University of Missouri
GCU Invitational
@MizzouMensGolf Wins Second Team Trophy of 2017-18 Campaign in Phoenix
3/17/2018 7:08:00 PM | Men's Golf
Tigers hold off a late surge by Pacific to win the GCU Invitational
PHOENIX - Mizzou Men's Golf brought home its second team championship of the season with its first-place showing at the Grand Canyon University Invitational, collectively finishing 2-under-par (279-278-293 -- 850). Head coach Mark Leroux's squad maintained focus in the face of adversity down the home stretch, holding off both Pacific (Even, 280-285-287 -- 852) and host Grand Canyon (+4, 285, 289, 282 -- 856) to take the squad crown.
Senior stalwart Hayden Buckley (Belden, Miss.) kept his final Black & Gold campaign chugging along with a 3-under-par performance (70-69-71 -- 210) to tie for fourth place overall. The effort marked his fifth Top-5 individual finish out of Mizzou's seven events thus far in the 2017-18 season. Buckley's two rounds under-par on the par-71 course advanced his total to a team-best 15.
Two strokes off Buckey's pace, but still securing a Top-10 finish, was junior Matt Echelmeier (Columbia, Mo.) coming into the clubhouse at 1-under-par (70-69-73 -- 212). Echelmeier's performance in Phoenix helped him secure his first Top-10 individual finish since Mizzou's season-opening event at the Turning Stone-Tiger Intercollegiate, in which he tied for third-place, overall.
Securing his third Top-25 individual finish of the season and 10th of his young career was sophomore Rory Franssen (Inverness, Scotland). Franssen tied for 16th at the GCU Invitational with his 2-over-par outing (71-68-76 -- 215). Tying for the exact same slot on the player leaderboard was Mizzou senior Trevor Ullestad (70-72-73 -- 215). The 16th-place finish by Ullestad was his second-best of his senior season and fourth-best of his career.
Tying for 30th overall at 6-over-par were Mizzou's Jamie Stewart and Luigi Botta. The freshman Stewart put together a three-round event of 69-73-77 (219), while Botta, playing as an unattached individual, fired in rounds of 70-75-74 (219).
Rounding up Mizzou's competitors was freshman Jack Parker (Columbia, Mo.), who tied for 56th overall as an unattached individual (72-78-74).
The Tigers continue to make progress towards the postseason as the Black & Gold next heads to The Hootie at Bull's Bay, played from March 25-27, in Awendaw, South Carolina.
For all the latest on Mizzou Men's Golf, stay tuned to MUTigers.com or follow the program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouMensGolf).
