Tigers Took Leap Forward On The Links in 2016-17
7/20/2017 3:52:00 PM | Men's Golf
@MizzouMensGolf turns focus to 2017-18 campaign after strong finish in 2016-17
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Men's Golf's exciting 2016-17 season came to a close after a hard-fought quarterfinal loss at the SEC Championship and an eighth-place finish at the College Grove NCAA Regional. However, the accomplishments of an outstanding season saw head coach Mark Leroux's group attain national rankings throughout the campaign.
Focus now shifts towards a new season with warranted optimism and excitement surrounding the program heading into 2017-18.
The Tigers' squad made its 13th-ever NCAA Regional appearance this past season, the team's first since 2014 and the seventh under Leroux's direction. The Tigers sent Rory Franssen (Inverness, Scotland), Matt Echelmeier (Columbia, Mo.), Euan Walker (Troon, Scotland), Linus Lilliedahl (Sandviken, Sweden) and Hayden Buckley (Belden, Miss.) to the College Grove Regional outside Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where they combined to finish eighth. Franssen was the top placer for the Tigers, tying for 18th as an individual.
Success was no stranger to the Tigers throughout 2016-17, as the team finished in the top-10 at every single event it competed in, eight of which were top-5 finishes, including two team victories at the Turning Stone Intercollegiate (Sept. 4-5, 2016) and the Tiger Invitational (April 10-11, 2017).
Even more impressive were the individual performances. Five different Tigers notched top-5 event finishes, including three of the top five finishers at the Tiger Invitational held in Columbia. Lilliedahl won the tournament outright, Buckley finished in a tie for second and Echelmeier placed fourth. Other top-5 individual finishers were Walker with a second-place finish at the Jackrabbit Invitational (Sept. 25-27, 2016) and Franssen with a second-place finish at the Gator Invitational (Feb. 18-19, 2017).
With the graduation of lineup stalwarts Lilliedahl and Walker, as well as longtime contributors Will Echelmeier (Columbia, Mo.) and Jacob Fair (Monett, Mo.), the Tigers will be tasked with melding returning experience and incoming talent for next season. Rising seniors Buckley and Trevor Ullestad (Jewell, Iowa) will help take the reins of a young and talented Tigers roster next season, along with redshirt junior Luigi Botta (Cuneo, Italy) and junior Preston Fleenor (Kansas City, Mo.).
Leroux will have his eye on two decorated incoming freshmen next season. The first is a hometown product from Columbia in Jack Parker. The No. 1-ranked golfer in the state of Missouri by the Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings, Parker was a three-time individual state champion at Father Tolton Catholic High School. The other 2017 signee, Jamie Stewart, comes to Mizzou from Renfrewshire, Scotland. Stewart, a member of the Old Ranfurly Golf Club, was rated as the No. 2-ranked player in Scotland by the European Golf Rankings. He has competed in 11 events for his home country, including a second-place finish at the English Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship in May.
"We expect Jack and Jamie to contribute immensely for the Tigers in the future," Leroux said at the time of their signing. "We will have a talented group of guys back for our 2017-18 squad, and they will both fit in well with their future teammates."
With the combination of returning and incoming talent, Mizzou fans have many reasons to be excited heading into the 2017-18 season. The Tigers will look to make a return trip to the NCAA Regional round with aspirations of being one of the 30 teams competing for the 2018 NCAA Men's Golf Championship at Karsten Creek, Oklahoma, in May 2018.
For all the latest on Mizzou Men's Golf, stay tuned to MUTigers.com or follow the program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouMensGolf).
