State Tees Off 2021-22 Season

CARMEL, Calif. – Mississippi State men's golf team is set to tee off its 2021-22 season this weekend at the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links in California competing in the Carmel Cup. State will tee off at 10:10 a.m. CT on Friday morning.

The Pebble Beach Golf Links will present at a par-72, 6,828-yard challenge for the players this weekend. The tournament will feature a lineup of six players with five counting towards the team score. This is the third time that the Bulldogs have played in the Carmel Cup after traveling to California in the fall of 2018 and 2019.

The eight-team field at Pebble Beach consists of host No. 9 Texas Tech, along with No. 2 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Vanderbilt, No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 14 Georgia, No. 19 Arkansas and TCU.

"First and foremost, we are honored to be a part of the Carmel Cup," head coach Dusty Smith said. "It is a true blessing to open the year up at Pebble Beach at such a great event. There are a lot of people who made this possible for our student athletes and we couldn't be more grateful. Our focus is on being the best version of us that we can possibly be. In order for us to do that, we need to play as a team, focus on the simple things and continue to build an elite mindset. There is a standard we must meet on a daily basis in order for us to be successful. This week is our first step in a long journey and I'm excited to learn and grow from the week."

The Bulldogs' lineup for the season-opener will consist of senior Ford Clegg, junior Hunter Logan, sophomore Loïc Ettlin, senior Ben Nelson, sophomore Pedro Cruz Silva and freshman Jay Nimmo.

Clegg, playing out of the No. 1 spot for State, led the team with a 71.17 stroke average in 2020-21 and posted five top-10 finishes. The reigning SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year was also the only Division I men's golfer to be named a First Team Academic All-American last season.

Logan finished second on the team with a 72.95 stroke average last season. Ettlin played in eight tournaments last season, shooting a career-low round of 67.

Nelson recently competed at the prestigious U.S. Amateur Championship in August. Cruz Silva made his collegiate debut last season during the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship, and Nimmo makes his collegiate debut this weekend in the No. 6 spot after playing in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in July.

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Players Mentioned

Ford Clegg

Pedro Cruz Silva

Hunter Logan

Ben Nelson

Jay Nimmo

Mississippi State University Athletics