Hungry @MizzouMensGolf Lineup Ready for NCAA Tournament
5/14/2017 3:44:00 PM | Men's Golf
Mizzou Men's Golf gets started Monday at the College Grove Regional
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Mizzou Men's Golf takes an experienced lineup to the College Grove Regional as part of the 2017 NCAA Men's Golf Tournament, with the Tigers making their 13th all-time postseason appearance. Head coach Mark Leroux's fifth-seeded squad will get play underway Monday on The Grove, a par-72, 7,368-yard course just outside Murfreesboro.
Leading off for the Tigers' lineup is senior Linus Lilliedahl (Sandviken, Sweden), who has tied for the second-lowest stroke average (71.4) on the squad this season. Lilliedahl claimed Mizzou's first individual title of the campaign with his strong effort at the Tiger Invitational at The Club at Old Hawthorne (April 10-11), shooting 5-under-par (72-70-68 -- 211). The win was his second time leading the Tigers in a tournament, as the senior tied for fifth at The Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate (Oct. 14-16).
Second in the Mizzou traveling party is senior Euan Walker (Troon, Scotland), recently named the Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season. Walker has been the Tigers' top finisher four times this season, and his 71.4 stroke average is also tied for second-best on the squad. Walker, along with Lilliedahl, have helped return Mizzou to the postseason for the first time since their freshman seasons in 2013-14.
Junior Hayden Buckley (Belden, Miss.) takes the third spot in Mizzou's lineup, and he has come on strong late in the 2016-17 season for Leroux's group. Buckley has been the Tigers' second-lowest finisher in four of the last five events, including a Top-20 individual showing at the SEC Championships (April 21-22). Buckley also pushed Lilliedahl down the stretch at the Tiger Invitational, finishing just one stroke off of Lilliedahl's championship pace at 4-under-par (75-70-67 -- 212). Buckley also sports the team's top stroke average, coming in at 71.2 across 24 rounds of play.
Freshman Rory Franssen (Inverness, Scotland) continues in Mizzou's lineup at the No. 4 slot, and the newcomer has been one of the squad's most consistent performers in just his first collegiate season. Franssen can use his stellar play at the SEC Championships to springboard himself into the NCAA postseason, as the Tiger was the Black & Gold's top finisher with a 13th-place (68-71-71 -- 210) individual showing. Franssen was named to Team Europe for the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup earlier this season.
Completing Mizzou's postseason lineup is sophomore Matt Echelmeier (Columbia, Mo.), who is making his fifth appearance in Leroux's lineup this season. The local standout from Rock Bridge High School has put in good work for the Tigers in his second season of collegiate play, carding seven rounds under-par during the 2016-17 season.
As the fifth seed at the College Grove Regional, Mizzou will go up against: No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 2 Texas Tech, No. 3 Clemson, No. 4 Georgia, No. 6 Lipscomb, No. 7 Kennesaw State, No. 8 UCF, No. 9 Middle Tennessee (host), No. 10 TCU, No. 11 Troy, No. 12 ETSU and No. 13 Harvard. The top five teams at each regional advance to the final championship field.
Follow the action online at GolfStat.com on Monday and Tuesday as the Tigers aim to reach the 2017 NCAA Championship Finals at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois, from May 26-31.
For all the latest on Mizzou Men's Golf, stay tuned to MUTigers.com or follow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouMensGolf).
MADE FOR MAY. #Mizzou's lineup heads to Murfreesboro ready for NCAA Regional play at College Grove. Let's go, Tigers! #MIZ #BED ???? pic.twitter.com/jnY9CURnFY
— Mizzou Men's Golf (@MizzouMensGolf) May 13, 2017
