University of Missouri
Gator Invitational
@MizzouMensGolf Back in Action at Gator Invitational
2/19/2016 2:09:00 PM | Men's Golf
Tigers tee off Saturday, Feb. 20, in Gainesville, Fla.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Mizzou Men's Golf is set to tee off the second half of the 2015-16 season at the Suntrust Gator Invitational (Feb. 20- Feb. 21).
The three-round tournament, hosted by Florida at the Mark Bostick Golf Course, will be a good spot for head coach Mark Leurox's Tigers to get back into the zone, as the field at the Gator Invitational is stacked with top-tier talent. The tournament will feature two Top Five squads, with Florida State ranking third nationally, as well as the host Gators, who are ranked in the fifth spot. Other schools that will put Mizzou to the test include: Vanderbilt (18), College of Charleston, Georgia Southern, Jacksonville, Liberty, North Florida, South Florida, UAB, UCF, UMKC, Vanderbilt and Winthrop.
Leading Mizzou back into action is redshirt senior Wilson Sundvold (Columbia, Mo.). Sundvold's leadership and consistency have meant a lot to a young Tigers over the course of the season. He has played in every event this season, and has the third lowest stroke average on the team (73.9). Sundvold has also registered three rounds under par, and one event under par through the season's first half.
Holding down the second spot in the Tigers' lineup is junior Euan Walker (Troon, Scotland). Walker has made a major contribution to the squad this season, as he has finished first among his fellow Tiger golfers in three of the five events Mizzou has played. His best performance came at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate, where he placed fourth overall, while also shooting a round of 66, which was a team-low for a round in the first half of 2015-16 campaign. Walker will be looking to maintain his momentum going forward.
Hayden Buckley (Belden, Miss.) is slotted in the third spot for the Tigers, and his presence has made a huge impact on Mizzou's season. Only a sophomore, Buckley has been a rock solid fixture for Leurox. During the season's first half, Buckley has averaged the fewest strokes per round on the team (72.9), while also finishing in the Top Three among his teammates in every event Mizzou has competed in thus far this year.
In the fourth spot for the Tigers is junior Linus Lilliedahl (Sandviken, Sweden). Although he did not appear in the Mizzou's first event, Lilliedahl did not miss a beat. His best performances both came toward the halfway point of the early season; he paced the Tigers at the Mountaineer Intercollegiate, and followed that performance up with a second place finish among his peers at the Kiawah Classic.
Rounding out Mizzou's lineup is freshman Matt Echelmeier (Columbia, Mo.). Echelmeier has played in all but one of the Tigers' competitive events, and his best performance came just before the break at the Kiawah Classic. He tied for second on the team, shooting a tournament score of 150. Echelmeier has put his upside on display, and looks to continue to show why the future of the Mizzou Men's Golf program is full of promise.
