867, +3)
9. South Alabama (293+282+297=872, +8)
10. Louisiana (290+297+287=874, +10)
11. Louisiana Tech (301+287+291=879, +15)
12. Lipscomb (297+297+293=887, +23)
13. Bradley (302+303+292=897, +33)
14. South Dakota (295+294+310=899, +35)
15. Southern Mississippi (304+297+300=901, +37)

MSU Players
T3. Garrett Johnson (69+69+69=207, -9)
T10. Ross Bell (71+68+72=212, -4)*
T13. Ford Clegg (69+72+72= 213, -3)
T13. Ben Nelson (70+70+73=213, -3)*
T20. Austin Rose (71+70+74=215, -1)
T31. Austin Vukovits (71+69+77=219, +3)*
T48. Peng Pichaikool (75+80+68=223, +7)
T48. Griffin Agent (75+73+75=223, +7)*
T54. Austin Fulton (75+73+76=224, +8)

* - Played as individual, unattached from team score