Michigan State men's golf in solid spot heading into last day of regional at Eagle Eye
BATH TWP. – After a solid start to the NCAA Regional at Eagle Eye Golf Club on Monday, Michigan State's men's golf team was sitting in a tie for second place after being seeded 10th out of 13 teams.
Tuesday's second round was blustery, and although the Spartans struggled a bit with the conditions to start the day, MSU finished strong on the back nine and remain in good position to qualify to play for a national championship. MSU is in fifth place at 11-under par, just one stroke behind fourth-place Texas and, more importantly, seven shots ahead of Florida and Kansas State, who are tied for sixth.
The top five teams after Wednesday's final round will advance to the NCAA Championships May 27-June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
"We hung in there, and I'm OK with how we finished, but I want us to be more aggressive when we start tomorrow," MSU coach Casey Lubahn said. "It's good to have stable leadership coming down the stretch and we've been good in our strengths, we just need to make more committed swings. But we're proud of the support we've been getting out here from the home fans."
Senior Troy Taylor II leads the Spartans in a tie for sixth place overall at 5-under par after shooting an even-par 71 on Tuesday. Sophomore Austin McCulloch and junior August Meekhof sit at 3-under par, tied for 17th. Meekoff was the Spartans' best performer on Tuesday, shooting a 2-under 69 after shooting 70 on the opening day.
Taylor, who was 2-over through nine holes on Tuesday, rebounded on the back nine and finished the 18th hole with a birdie to pull himself back even. His third-shot chip, which Lubahn said was the best shot he's seen in the tournament so far, left him two feet away for birdie. Taylor drained the putt and gave an emphatic fist bump to close his round.
"I told coach I was going to get it under control on the back nine and I had a lot of opportunities to meet his expectations. I thought that chip rolling up there on 18 was going in and I could've beat his expectations," Taylor said. "We definitely want to play better, but we wanted to put ourselves in a position to succeed and we've definitely done that."
Senior Drew Hackett, who has been MSU's most consistent performer this season, is currently 1-over through two rounds, while senior teammate Bradley Smithson is at 3-over.
The home crowd has seemed to give the Spartans a little extra motivation over the first two days, especially since the players on MSU's roster have never played a home event during their college careers.
"It's been a lot of fun. This is the first college event we've played that's been anywhere close to Michigan," Meekhof said. "To have friends and family come out and support us, it's been a really special opportunity for us."
No. 6 seed Georgia leads the field at 28-under par through two days, while No. 1 seed Illinois is in second at 18-under. No. 4 seed Oregon is in third, while defending national champion and No. 3 seed Texas is in fourth just one stroke better than MSU in fifth.
Despite their edge for the final qualifying spot going into the final round, the Spartans remain wary with Florida, the No. 2 seed, and fifth-seeded Kansas State in pursuit.
"I think that ignoring the reality of it is dangerous and we just have to own where we are at," Lubahn said. "Seven shots is a lot, but it can happen fast on a golf course like this. We have to go out and play committed and aggressive. They have to chase us, we just can't give anything back."
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State men's golf: MSU in solid spot at NCAA Regional
