Expectations were high for Missouri men’s golf as it hosted its first home tournament since 2014, the Tiger Invitational at The Club at Old Hawthorne, April 10-11. The Tigers most certainly delivered, using a big push in the final two rounds to shoot 7-under as a team to capture their second victory of the season.
“We had a great gallery through the whole event,” coach Mark Leroux said on the fanfare. “It was great getting to host, and we’re really thankful to all the volunteers who made it happen.”
For the first time all season, every player on the Tiger roster competed in a tournament. The Tigers chose to start senior Linus Lilliedahl, sophomore Matt Echelmeier, senior Euan Walker, junior Hayden Buckley and freshman Rory Franssen.
Five Tigers competed individually, including two golfers who made their season debut for the Tigers: redshirt senior Jacob Fair and junior Luigi Botta. The two finished T-64 and 70, respectively. Junior Trevor Ullestad finished T-51. Redshirt senior Will Echelmeier finished tied for 31st.
Course conditions were unfavorable on Monday morning when the tournament began; heavy winds and cloud cover yielded some high scores, and the Tigers found themselves tied for third at 7-over as a team.
Conditions improved for the second round, and so did the Tigers’ scoring. They lowered their team strokes by 12 strokes between rounds one and two, holding an 11-stroke lead.
The Tigers proved their superiority in the final round. Despite a temperature of 44 degrees when they teed off, winds were relatively low.
“When it’s cold, it’s always tough,” Buckley said. “Having a calm day like it was this afternoon, we knew that we could come and play better as it heated up.”
The Tigers were able to capitalize, shooting 9-under as a team on the day to easily claim the victory.
Each starter recorded a top-12 finish, highlighted by Lilliedahl’s first-place finish. Buckley finished right behind him at T-2, while Matt Echelmeier and Walker finished in the top 10 as well, at fourth and T-6 respectively. Franssen would finish in 12th.
Lilliedahl’s win was the first of his college career. The humble Sandviken, Sweden native shot an impressive 68 in the final round to stave off his competition by one stroke.
“The last time I won a golf tournament, I was 14 years old,” Lilliedahl said. “So it’s huge for me. Only positives on that front. But it’s more important to focus on the team, and we won the tournament today, so that’s even better.”
There’s no time to rest on their laurels, however. Despite the home victory, the team and coach are focused on what lies ahead, specifically the upcoming Southeastern Conference Championship.
“It probably couldn’t have worked out better,” Leroux said. “We’ve got a little bit of momentum here now, along with two or three guys playing really well. That’s really good headed into SECs.”
After the win and the fanfare at the home tournament, the team will have 10 days to prepare before it travels to Sea Island, Georgia to battle tough SEC competition to begin postseason play. The tournament is set to take place April 21-24.
_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_