University of Missouri
GCU Invitational
Stewart Leads @MizzouMensGolf to Third-Place Finish at GCU Invitational
3/16/2019 4:38:00 PM | Men's Golf
Jamie Stewart finished third individually
FINAL RESULTS PLAYERS (PDF) | FINAL RESULTS TEAMS (PDF)
PHOENIX, Ariz. - Mizzou Men's Golf tied for third overall at the 18-team GCU Invitational this weekend in Phoenix, Ariz. The Tigers finished just one stroke behind second place UT-Rio Grand Valley en route to their fifth Top-5 finish and fourth Top-3 finish in eight tournaments during the 2018-19 campaign.
Mizzou shot an 8-under par 844 on Grand Canyon's Par-71 Championship Golf Course. The Tigers fired a 6-under 278 as a team in Friday's opening round, recording their fourth sub-280 round of the season. Mizzou followed with a 4-under 280 in the second round and held the tournament lead through 36 holes, but slid to third behind a 2-over 286 on Saturday.
Sophomore Jamie Stewart paced Mizzou, finishing third individually with a 7-under par 206. Stewart now has seven Top-20 finishes in eight tournaments this season. He's placed sixth or higher four times this season, leading Mizzou at all eight events. The sophomore launched the tournament in style, firing a career-low 7-under par 64 in the opening round. He followed with a 1-under 70 in the second 18 holes of play. On Saturday, he battled for a 1-over par 72, using three birdies in the final three holes to catapult from 11th to third.
Senior Matt Echelmeier secured his third Top-20 finish of his final campaign at Mizzou, tying for 19th with a 2-under 211. Echelmeier's weekend was highlighted by career-low 5-under par 66 in the second round of action. He racked up six birdies in that stellar round and finished with 10 birdies for the tournament.
Junior Rory Franssen put together a steady, consistent weekend of golf, tying for 24th individually with a 1-under 212 for the tournament. After a pair of even-par rounds, Franssen ended the tournament strong with a 1-under par 70. During the final nine holes of action, he piled up four birdies to secure his sixth Top-25 finish in eight tournaments this season.
Sophomore Jack Parker, competing in his first tournament of the spring, tied for 37th overall. He shot up 12 spots on the leaderboard after Saturday's final round (an even-par 71). He finished with a 3-over par 216 for the tournament.
Ricky Sanders tied for 73rd to round out Mizzou's lineup (221). Freshman Tommy Boone competed individually and tied for 54th. Boone shot a career best 54-hole score of 212, anchored by a career-low opening round of 71. Senior Luigi Botta also competed individually, shooting a 227 and tying for 97th.
Mizzou is back in action next weekend at The Hootie at Bull's Bay in Awendaw, S.C. The Tigers will play March 24-26. For all the latest on Mizzou Men's Golf, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouMensGolf).
