Columbia News

Junior Veikka Viskari achieved his third consecutive top-15 finish to start the season, securing 11th place at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in Arkansas. The Missouri Tigers men's golf team finished sixth overall in the 10-team field with a three-day total score of +43.

Viskari led the team with a final score of +6 (76-72-74), recording three birdies on the back nine during the last round and eight birdies across the tournament. His 11th-place finish follows previous placements of seventh and 11th earlier this season, making him the leading Tiger in all three tournaments so far.

Reflecting on the event, Viskari said, "A golf course like Blessings requires all areas of your game to be sharp and quickly exposes those that aren't. The team showed some grit this week and it was great to see the guys hang in there and grind when things weren't going our way. I've had a solid start to the season but look forward to capitalizing on more opportunities in the last two events of the fall."

Missouri head coach Glen Millican commented on the team's performance, stating, "The Blessings is a great test and a true championship setup. It definitely challenged us but our guys played hard. They showed great composure and competitiveness under difficult conditions."

Senior Virgilio Paz finished second among Missouri players and 22nd overall at +10 (74-73-79), also recording eight birdies during the tournament. Freshman Trent Mierl placed 33rd at +15 (81-75-75), while Bradley Mulder (77-78-78) and Reese Roberts (79-75-79) both finished 36th at +16.

The Tigers are scheduled to compete next at the Moraine Intercollegiate in Dayton, Ohio, beginning Monday, October 13.