State Golf Tees Off On Sunday In Mobile Bay Intercollegiate
The Bulldogs are the reigning champions of the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, winning the event last season among the 16-team field. This is the fifth time MSU has competed in the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, with its first appearance coming in 1992.
This year's tournament will consist of 18 teams, half of which are ranked among the top 100, led by 26th-ranked Middle Tennessee and include SEC foes Vanderbilt and in-state rival Ole Miss.
"I expect us to perform at a higher level this week than what we did a week ago," said head coach Clay Homan. "We need solid play top-to-bottom and not just one or two guys stepping up. We're striving for a much higher level of consistency."
The Bulldogs are coming off a subpar showing at the Gator Invitational last weekend, finishing 13th among the 14-team field.
State's lineup will be led by true freshman Robi Calvesbert, whose 73.2 strokes per 18 holes is a team-low. Calvesbert has been the Bulldogs top finisher in the past two tournaments, most recently notching a three-round score of 219 in the Gator Invitational. This will be the sixth appearance for the Puerto Rico-native in the 2009-10 season.
Bulldog sophomore Lee Heaton will extend his streak of tournament showings to seven and boasts a stroke average of 73.7 strokes per 18 holes. Heaton has been MSU's top finisher twice this season. True freshman Mike Genovese will make his spring debut, returning to the Bulldog lineup after sitting out the Gator Invite. Genovese averages a team-best tournament score of 219 per three rounds played.
MState sophomore Brad Thompson is making his second-straight tournament appearance, and finished second in the Bulldog lineup at the Gator Invitational. True freshman Brad Mason rounds out MSU's lineup. Mason recently was State's leader in birdies made at the Gator Invitational with seven.
Bulldog sophomore Brooks Bankhead will compete as an individual for MSU. This is Bankhead's second appearance in the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, notching a 234 in last season's championship team effort.
First round action is set to begin tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. CT, followed by second round action on Monday and the concluding round on Tuesday. Live stats will be available at www.mstateathletics.com.