University of Missouri
SunTrust Gator Invitational
No. 21 @MizzouMensGolf Tees Off Spring at the Gator Invitational
2/16/2018 4:20:00 PM | Men's Golf
Tigers look to build on last year’s performance in Gainesville
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - No. 21 Mizzou Men's Golf next visits the Sunshine State, beginning the spring season this weekend (Saturday, Feb. 17 - Sunday, Feb. 18) to take part in the SunTrust Gator Invitational for the third consecutive season. Last year's squad had a memorable tournament, finishing as the team runners-up, beating several ranked foes within the Southeastern Conference.
It will be more of the same for head coach Mark Leroux and his 2017-18 squad this weekend, as the competition at the Gator is fierce. The field includes three ranked conference foes in No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 7 Florida and No. 19 Arkansas, while also featuring other talented programs like Georgia Southern, UCF and UAB.
Senior Hayden Buckley (Belden, Miss.) leads the Tigers into the event, looking to start the stretch run of his last campaign as a Tiger on a high note. By his standards, that might be hard to do, as Buckley possibly played the greatest tournament ever registered by a Mizzou golfer his last time out. At the Warrior Invitational just before the winter intermission, Buckley broke both the school record for the lowest single-round score (61) and the school record for the lowest tournament score (197). Buckley is currently ranked as the fourth-best men's college golfer in the country, according to GolfStat, and looks to make his impact felt in his return to the links.
Following Buckley in the second Mizzou lineup slot is senior Trevor Ullestad (Jewell, Iowa) who will be playing in Gainesville for the second time in his career. He performed well at the Gator a season ago, shooting 218 to take a share of 33rd place.
The freshman duo of Jamie Stewart (Renfrewshire, Scotland) and Jack Parker (Columbia, Mo.) hold down the third and fourth slots in the lineup. Both are coming off strong finishes to the fall season, and have solidified Leroux's traveling roster with their ability to produce right away as freshmen. Stewart fired a 205 at the Warrior, which was the best score of his young career, and finished 11th individually. Parker, meanwhile, finished tied for 23rd courtesy of his career-low 210 in Hawaii.
In Leroux's final traveling spot is junior Matt Echelmeier (Columbia, Mo.), who reenters the competitive lineup after playing his last tournament of the fall as an unattached individual. Echelmeier finished strong at the Warrior, shooting a two-under-par. Echelmeier has not played in Gainesville since he was a freshman, but fared well during his only Gator Invitational. He shot a 217, which tied for 40th overall and second among Tigers who played competitively.
Follow the action in Gainesville all weekend online at GolfStat.com.
For all the latest on Mizzou Men's Golf, stay tuned to MUTigers.com or follow the program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouMensGolf).
