Bulldogs Add Beard Ahead Of 2023-24 Season

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State has added David Beard to its men’s golf roster, head coach Dusty Smith announced on Friday.
 
Beard, already an MSU student, previously played junior college golf at Mississippi Gulf Coast where he was a First Team All-American and the Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman of the Year in 2022.
 
This summer, Beard tore through the amateur circuit, winning both the Gulf States Open and the Magnolia Amateur. He was a combined 20-under in those two events and carded low rounds of 8-under 63 and 7-under 65 along the way.
 
“We’re really excited to be adding David to our team,” Smith said. “He has earned the right to be a part of our program through his dedication and relentless attitude toward getting better each and every day. He fits our culture perfectly and will do a great job of adding value to our program both on and off the course.”
 
In his freshman year, Beard shot 7-under in his collegiate debut at the Derrall Foreman Invitational before going on to win the Coastal Alabama Invitational. He helped MGCCC to a No. 1 ranking four event wins. The Bulldogs never finished outside the top five as a team that season on their way to a national runners-up finish at the NJCAA Division II Championships.
 
Individually, he was ranked No. 16 in Golfstat’s individual rankings with an adjusted scoring average of 73.08. He collected six top-10 finishes that year.
 
A native of Madison, Mississippi, Beard attended Madison Central High School. On the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour, he played in 24 events, collecting 16 top-10 finishes.
 
This fall the Bulldogs will play in four events hosted by SEC foes before capping the fall slate with a trip to Hawaii. The season opens on Sept. 8-10 in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate hosted by the Volunteers.
 
For more information on the Bulldog men’s golf program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching “HailStateMG.”