University of Missouri
SEC Championships
@MizzouMensGolf Set for SEC Championships in Sea Island
4/22/2019 2:17:00 PM | Men's Golf
Action tees off on Wednesday
SEA ISLAND, Ga. – Mizzou Men's Golf enters its postseason this week (April 24-28) as the Tigers head to Sea Island, Ga. for the Southeastern Conference Championships. Mizzou's 2018-2019 campaign featured six top-five finishes and one first place finish at the Turning Stone-Tiger Intercollegiate. The Tigers put together a consistent regular season carding a total of six out of 10 54-hole tournament rounds under-par and 18 total rounds under-par. Head coach Mark Leroux's stellar squad will now be looking to bring that consistency when facing SEC powerhouses at Sea Island Golf Club this week.
This year, the Southeastern Conference is stacked with seven ranked teams including No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 11 LSU, No. 13 Auburn, No. 15 South Carolina, No. 16 Georgia, No. 22 Tennessee, and No. 25 Alabama. All 14 teams converge on the Sea Island Golf Club Seaside Course this week for the 19th rendition of the SEC Championships. Three rounds of stroke play will occur over three days beginning Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. CT. The top eight teams advance to the quarterfinals of match play on Saturday with the semifinals airing on SEC Network Plus and the championship match airing on SEC Network on Sunday.
In the first spot of the Tigers' lineup this week is sophomore Jamie Stewart (Renfrewshire, Scotland). Stewart has set many personal records this season including carding his top-three lowest 54-hole tournament totals firing 10-under, 9-under, and 8-under par. The sophomore also holds the lowest stroke average on the team this season at 70.7 with a total of 19 rounds under par. The Scotland native finished the regular season with six under par events leading him to two top-five's and two top-10's.
Following Stewart in the lineup is fellow Scotland native Rory Franssen (Inverness, Scotland). This season, Franssen set his career low 54-hole total at The Hootie at Bulls Bay where he fired 10-under par (206) and added another top-three finish to his resume. The junior has consistently finished under par in the past three events firing even-par or better in eight out of his nine tournament rounds. Most recently, Franssen carded a stellar nine-under par (62) at Columbia Country Club, breaking the course record and setting his second course record of the season.
Senior Matt Echelmeier (Columbia, Mo.) will fill the third spot for the Tiger lineup this week. The Columbia native has completed one of his best seasons yet firing a 72.3 stroke average and 16 rounds under par. Echelmeier also broke personal records this season carding his lowest round as a Tiger after shooting 66 at the GCU Invitational. He also set two of his top-three low 54-hole totals firing 5-under (211) at the Turning Stone Tiger Intercollegiate and 4-under at the Missouri Tiger Invitational (212).
In the fourth slot for the Tigers this week is junior Ricky Sanders (The Hague, Netherlands). The junior finished the regular season strong, tying his lowest 54-hole tournament total firing 6-under par at the Missouri Tiger Invitational. Sanders has been a steady member in the lineup, with four top-20 finishes and one top-10 finish this season.
Rounding out the Black & Gold lineup is senior Luigi Botta (Cueno, Italy), who has completed his most impressive season as a Tiger this year. The senior competed in eight of the 10 events this season, most recently carding his best 54-hole total at the Missouri Tiger Invitational shooting 1-under par. Botta broke another personal record this year, firing his lowest 18-hole total with a 6-under par (66) at the Turning Stone Tiger Intercollegiate. This will be Botta's first time competing in the SEC Championships.
Live results throughout the SEC Championships will be available on GolfStat.com and SECSports.com
For all the latest on Mizzou Men's Golf, stay tuned to MUTigers.com or follow the program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouMensGolf).
