University of Missouri
Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational
@MizzouMensGolf Finishes Fall Play Strong, Takes Third at the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational
11/1/2016 8:48:00 PM | Men's Golf
Tigers led by Buckley’s strong performance, placing tied for sixth as an individual
PRINCEVILLE, Hawaii - Mizzou Men's Golf closed out its fall season with its fourth-straight Top 3 tournament finish, taking third-place at the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational (Oct. 30-Nov. 1). Head coach Mark Leroux's group ended its first half of the 2016-17 season like it has played the rest of the fall, joisting for top position amongst some of the top programs from around the country.
Leading the Tigers at the Warrior was junior Hayden Buckley (Belden, Miss.), who looked like his old self, and then some. The 209 (66-68-75) tournament score Buckley shot in only his second event of the season tied for the second best 54-hole round fired by a Tiger in 2016, and the 66 he recorded in the opening round was the lowest 18-hole score by any Black & Gold golfer this season. His stellar play earned him a share of sixth place, individually, and showed that he is well recovered from the injury that kept him out of the Mizzou lineup early on this campaign. His performance was also significant, in that it was the second Top 10 finish of Buckley's career.
Following Buckley was senior Euan Walker (Troon, Scotland), who capped his phenomenal fall season with yet another Top 20 individual finish. Walker's 215 (73-70-72) was the highest 54-hole score the senior has recorded, so far, and it was still a stroke under-par. His 1-under-par finish gave him four events under-par this season alone, which ties the number of instances he has accomplished the feat during the rest of his collegiate career combined. Walker also added another 18-hole round under-par to his total, giving him 10 at the season's halfway point. Walker's standout Mizzou career will come to an end after the spring, giving him extra motivation to continue to perform at the level he has played during the fall.
Freshman Rory Franssen (Inverness, Scotland) played another solid tournament, finishing just outside the individual Top 25, tying for 26th overall (75-72-70--217). The freshman showed his clutch ability, as he was the only Tiger to shoot under-par in Round Three, as Mizzou was battling Arizona State, a ranked school, for sole possession of third place. Franssen showed his value to the team throughout the season's first half, and despite his newcomer status, handled the pressure.
In the fourth spot for Mizzou was senior Linus Lilliedahl (Sandviken, Sweden), who got off to another strong start at the Warrior. He shot a 69 in Round One, but was hampered by his scores in Round Two (73) and Round Three (77). He finished with a 54-hole score of 219 (69-73-77), which placed him tied for 33rd overall.
Rounding out the traveling squad for Mizzou was junior Trevor Ullestad (Jewell, Iowa), who shot a 240 (77-82-81) over three rounds, which placed him tied for 104th.
The Tigers are back in action after the break in Gainesville, Fla., at the Suntrust Gator Invitational from Feb. 18-Feb. 19, 2017.
