@MizzouMensGolf Delivers Record-Setting Day One at Tiger Invitational
4/8/2019 8:19:00 PM | Men's Golf
The Tigers fire 27-under par through first two rounds
COLUMBIA, Mo. - With all five Tigers in the competitive lineup finishing under par and in the top-20 through the first two rounds at the Tiger Invitational, the Mizzou Men's Golf team currently sits in second place after 36 holes of action at the Club at Old Hawthorne.
In addition to their impressive standing on the leaderboard, Mark Leroux's squad recorded a team record for their lowest-ever 36-hole score at the tournament – a 27-under par 549.
The Black & Gold started the tournament off with a bang, carding a season-best opening round 13-under (275) score and sat in second place as the first round came to a close in the mid-afternoon on Monday. Keeping their foot on the pedal, the Tigers turned in another solid performance in round two with a remarkable 14-under (274) score. Trailing by only five strokes to tournament leader TCU (32-under 544), Mizzou will look to make a strong move up the ladder in Tuesday's final round.
Sophomore Jamie Stewart led the way for the Tigers, as he carded a 9-under total score to finish T-3rd on the day.
Stewart's eagle and pair of birdies on the back nine holes of the opening round pushed the Scotland native to a 4-under (68) score through the first 18 holes of action. He then fired another eagle and duo of birdies on the next round's front nine holes to record a 5-under in round two and finished with total score of 135 on the day. Stewart is seeking his third top-five tournament finish on the season and the fifth such finish in his young career, as he is only four strokes off the lead.
Following closely behind Stewart on the leaderboard, junior Rory Franssen delivered a masterful 6-under showing on Monday. Franssen's first round 68 and second round 70 raised his total of 70-or-under rounds to an incredible 14 rounds on the season. Franssen's impressive performance earned him a T-9th opening day finish.
Columbia native and senior Matt Echelmeier joins Franssen at T-9th, as he fired a pair of 3-under rounds in his final showing at his hometown tournament. Recording four birdies on the back nine of the second round, Echelmeier set a personal Tiger Invitational record with his 138 36-hole score, his highest since his sophomore year (142).
Junior Ricky Sanders also posted stellar scores on day one and currently sits in T-13th after carding the best 36-hole score of his Mizzou career (139). Sanders' opening round 70 was followed up by an even better 69 in round two to finish 5-under at day one's conclusion.
Tied with Sanders, team captain Luigi Botta capped a solid opening round 2-under (70) with a second round 3-under (69) to end at 5-under for the afternoon. Botta has the opportunity to finish under par for a tournament for the first time in his career in his final regular-season competition as a Tiger.
Competing as individuals, freshman Tommy Boone and sophomore Jack Parker concluded day one at 5-over (149) and 3-over (147), respectively.
The Tigers will tee off their final 18 holes at the Tiger Invitational on Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. Leroux and his squad are seeking their second tournament title this season and third-consecutive championship at their Tiger Invitational.
For all the latest on Mizzou Men's Golf, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team at @MizzouMensGolf (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).
