WEST POINT — Mississippi State senior golfer Ally McDonald keeps tabs on the MSU football team like most of the other students on campus.
While the football team in unchartered waters as the nation’s No. 1 team this week, the women’s golf team is doing its part to make a run at a national championship, too.
Celebrating its highest national ranking, the No. 2 MSU women’s golf team fired an opening-round 285 to take a five-stroke lead after the opening-day of the three-round Bulldog Invitational at Old Waverly Golf Club.
“There is a lot of excitement on campus, and we are trying to catch a little bit of that buzz,” said McDonald, a Fulton native and the lone Mississippian on the team. “With the ranking comes expectations. We are going to do our part to back those expectations up.”
MSU was ranked No. 14 in the preseason. It opened its fall schedule with three top-five finishes, including winning the Oklahoma-hosted Schooner Fall Classic earlier this month. That success moved MSU to No. 2 in the latest rankings by Birdfire.com.
In the spring, MSU will look for an unprecedented third-straight NCAA tournament berth. The Lady Bulldogs finished sixth nationally in 2014.
McDonald set a school and tournament record with an 818 in the Schooner Classic. Her early strong played continued Monday with a 3-under par 69. That was MSU’s second-best score of the day, as sophomore teammate Jessica Peng fired a 68.
“We played well as a team with three players finishing under par,” MSU fifth-year coach Ginger Brown-Lemm said. “Our fourth and fifth players struggled, but I think that had a little bit to do with the expectations. It is difficult when you are playing on your home course and you have a lot going for your team. We have had a fantastic fall, and I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of the tournament holds.”
Also for MSU, senior Rica Tse shot a 71, and sophomore Ji Eun Balik and junior Logan Chaney shot 77s.
MSU will enter the second day of competition with a five-stroke lead over South Florida and a six-stroke lead over Samford. Florida International and Houston round out the top five in the 13-team tournament field.
“Everybody on the team has some confidence right now,” Tse said. “It is exciting playing a tournament at home in front of our fans. The team has set some high goals for the season, and we are looking forward to competing.”
A year ago, MSU won the first Bulldog Invitational at Old Waverly by 21 strokes. The Lady Bulldogs shot a three-day total of 844, which was the school record until they shattered that mark at the Schooner Classic.
“We look forward to defending our title,” Brown-Lemm said. “Being able to host a top-notch event is really huge for our program. Fortunately, the weather has cooperated and we are hopeful we can win another tournament.”
The final two rounds of the tournament will begin at 8:30 a.m. today and Wednesday.
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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