WEST POINT — Mississippi State men’s golf coach Clay Homan hopes his team can finish strong.
MSU had a good showing two weeks ago in Texas, and Homan feels his players figured some things out that will help them finish the regular season on a high note at the fourth-annual Old Waverly Collegiate Championship in West Point.
MSU will play host to the 16-team, 54-hole event today and Tuesday at Old Waverly Golf Club. The event is free to the public.
“(I want us) to just build on what we did last week at San Antonio,” Homan said. “We had a pretty good finish there, especially the last day. I thought we played with a lot of confidence and a lot of commitment.”
The Bulldogs improved their final round by 10 shots to tie for fifth in the UTSA-hosted Lone Star Invitational at Briggs Ranch Golf Club. It was the third top-five finish for MSU.
The Bulldogs had two top-five finishes in the fall, but the spring has been a different story. Homan said playing four out of five weeks from late-February to late-March took a toll on his team, but Homan feels 10 days off will help his players.
“We kind of had a rough stretch,” Homan said. “We didn’t really have time to really catch our breath. This has been a really quick semester without a lot of down time in between tournaments. It was kind of nice for us to have a little time.
“We needed a little bit of time to work on some things and kind of get our games back in order. We had a few bad fundamentals that crept back in here and there. We had some time to kind of work on those, and hopefully, we’ve addressed those and we’ll come out and play good.”
Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Georgia State, Kansas State, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, Lipscomb, McNeese State, Ole Miss, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern Mississippi, South Alabama, Louisiana-Monroe, Texas-Arlington, and West Virginia will round out the field.
Ben Follett-Smith, Taylor Grant, Ben Wood, Taylor Bibbs, and Ross Bell will play for MSU. Serverin Soller, Jackson Dick, and Johnny Newnham will play as individuals.
Redshirt sophomore Jacob Ross tied for 11th in Texas, but Homan said Ross battled a virus last week and stayed in bed Wednesday and Thursday. Homan hoped to have Ross this week, but he won’t be able to go.
Follett-Smith will take Ross’ place in the lineup. Homan said he shot the lowest score in Sunday’s practice round (3-under).
The 13th-year coach feels confident in his team because it will play at home. The Bulldogs won the tournament in 2013 and 2014.
“It might maybe intimidate another team that hasn’t hit as many shots on that particular hole or that particular golf course,” Homan said. “I think it’s always big. You tend to know the breaks of the greens a little bit better. You know how the golf course is playing: firm or soft. You’ve pretty much seen it all, and no matter what the conditions are, I think our guys will have already played under that condition.”
Homan hopes someone comes to the forefront and puts themselves in a spot to be No. 5 in MSU’s Southeastern Conference championship lineup.
Homan said Wood, a senior who tied for fourth in September, stared slowly but has played well lately.
Homan believes the Bulldogs will need a complete team showing to win.
“We have some guys that are capable of shooting under par, and we know that’s what it’s going to take out here,” Homan said. “Usually an under par score as a team wins the tournament.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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