VERO BEACH, Fla. – Closing out the fall on a high note, the Michigan State men’s golf finish tied for first at the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational at the Quail Valley Golf Club in Vero Beach, Fla. The Spartans (289-276-283) tied North Texas with matching 16-under scores of 848.

This is the second-straight tournament win after capturing the title at the Fossum Memorial in Benton Harbor, Mich., on Oct. 6.

“I am proud of this group; they’ve come a long ways. Today was kind of a rough spot to be in with a one shot lead, a lot of chasers. They had some bad moments, but in the end we just kept fighting and working and got ourselves a win out of it,” MSU head coach Casey Lubahn said. “It is a great, great step forward for us.”

The final round between the Spartans and North Texas (290-276-282) was back and forth. The Mean Green shot a 282 in the final round on Tuesday, but MSU took a one-shot lead into the final round.

Thomas Rosemueller of North Texas captured medalist honors with a 12-under 204 (70-63-71). Jacksonville’s Franck Medale and Memphis’ Lars Van Meijel tied for runner-up honors both shoot a 10-under 206.

Senior Mitch Rutledge continued his solid senior campaign, finishing tied for sixth with a 4-under 212 (75-68-69). Rutledge has finished in the top six three times this season. Three of the five Spartans finished in the top 12.

Juniors Charlie Netzel and Gareth Lappin tied for 11th, carding 2-under 214. Netzel (72-70-72) had the second-lowest score of the day for MSU, while Lappin ended the day with a third-round 73.

Junior Josh Heinze continues to impress in his first season as a Spartan. He finished tied for 17 with an even 216 (75-72-69). In just three tournaments this season, Heinze has already posted three rounds under 70. Junior Sam Weatherhead came in tied for 21st with a 1-over 217 (70-69-78).

“It feels good to kind of go into our off-season knowing that we go a lot better, also knowing that there is still room to grow. These guys are excited about it; excited to get back. They are already talking about spring, so it is always good to finish the fall on a high note,” Lubahn said. “This was the true definition of a team win. Everybody contributed a big moment.”

Michigan State will take an extended break and return to action at the Big Ten Match Play Championship Feb. 12-13 in Palm Coast, Fla.