Bulldog Golf Tees Off Spring Season In Florida
The field at the Gator Invitational accounts for 14 teams including three of which are ranked inside the top 10 nationally, with host-school Florida leading the way at No. 1, followed by LSU at sixth and Auburn ranked 10th. Also, five of the 14 teams participating were a part of the 2010 NCAA Tournament field.
This is the fourth-straight appearance by Coach Clay Homan and his Bulldog squad in the Gator Invitational, which included a third-place appearance back in 2008. The three-round event will be played at the par-70 Mark Bostick Golf Course.
"We are eager to get the spring kicked off and improve on what we did last fall," Homan said. "Last February, we took five players to the Gator Invitational that had never played there. This year we have three of those guys going back and that experience is important."
State will be featuring its sixth different lineup this season with a couple of guys making their debut. Senior Evan Hugall will be competing in his first tournament since last season's SEC Championship appearance. Sophomore John Darden will also be making his debut this season at the Gator Invitational but did compete in last season's Gator Invitational.
Also active for the Maroon and White, junior Lee Heaton will be competing in his fourth-straight tournament for MSU and is making consecutive Gator Invitational appearances. Bulldog sophomore Robi Calvesbert returns to State's lineup and was the Bulldogs leader in the Gator Invitational last season with a top 25 individual finish. Junior transfer Alex Rowland is playing in his fourth tournament this season for MSU and rounds out the Bulldog lineup.
State will tee off on Sat., Feb. 12, and live stats will be available at www.mstateathletics.com.