PALM BEACH, Fla. — Mississippi State wrapped up the Watersound Invitational with a final round of 2-under 278, finishing ninth overall. The Bulldogs have now recorded five top-10 finishes in five tournaments this season, according to team officials.
Head coach Dusty Smith credited his team for battling through a challenging day. “We did a good job battling until the end on a pretty tough day,” Smith said. “I thought we did some really good things on our final 10-11 holes. Overall, we have to be a more complete team. We can’t be a team that only shows up for two of the three rounds. The lack of consistency got us in the second round and took us out of the tournament. We need to trust our training and continue making the climb.”
Jackson Skinner led the Bulldogs, finishing sixth at 6-under par. The true freshman opened with a career-best 64, the best score of the week, before closing with two even-par 70 rounds. Skinner is one of four freshmen in Mississippi State history to shoot a round of 64 or better, according to team records.
“I’m really proud of Jackson this week,” Smith said. “He played some big-time golf in a big-time field. It was nice to see him solid throughout the week. He really stepped up for us in a big way.”
Garrett Endicott tied for 14th at 2-under overall. He opened with a 67, shot a 72 in the second round, and finished with a 69. Endicott’s four top-20 finishes this season tie him for second in program history for career top-20s, with 33.
Dain Richie shot an even-par 70 in the final round, finishing tied for 45th. Drew Wilson ended in 56th after a 73 in the final round. Ugo Malcor tied Endicott for the Bulldogs’ low round of 69. Ben Kelling shot an even-par 70 in the final round, tying for 38th individually.
Mississippi State will return to competition March 13-15 at the Schenkel Invitational. The Watersound Invitational was won by Arkansas, which finished with a combined score of 821 (-19).
