High winds and tough pin placement made for high scores as the Mississippi State Bulldogs finished sixth in the Memphis Intercollegiate Golf Tournament.
The Bulldogs saved their worst for last shooting a 303 in the final round for a total of 891.
Head coach Clay Homan is impressed with his team’s improvement but knows that they have a ways to go.
“The last day was tougher, but we didn’t play well. The course was tough but our play made it tougher. We gave away too many shots and we’ve got to finish better.”
Senior Daniel Boles elaborated on the toughness of the course.
“With the wind and the pin placement being the way they were, there was no way to be aggressive,” Boles said. “That led to a lot of three putts for the team which really effected our score.”
Senior Joe Deraney led the team again with a three-round total of 218. Deraney’s score earned him a seventh place finish for the tournament, his second consecutive Top 10 finish. But a tough par three in which he shot a seven soured an otherwise excellent performance.
“Joe had a excellent tournament, he played well enough to win,” Homan said. “I think he will win a tournament if he continues to play the way he has.”
Deraney’s play also put him in second in the conference for rounds at or below par. He has accomplished that six times so far and is also 16th in the conference in scoring.
“I’m proud of my play so far, I’m happy with the consistency of my play, but for our team to be really good I need to be better,” Deraney said.
An otherwise consistent Boles struggled in the second round of the tournament, shooting an 85. But Boles regained his composure and ended the tournament with a 75, his best round for the tournament. He carded a 236 for the tourney. Boles talked about the difference in the two rounds.
“I was encouraged by my teammates after the second round and that helped me make the turnaround,” Boles said.
Homan said the team’s chemistry has impressed him so far.
“We’ve had the same five guys play in the last three tournaments and I think the guys are comfortable with where they are at. Our team chemistry is real good.”
Josh Oller had his best finish of the year coming in at 20th. Oller shot a 75 in the third round, his best third round of the season, on his way to a total of 224.
One stroke behind Oller was Tim Satow, who finished 25th for the tournament. Behind Satow was Greg Huxman, finishing 38th with a 228.
“If we could have shaved off one stroke apiece we would have been a lot better off,” Boles said.
The Bulldogs continue their season Oct. 25-26 in Baton Rouge, La., at the LSU/Country Club of Louisiana Intercollegiate.