FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas graduate senior John Driscoll III fired another 4-under-par 68 and leads by four shots while the #11 Razorbacks fired a 4-under-par 284 and leads the fourth annual Blessings Collegiate Invitational by six shots as their 36-hole score of 563 (-13) is a two-round record at the event.
Due to weather concerns on Wednesday, tee times have been moved up with the first groups starting at 7:45 am. The Arkansas men’s “B” team will start at 8:30 am off hole 1. The “A” team will go off #1 as well at 10:00 am.
Driscoll was not the only Razorback to post a 4-under 68 as fellow graduate senior Mateo Pulcini, playing for the Arkansas “B” team, matched the 68.
Two teams – #20 Mississippi State and #3 Washington – shot 7-under and made a run at Arkansas in round two, but the Razorbacks’ nine-stroke lead after day one kept the home team comfortably in the lead. The squad posted three birdies on holes 2, 5, 8 and 13 to help set the record.
Miss State is -7 (569) after 36 holes and Washington is +1 (577). The Bulldogs’ Hunter Logan moved up 12 spots into a tie for second with a 5-under-par 67 to lead MSU. Washington’s Petr Hruby was 3-under, moved up 13 spots into a tie for sixth and led the Huskies charge.
Arkansas “B” is in fourth with a 36-hole score of 583 (+7). The fivesome had four birdies and a par on the par-5, 15th hole.
After a par on hole one, Driscoll had back-to-back birdies then got to 3-under with a birdie on hole 8. The dropped a shot on hole nine but bounced back with a birdie on 10. After a string of pars, including a nice par save on hole 12, Driscoll rolled In a birdie on the par-3, 17th. He closed the day with a par on the 18th to shoot his second 68 and he is -8 (136) for 36 holes.
Pulcini opened his day with a bogey on hole 10 and a double bogey on hole 11. However, he was bogey-free the last 16 holes with seven birdies – including three straight on holes 4, 5 and 6 – to shoot his 68. He moved 18 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 11th (76-68+144 / E).
Thomas Curry was the only other Razorback under par on Tuesday with a 1-under 71. He moved up to 16th (tie) with a 36-hole score of 145. Manuel Lozada was 1-over but stayed inside the top five at T4 (69-73=142 / -2).
John Daly II turned in an even-par 72 for the second-straight day and he is tied for 11th at 144. Also tied for 11th is Jacob Skov Olesen (70-74=144).
For Team “B,” Matthis Lefevre is tied for sixth. After an opening-round 70, the junior shot 73 on Tuesday and is 1-under (143) through 36 holes. Christian Castillo was even on day two and is tied for 18th with a 2-over-par 146 (74-72). Kaelen Dulany is tied for 37th (78-74=152 / +8) and Matthew Griggs is tied for 39th (76-77=153 / +9).
BLESSINGS COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL
Oct. 2-4 • 18 holes each day
Blessings Golf Club
Fayetteville, Ark.
Par 72 || 7,720 yards (M)
Team Results Thru Rd2:
1 #11 Arkansas “A” 279-284=563 (-13)
2 #20 Mississippi State 288-281=569 (-7)
3 #3 Washington 296-281=577 (+1)
4 Arkansas “B” 296-287=583 (+7)
5 Kentucky 293-297=583 (+14)
6 Minnesota 299-292=591 (+15)
7 Clemson 297-296=593 (+17)
8 NC State 299-295=594 (+18)
9 South Carolina 302-298=600 (+24)
10 North Texas 317-287=604 (+28)
For more information, follow on Twitter @RazorbackMGolf
How Arkansas addressed receiver position in transfer portal
Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino lost plenty of production in the passing game to the transfer portal and NFL Draft following the 2024 season.
With starting quarterback Taylen Green set to return for a second season in Fayetteville, the Hogs had to find the 6-foot-6 passer some new weapons. Star receiver Andrew Armstrong is on his way to the NFL, veterans Isaac TeSlaa and Tyrone Broden are out of eligibility, and speedster Isaiah Sategna transferred to Oklahoma.
Along with those departures, younger prospects Dazmin James and Davion Dozier also elected to hit the portal, which left plenty of recruiting for Petrino, receivers coach Ronnie Fouch and head coach Sam Pittman.
NOT A SUBSCRIBER? SIGN UP TODAY FOR ACCESS TO ALL OF HAWGBEAT’S PREMIUM CONTENT AND FEATURES
Armstrong led all Southeastern Conference players with 78 receptions for 1,140 receiving yards in the regular season, but it was really a one-man show with him all season.
TeSlaa added 545 receiving yards and Sategna was second on the team with 37 catches. At 6-foot-7, Broden could never break through as a true difference maker, as he caught just 15 passes for 197 yards and barely played late in the year.
