University of Missouri
Gator Invitational
Buckley Leads @MizzouMensGolf Back Into Action at Gator Invitational
2/21/2016 4:10:00 PM | Men's Golf
Sophomore Buckley shoots 1-under par to tie for 14th place
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Mizzou Men's Golf teed off the second half of the 2015-16 season, placing ninth out of 15 teams at the Suntrust Gator Invitational (Feb. 20-21). The Tigers shot a collective 858 over the three rounds of golf, which put them at 18-over-par as a team. South Florida won the tournament, shooting 22-under-par, followed by Vanderbilt (-14), the host Gators (-13) and Florida State (-9).
Leading the Tigers at the Gator was sophomore Hayden Buckley (Belden, Miss.), who picked right where he left off during the first half of the season. Buckley grabbed a share of 14th place at the tournament by shooting a 1-under-par (68-69-72 -- 209). Going head-to-head against some of the best golfers in the country, Buckley put on a show at the Gator, shooting two of his three rounds below par. As only a sophomore, Buckley has taken a leadership role for a young Tiger team by consistently performing at the top of his game event after event.
Following Buckley were junior Euan Walker (Troon, Scotland) and freshman Matt Echelmeier (Columbia, Mo.), who both shared the 40th spot with scores of 7-over-par. Walker got off to a slow start, shooting a 75 on the first day, however, he rebounded well by shooting consecutive 71s in the next two rounds. Echelmeier was a model of consistency, posting solid scores in all three rounds (73-73-71). Both Walker and Echelmeier enjoyed solid starts to the second half of their 2015-16 campaigns.
Junior Linus Lilliedahl (Sandviken, Sweden) finished third among his fellow Tiger golfers, and finished tied for 46th overall, shooting 9-over-par for the tournament. Lilliedahl, like Walker, saw adversity in his first round, but improved with every round he played (75-73-71).
Closing out the Tigers starting five was redshirt senior Wilson Sundvold (Columbia, Mo.), who finished tied for 59th with a score of 12-over-par. Sundvold started off strong, and shot a 70 during the second round of play, which was the lowest round of any Tiger during the tournament. However, a closing round of 78 pushed him down the leaderboard after an otherwise stellar effort.
Head coach Mark Leroux's group continues action at the Bandon Dunes Championship in Bandon, Ore., from Sunday, March 6-Tuesday, March 8.
