Friday, September 8
Loudon, Tenn. (Tennessee National GC)
Mississippi State
at
Visit Knoxville Collegiate
Bulldogs Set To Open Season In Knoxville
September 07, 2023 | Men's Golf
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following a record season that saw it finish the year at the NCAA Championships, the No. 21 Mississippi State men's golf team will begin its 2023-2024 season at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate on Sept. 8-10.
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The tournament will be played on the par-70, 7,280-yard course at the Tennessee National Golf Club in Loudon, Tennessee. The 13-team field includes two other top-25 teams.
State will face No. 14 Tennessee, No. 24 Ole Miss, South Florida, East Tennessee State, Clemson, North Florida, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, Toledo, and Connecticut. The Bulldogs will tee off at 9:40 a.m. CT on Friday. Â
"We are excited to start the year off at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate," head coach Dusty Smith, who is entering his seventh season in Starkville, said. "I think it will be a great test for our guys. We have been preparing well over the past few weeks, and now it's time to go compete. This is the first step in a long journey. We know we need to focus on us and being the best version of ourselves in order to be successful this week. I love when we get back in the arena because we learn so much about ourselves and what kind of team we can ultimately become."
The Bulldogs will send out returners in four of the five starting lineup spots, in an order that includes Hunter Logan, Garrett Endicott, Pedro Cruz Silva, Josep Serra, and Harrison Davis. Bo Blanchard will also be playing as an individual.
Logan, in the No. 1 spot this week, played in all 12 team events last year, including an appearance at the NCAA Championships. He enters the season fresh off a summer campaign that saw him pick up two tournament wins and shoot a career-low round of 61. The graduate student finished with a team-leading 10 rounds in the 60s last season and finished second on the team in par or better rounds with 21.
The No. 2 spot features Endicott, an honorable mention All-American a year ago as a freshman. Endicott led the Bulldogs in par or better rounds with 23 and earned two SEC Freshman Golfer of the Week awards. His 198 at the 2022 SEC Fall Preview tied the lowest 54-hole total in program history.
Cruz Silva will fill the No. 3 spot for the Bulldogs. The senior is entering his fourth season with Mississippi State and competed in eight team events in the 2022-23 season. Cruz Silva recorded two top-five finishes last season, including a career-best second-place finish at the Thomas Sharkey Individual Collegiate.
Transfer Josep Serra makes his MSU debut in the No. 4 slot. Serra, a junior from Terrassa, Spain, won a Division II National Championship with Nova Southeastern last season. The former 2022 NCAA Division II Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman shot 16 rounds of par or better golf and recorded a fourth-place finish with the Sharks last season.
Davis, who is entering his third year competing as a Bulldog, will again take the No. 5 slot for the season opener. Davis competed in five tournaments last year, including a top-20 finish at the season-opening Frederica Cup. Blanchard will make his third career appearance in maroon and white, all as an individual.
For more information on the Bulldog golf program, follow on Twitter, Facebook , and Instagram by searching "HailStateMG."
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The tournament will be played on the par-70, 7,280-yard course at the Tennessee National Golf Club in Loudon, Tennessee. The 13-team field includes two other top-25 teams.
State will face No. 14 Tennessee, No. 24 Ole Miss, South Florida, East Tennessee State, Clemson, North Florida, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, Toledo, and Connecticut. The Bulldogs will tee off at 9:40 a.m. CT on Friday. Â
"We are excited to start the year off at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate," head coach Dusty Smith, who is entering his seventh season in Starkville, said. "I think it will be a great test for our guys. We have been preparing well over the past few weeks, and now it's time to go compete. This is the first step in a long journey. We know we need to focus on us and being the best version of ourselves in order to be successful this week. I love when we get back in the arena because we learn so much about ourselves and what kind of team we can ultimately become."
The Bulldogs will send out returners in four of the five starting lineup spots, in an order that includes Hunter Logan, Garrett Endicott, Pedro Cruz Silva, Josep Serra, and Harrison Davis. Bo Blanchard will also be playing as an individual.
Logan, in the No. 1 spot this week, played in all 12 team events last year, including an appearance at the NCAA Championships. He enters the season fresh off a summer campaign that saw him pick up two tournament wins and shoot a career-low round of 61. The graduate student finished with a team-leading 10 rounds in the 60s last season and finished second on the team in par or better rounds with 21.
The No. 2 spot features Endicott, an honorable mention All-American a year ago as a freshman. Endicott led the Bulldogs in par or better rounds with 23 and earned two SEC Freshman Golfer of the Week awards. His 198 at the 2022 SEC Fall Preview tied the lowest 54-hole total in program history.
Cruz Silva will fill the No. 3 spot for the Bulldogs. The senior is entering his fourth season with Mississippi State and competed in eight team events in the 2022-23 season. Cruz Silva recorded two top-five finishes last season, including a career-best second-place finish at the Thomas Sharkey Individual Collegiate.
Transfer Josep Serra makes his MSU debut in the No. 4 slot. Serra, a junior from Terrassa, Spain, won a Division II National Championship with Nova Southeastern last season. The former 2022 NCAA Division II Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman shot 16 rounds of par or better golf and recorded a fourth-place finish with the Sharks last season.
Davis, who is entering his third year competing as a Bulldog, will again take the No. 5 slot for the season opener. Davis competed in five tournaments last year, including a top-20 finish at the season-opening Frederica Cup. Blanchard will make his third career appearance in maroon and white, all as an individual.
For more information on the Bulldog golf program, follow on Twitter, Facebook , and Instagram by searching "HailStateMG."
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