Of the players the Hogs are set to return at wide receiver — Jordan Anthony, CJ Brown, Krosse Johnson, Bryce Stephens, Monte Harrison and Shamar Easter (moved from tight end to receiver for Liberty Bowl) — the production from 2024 only combined for a total 18 receptions, 243 yards and one touchdown.
Incoming freshmen such as Warren (Ark.) product Antonio Jordan and Missouri City (Tx.) four-star Ja’Kayden Ferguson are intriguing prospects, but it was clear the Hogs needed to add talent in the transfer portal.
So far, the Razorbacks have signed five transfer portal wide receivers. Three of them put together very solid seasons in 2024 for their respective programs, while one — former four-star and Pine Bluff native Courtney Crutchfield — redshirted and the fifth, Ismael Cisse, was a contributor at Stanford.
Arkansas Wide Receiver Production
Note: Courtney Crutchfield is not part of the table, as he did not record any statistics in 2024.
O’Mega Blake (6-foot-2, 180 lbs) began his career at South Carolina, where he spent three seasons and caught 20 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. At Charlotte in 2024, Blake caught five passes for 205 yards and three scores in the Nov. 23 win over Florida Atlantic.
Hailing from Fresno State, Raylen Sharpe (5-foot-9, 165 lbs) is very familiar with Petrino. Sharpe spent 2022-23 at Missouri State, where Petrino was head coach from 2020-22. Sharpe caught 73 passes for 991 yards and seven touchdowns at Missouri State in 2023.
Kam Shanks (5-foot-8, 180 lbs) will more-than-likely be the favorite to return punts after leading the nation with 329 punt return yards and two punt return touchdowns this season. Shanks caught five passes for 31 yards and one score in the Sept. 14 loss at Arkansas.
After being committed to Arkansas for nearly seven months out of high school, Courtney Crutchfield signed with Missouri and redshirted after appearing in just two games in 2024. He was rated by Rivals as the No. 2 overall recruit and No. 1 wide receiver in the state of Arkansas in the 2024 recruiting class.
The latest addition to the class, Cisse signed with the Razorbacks on Monday evening following a visit over the weekend. He logged 381 snaps as a freshman in 2024, per Pro Football Focus. Cisse is a former three-star recruit out of Cherry Creek High School in Englewood, Colorado.
**JOIN THE CONVERSATION WITH ARKANSAS FANS ON THE TROUGH, HAWGBEAT’S PREMIUM MESSAGE BOARD**
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Overshadowed by Arkansas’ 52-point offensive performance was the difficulties the Razorbacks had stopping Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, who scored 29 points on 10-for-20 shooting, including five threes in a 24-point loss against the No. 1 Volunteers.
Now, the Hogs must deal with a quartet of guards against No. 23 Ole Miss. All four can score in the “randomness” of coach Chris Beard’s system. The Rebels’ top four scorers, Sean Pedulla, Jaylen Murray, Matthew Murrell and Dre Davis are all listed as guards and average double figures.
“These guys run motion,” assistant coach Chin Coleman said. “It’s all random and it’s all different and so, while they’re moving and cutting and screening, you’re going to have to guard every kind of screen there is in the game of basketball. That motion is unpredictable. The freedom of movement, cutting, screening. It’s hard to scheme against. It’s hard to scout.”
Arkansas also must contend with an Ole Miss team that wins the turnover battle on both ends of the floor. The Rebels commit the ninth-fewest turnovers in the country (9.3) and are third-best in turnover margin (+7.0).
“We want to stay on the attack and make plays for one another and not have a lot of live-ball turnovers,” Coleman said. “Those are the ones that we can’t defend against. We want to make teams play against our set defense, which is one of the best in the country. If we can do that and not have live ball turnovers, we’ll be fine.”
Tennessee forced the Razorbacks to commit 15 turnovers, picked up 10 steals and turned it into 13 points. Ole Miss ranks fourth in the SEC at 10.2 steals a game.
Tipoff between Ole Miss and Arkansas is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Here are more of the things I would like to see happen in Arkansas in 2025:
I would like to see Arkansas Northeastern College at Blytheville and Arkansas State University at Jonesboro partner to make the former Delta School at Wilson the country’s top training center for those who work…
These are the top 7 issues facing the struggling restaurant industry in 2025
The 25 worst losses in college football history, including Baylor’s 2024 entry at Colorado
The top out-of-contract players available as free transfers: Kimmich, De Bruyne, Van Dijk…
New Orleans attacker had 'remote detonator' for explosives in French Quarter, Biden says
Carter's judicial picks reshaped the federal bench across the country
Who Are the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
Ozempic ‘microdosing’ is the new weight-loss trend: Should you try it?
Ivory Coast says French troops to leave country after decades
