MSU golfers in 10th position

BRYAN, Texas – Senior Taylor Grant had Tuesday’s best round for the Mississippi State men’s golf team at the NCAA Bryan Regional, collecting three birdies for a 1-over 73.

“I felt like I played solid all day,” Grant said. “I was able to get some momentum early and fought hard coming in. It’s a demanding course, so par is always a good score.”

The senior opened the day with a 1-under 35 on the front nine, and he closed second-round play strong, recording par on each of his final six holes.

Grant and sophomore Garrett Johnson are MSU’s best performers through two rounds at the Par-72, 7,146-yard Traditions Club. Both are shooting 5-over for a share of 40th.

The No. 10 seed in the Bryan Regional, Mississippi State shot an 11-over 299 on Tuesday to finish the opening two rounds in 10th position with a 23-over 599. The top five teams advance to the championship rounds.

“I thought we did a better job of getting off to a solid start, but unfortunately we made too many mistakes and we never had control of this round,” MSU men’s golf coach Dusty Smith said.

Senior Taylor Bibbs and sophomore Peng Pichaikool each shot a 3-over 75. The duo is 6-over and 7-over-par, respectively, over the two days.

Freshman Cameron Clarke finished the day strong, carding a 1-under 35 on the back nine for a 4-over 76 for the round.

Johnson was unable to match a strong opening round on Tuesday, ending the round with a 76.

Texas A&M continues to lead on its home course at 18-under. Aggies Chandler Phillips and Brandon Smith remain atop the player leaderboard.

State will start today’s final round on the back nine, with tee time set for 8:55 a.m. The first group will begin the day at 7:30 a.m. Live scoring will be available on Golfstat.

“(Today) is an important round for us,” Smith said. “It’s an opportunity to go out and play for each other. Any time you put that M-State logo on your chest, it means something.”