University of Missouri
Auburn Tiger Invitational
@MizzouMensGolf Makes Late Surge, Takes Third at the Tiger Invitational
3/6/2017 10:34:00 PM | Men's Golf
Tigers drop a tournament low 278 in final round to snag another Top-3 finish
OPELIKA, Ala. - For the second straight tournament, Mizzou Men's Golf staged a late rally to vault up the team leaderboard, securing a third-place finish at the Auburn Tiger Invitational on the Grand National Lake Course on Monday, March 6.
Head coach Mark Leroux's squad (280-299-278 -- 857) worked its way up five spots during the final round to secure third place, with all six of Mizzou's completed events in the 2016-17 season seeing the Black & Gold inside the top-3. Mizzou's third round 278 was nearly enough to catch Troy, who finished just a stroke ahead of the Tigers as team runners-up.
After a tough outing in Gainesville, Fla., junior Hayden Buckley (Belden, Miss.) bounced back, shooting a 3-under-par tournament (72-73-68 -- 213) to finish tied for 11th. Buckley keyed the Tigers' comeback bid, as his third-round 68 was the lowest by any Tiger at the event, while also being the second best 18-hole round he has played this year. The effort was Buckley's second top-15 finish in his last three outings, and the second time this season he has paced Mizzou. After an injury-hampered first half of the season, Buckley put the pedal to the floor in the final round to propel the Tigers' late surge in Opelika.
Tied with Buckley in the 11th individual slot was freshman Rory Franssen (Inverness, Scotland), who has played excellent for the Tigers in back-to-back events. The freshman followed the 205 he shot at the Gator Invitational with a 213 (70-72-71), adding two more rounds under-par to his tally, giving him eight for the season. He now only trails senior standouts Linus Lilliedahl (Sandviken, Sweden) and Euan Walker (Troon, Scotland) in that category. Franssen has shown progress in a big way for Leroux in the spring, shooting both of his best scores and registering both of his best finishes in his last two events.
Lilliedahl finished third for Mizzou and 18th overall (69-77-70 -- 216), giving him his fifth top-25 finish in the six events he and the Tigers have competed in this season. Considering his stellar first round 69 and third round 70, Lilliedahl was only undone by his second round 77. He finished the tournament at even-par.
Finishing fourth for the Black & Gold was sophomore Matt Echelmeier (Columbia, Mo.) who, like Lilliedahl, shot a first round 69 and a second round 77. The younger of the Echelmeier Brothers managed a 74 in his final round, which was good enough to give him a 224 (69-77-74) for the tournament, and a share of 36th place.
Finishing in the final spot for Mizzou was Walker, who bogged himself down early with season high rounds of 80 and 78 in his first two rounds played at the event. Just when it looked like he was down and out, the senior leader showed his value, as his final round 69 was critical in the Tigers' late rally. Mizzou was as low as eighth throughout the final round, but finished third due in part to the superb play of Walker down the stretch.
The Tigers hit the course again when they head to Awendaw, South Carolina, to compete in The Hootie at Bulls Bay Invitational (March 26-March 28).
For all the latest on Mizzou Men's Golf, stay tuned to MUTigers.com or follow the program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouMensGolf).
