Missouri continued its strong season finishing fourth in the Hootie at Bull’s Bay in Awendaw, South Carolina. It was the Tigers’ sixth top-10 finish so far this season in only nine tournaments. It was the second consecutive top-four finish for the Tigers after a disappointing 13th place finish at the Auburn Tiger Invitational.

Mizzou was paced by junior Rory Franssen, who shot 10-under for the tournament, enough for second place. Franssen set the tone early, shooting a 67 in the first round. He followed that up with a 69 in round two and a 70 in round three. Franssen continues to bounce back from a rough six-over showing at the Auburn Tiger Invitational. His performance at the Hootie followed up a one-under performance at the GCU Invitational.

Coach Mark Leroux’s team also had top-50 showings from two underclassmen. Sophomore Jamie Stewart and freshman Tommy Boone both helped round out the Tigers’ lineup behind Franssen. Stewart notched his eighth top-20 finish of the year, shooting two-under for the tournament, putting him in 16th. Boone put together an outstanding final round shooting a 67, which put him at four-over for the tournament.

As a team, the Tigers continued to show that they belong. The Hootie featured two teams ranked in the Top-25 of the latest GCAA Poll: No. 4 Duke and No. 19 North Carolina State. Mizzou finished ahead of both of these teams, besting NC State by five strokes and Duke by 10 strokes.

Missouri will host the Tiger Invitational on April 8 and 9.

_Edited by Emily Leiker | eleiker@themaneater.com_