Play Suspended At Gators Invitational Due To Inclement Weather

Friday, February 12

Gainesville, Fla. (Mark Bostick GC)

All Day

Mississippi State

Gator Invitational

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Play Suspended At Gators Invitational Due To Inclement Weather

February 12, 2021 | Men's Golf

Live Results

By: Brian Ogden, Assistant Director/Communications

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Inclement weather forced a modified format at the Gator Invitational on Friday. Teams attempted to complete 27 holes on the first day of competition. Mississippi State's men were able to play 30, completing their first round and making in through 12 holes of Round 2.

With the tournament modified to a shotgun start, the Bulldogs opened on the 10^th tee and played through the third hole on Friday. Austin Vukovits, playing as an individual, carded scores on all but three holes in Round 2.

Senior Garrett Johnson led the way in Round 1, shooting a 2-under 68 with three birdies that landed him in a tie for 15^th. William Wann shot a 1-over 71, and Cameron Clark was 2-over at 72 through 18 holes. As a team, State shot 284 (+4) in the opening round. Vukovits was 7-over on the front nine but picked up four birdies on the back.

"I thought Garrett did a very nice job of holding us together today," head coach Dusty Smith said. "He has been steady all day and playing some very solid golf. I am disappointed in how we finished the first round. We had a chance to get a good score in for Round 1, and unfortunately, we did not finish our last three holes the way we wanted to."

Ben Nelson opened the second round on much better footing. After sinking putts for par on his first two holes, he birdied Holes 12, 13 and 14 to dip to 3-under where he remains after 12 holes. Nelson has not shot over par on any hole in the current round, and the redshirt junior has climbed nearly 40 spots on the leaderboard.

Senior Ford Clegg is 1-under in Round 2 thanks to birdies on Holes 16 and 18. Johnson remains at even par in the round and 2-under for the tournament after birdies on 11 and 16 and bogeys on 13 and 2. Johnson is MSU's current leader, sitting in a tie for 26^th.

"Golf is all about playing within yourself and executing one shot at a time," Smith added. "I thought we lost some focus in the first round down the stretch. We have a chance to finish a solid second round off in the morning and carry that momentum into Round 3. Our focus and attention to detail needs to be great tomorrow. In order for us to be at our best, we need to focus on us and our process. If we do the little things at an elite level, it will add up."

The Bulldogs are 2-under as a team in the second round and have passed two teams in the round. MSU is 2-over for the tournament, which has State sitting in a tie for 16^th.

Play will resume at the Mark Bostic Golf Course at 7 a.m. CT on Saturday. Teams will complete Round 2 and begin the final round of play.

For more information on the Bulldog golf program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateMG."