Mississippi State shot a program-record 17-under 271 in the opening round of the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational and stood tied for third with Texas A&M after two rounds in Loxley, Alabama.
The Bulldogs followed the opening 271 with a 286, bringing their total to 19 under par, 557. The opening-round score was the best first-round total in program history and the team’s best first-round score relative to par, according to the school. Mississippi State had previously shot 271 once, at last season’s SEC Championship. The mark is tied for fourth in program history.
Finn Burkholder paced Mississippi State with a 9-under 135, tying for seventh. He opened with a career-best 65 in a Mississippi State uniform, making two eagles and five birdies, then shot a 2-under 70. He was one of two Bulldogs with two under-par rounds.
Drew Wilson was tied for 19th at 4 under after rounds of 66 and 74. His first-round 66 included six birdies, and he was one of five players in the field to finish that round without a bogey. The school said it was his first round in the 60s since a 4-under 68 at the 2024-25 Desert Mountain Collegiate.
Competing as an individual, Bryson Hughes was tied for 10th at 6 under. He shot 70 in the first round and 68 in the second, with five birdies in each round and an eagle in the second.
Auburn led the 15-team field at 35 under, 541, while Georgia Tech was second at 23 under. Mississippi State’s other scores were Yago Horno at 1 under, Jackson Skinner at 1 under and Arth Sinha at 10 over.
The tournament’s final-round tee times listed Arth Sinha first at 8:30 a.m. Central, followed by Horno, Jackson Skinner, Wilson and Burkholder. Hughes, playing as an individual, was listed to tee off at 8:18 a.m.
