University of Missouri
Tiger Invitational
@MizzouMensGolf Defends Old Hawthorne, Wins Tiger Invitational
4/11/2017 4:14:00 PM | Men's Golf
Linus Lilliedahl wins his first individual championship in his final home event
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Men's Golf cruised to its second tournament championship of the 2016-17 season, winning the Tiger Invitational by 18 stokes (295-283-279 -- 857) on Tuesday, April 11. The Tigers were the only squad to finish the event under-par, placing four of their five competing golfers in the top-20. After battling high winds through the first day that saw head coach Mark Leroux's squad shoot a first-round 295, the Tigers bounced back with scores of 283 and 279 in the second and third round, respectively. The Tigers have had major success when hosting tournaments in recent seasons, winning six in a row.
Senior Linus Lilliedahl (Sandviken, Sweden) won the first individual championship of his career at the Tiger Invitational, capturing the championship in his final home outing by a stroke. Lilliedahl opened with a solid round one 73, but really turned it on in rounds two and three, shooting 70 and 68 coming down the stretch to catch and eventually pass Austin Crowder of IUPUI, who had a two-stroke lead after round one. Lilliedahl also provided the Tigers with their first individual champion of the season.
Nipping at Lilliedahl's heels was junior Hayden Buckley (Belden, Miss.) who finished just a stroke off of Lilliedahl's championship pace. Though Buckley finished second, his final round 67 was the lowest 18-hole round fired by any Tiger at Old Hawthorne, and it was nearly enough to force a tie at the top of the leaderboard. Buckley has stayed consistent all spring long, and will look to keep it going with postseason play on the horizon.
Senior Euan Walker (Troon, Scotland) finished tied for sixth at the event, falling off the pace of title contention in round three. He shot even-par in the final frame, but it was not enough to keep up with Lilliedahl's 68 or Buckley's 67. That said, Walker has been playing some of the best golf of his decorated career, as this sixth-place finish marks the third consecutive tournament he has placed in the top-10.
In the fourth spot for Leroux was freshman Rory Franssen (Inverness, Scotland), who used a 219 to place 12th. Following Franssen in fifth was junior Trevor Ullestad (Jewell, Iowa), who tied for 51st courtesy of the 230 he shot over three rounds.
The Tigers were also represented well by their individuals. Sophomore Matt Echelmeier (Columbia, Mo.) played extremely well for the Black & Gold, shooting 213 (71-71-71), tying the lowest event score of his career. The effort placed the younger Echelmeier in fourth-place, overall. Seniors Jacob Fair (Monnet, Mo.) and Will Echelmeier (Columbia, Mo.) got to finish their careers on their home course, taking 31st and 64th respectively.
Mizzou is back in action as the postseason begins, with the Tigers heading to Sea Island, Georgia, for the SEC Championship from Friday, April 21-Monday, April 24.
For all the latest on Mizzou Men's Golf, stay tuned to MUTigers.com or follow the program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouMensGolf).
