Bulldogs In Sixth Entering Final Round Of Stroke Play

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – No. 18 Mississippi State is headed into the final round of stroke play at the SEC Championship in sixth place. The top eight teams advance to match play beginning Saturday.

The Bulldogs shot an even 280 for the day. Ford Clegg and Ruan Pretorius both carded rounds in the 60s, bringing the team total for the tournament up to five.

“I really thought we played steady golf for the most part today,” head coach Dusty Smith said. “Ford and Ruan did a great job keeping golf simple today and giving us two under-par scores. It always felt like we had all five guys in it, which is important on days like today. Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day, and we need to make sure we treat it that way.”

Clegg sits in a tie for seventh heading into the third round. He shot a bogey-free, 1-under 69 for the day and has gone 26 consecutive holes without a bogey since the No. 11 hole in the opening round.

Hunter Logan sits in a tie for 17th at 2-under after carding four birdies for the day. Garrett Endicott is tied for 27th through 36 holes.

Pretorius made a 14-spot jump from his first-round finish, ending the day tied for 39th. He matched his first-round with four birdies in Round 2.

Austin Vukovits leads all golfers with 11 birdies through two rounds. He made three of his four birdies for the day on the last four holes of the front nine. The graduate sits in a tie for 44th.

Mississippi State will be paired with top-ranked Vanderbilt and No. 13 Tennessee for the final round of stroke play. Vukovits will tee off at 7:50 a.m. CT followed by Pretorius, Endicott, Logan and Clegg in 10-minute increments.

“Win, lose or draw, we need to put ourselves in the arena and embrace the opportunity,” Smith added. “I believe in this team and everything they stand for.”

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