Mississippi State tied Rutgers for fourth at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational, closing its fall season Sunday at 19-under 845 in Loxley, Alabama. Auburn won at 42 under, followed by Georgia Tech at 40 under and Texas A&M at 30 under.
Freshman Finn Burkholder led the Bulldogs, finishing 12th at 7-under 209. He opened with a career-best 65 and recorded a round in the 60s in each of his four tournaments this season. Burkholder also led the field with two eagles.
Jackson Skinner climbed 25 places to tie for 13th at 6 under. He shot a final-round 67, his second straight tournament with a 67 in the third round, and recorded his second career top-15 finish as a Bulldog.
Mississippi State coach Dusty Smith said the team competed well but needed all five golfers contributing in the final round. He said the Bulldogs would continue learning from the fall season and work toward becoming a championship-caliber team.
The Bulldogs finished among the top five in three fall events, including a runner-up finish at the Cullan Brown Collegiate, and had one other top-10 result. Mississippi State is scheduled to open its spring season Feb. 15-17 at the Watersound Invitational.
