MORGAN HILL, Calif. – No. 18 Mississippi State is the only team remaining below par after a challenging day at the Morgan Hill Regional. The Bulldogs continue to lead after Tuesday’s second round saw no team shoot better than six-over.
With the help of a strong first round (-12) on Monday, the Bulldogs (-2 overall) lead No. 7 Florida State by three strokes going into the final 18 holes. The top five teams and the lowest individual in the regional not on an advancing team will move on to compete at the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“I’m really proud of the fight we showed today,” head coach Dusty Smith said. “The golf course played extremely difficult, and I felt like for the most part we managed it well. Ford Clegg and Ruan Pretorius really stepped up big for us today and gave us some much-needed momentum. We know this isn’t easy and we need to manage the hard a little better tomorrow.”
Clegg is the frontrunner for MSU through 36 holes. He is tied for fourth and sits just two strokes back from the individual leader, climbing five spots on Tuesday. The graduate’s birdies through two rounds lead the field.
Pedro Cruz Silva and Hunter Logan are tied for 11th headed into the final round. Each player carded a pair of birdies for the day. Garrett Endicott made back-to-back birdies on the Nos. 14 and 15 holes and is tied for 23rd.
Pretorius made five birdies in his round and is tied for 41st, making a 17-spot leap from his first-round finish. His eight total birdies are tied for the second-most in the field. State has made 36 birdies as a team through two rounds, the most of any team in the regional.
Pretorius will tee off the final round for the Bulldogs at 9:30 a.m. CT. Endicott, Cruz Silva, Logan and Clegg will follow in 11-minute increments.
“It’s all about us and focusing on our next grip, our three-foot circle,” Smith added. “We are excited for another opportunity tomorrow and will embrace the challenge.”
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