Bulldogs capture team title in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Mississippi State women's golf team has won yet again, capturing their its team title of the season at The Show in Las Vegas.
The two-day event featured stellar performances and was a complete team effort. Led by the outstanding play of the senior/freshman duo Hannah Levi and Izzy Pellot, State was able to claim their first title of the spring, shooting 9-under (855) over 54-holes.
The Bulldogs were locked in a fierce battle down the stretch as the Spanish Trail Country Club set the stage for The Show. Heading into the final three holes, State held a one-stroke advantage over No. 30 Pepperdine before pulling through behind some stellar performances up and down the scorecard to capture the victory. The Bulldog's two top-10 finishes from the senior/freshman duo of Hannah Levi and Izzy Pellot led the way through the event.
"I'm so proud of the team and their fight this week,” MSU women's golf coach Charlie Ewing said. “This week was not easy and that's where you learn the most about your team. Whenever we got challenged, I felt everybody responded very well."
Levi used a stellar third round to help State mount a valiant effort late in the evening. Levi birdied five throughout the day to secure her eighth round in the 60s as a Bulldog carding 69 (3-under par). Levi finished third shooting 6-under par (210) to earn her seventh top-five finish.
Reigning Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week Izzy Pellot picked up where she left off in the UCF Challenge, picking up back-to-back top-10 finishes. Pellot finished ninth (2-under par) and now has five top-20 finishes in seven events played in the Maroon and White.
Reigning SEC Golfer of the Week Julia Lopez Ramirez carded her 32nd round of par or better golf (70, 2-under) in the final round to climb up the leaderboard to finish tied for 12th. Lopez Ramirez now has 16 top-20 finishes in 19 career events.
Surapa Janthamunee and Abbey Daniel round out the scoring for the Bulldogs carding 77 (5-over) and 74 (2-over) in the final round to finish tied for 27th and tied for 31st respectfully.
Competing individually, Jarutrawee Khotchagrai tied for 60th shooting 13-over par.
Golfstat, the leading ranking system in collegiate golf, also announced their top 25 rankings on Tuesday. Following the second tournament of the spring, women's golf is the seventh-best program in the country. MSU used a valiant team effort in The Show from Vegas to bring home the team championship to begin the week.
Golfstat uses Relative Rankings to calculate their rankings each week. Relative Rankings compare each team, one-on-one, against every other team in the country. A percentage value is applied to every one of those decisions. MSU clocks in with a 268/274 comparative record against the field for a 91.2% relative percentage. State holds a 13/16 comparative record against the current top 25.
Mississippi State is one of four schools currently ranked inside the top 25 with three or more tournament wins this season. The Bulldogs went back-to-back in the Mason Rudolph Championship and Blessings Collegiate Invitational. Most recently, State captured the team title at The Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Individually, six Bulldogs are ranked in this week's Golfstat Top-250 Individual Rankings. Ramirez leads the pack after another top-20 finish for the Bulldogs, finishing 12th at The Show. Pellot was able to move up three spots (92) picking up back-to-back top-10 finishes. Pellot finished ninth (2-under par) in Vegas and now has five top-20 finishes in seven events played. Levi made the biggest jump of the week after a stellar performance in Las Vegas this week. Levi jumped from 129th to 102nd this week after finishing third shooting 6-under par (210) to earn her seventh topfive finish. Daniel moved to 131st after finishing tied for 27th as Janthamunee moves to 158th (tied for 31st at The Show). Rounding out the individual rankings Ashley Gilliam at 216.
The Bulldogs will return to the course on March 4-5 for the 51st annual Vystar Credit Union Gators Invitational from Gainesville, Fla.