STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Mississippi State men’s golf team closed the second round of the Daniel Island Intercollegiate in second place, trailing Florida Gulf Coast by three strokes.

“I thought we did a good job hanging tough,” head coach Dusty Smith said. “We didn’t play particularly well in the middle of our round, but the guys showed some resiliency and battled down the stretch.”

Garrett Endicott rose three spots to tie for second with FGCU’s Sam Baker and Owen Stamper of Middle Tennessee. He made four birdies and shot even par for the day.

Ford Clegg and Austin Vukovits finished the round in a five-way tie for fifth. Ruan Pretorius rose six spots to a five-way tie for 18th.

Pedro Cruz Silva made the biggest jump on the leaderboard for the Bulldogs, rising 19 spots while shooting five strokes better than his first-round total.

The final round of the tournament will feature a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. CT on Tuesday. The Bulldogs will be grouped with Florida Gulf Coast, South Carolina and Memphis and will begin on the Nos. 1-3 tees. Cruz Silva will tee off from the No. 18 pin in an individual group.

“Tomorrow is a great opportunity for us,” Smith added. “We are excited to be in this position and know that our best will be required. I look forward to learning more about this team tomorrow.”

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