LAKEWOOD, Colorado -- Midwestern State opens the 2021-22 campaign with the 54-hole Bob Writz Invitational Monday and Tuesday at Bear Creek Golf Club.

The Mustangs competed in continuous play for two rounds on Monday before closing the tournament with a single round on Tuesday.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1 |  Midwestern State faces a strong 14-team field in the season opening competition including three teams receiving mention in the Bushnell Golf/Golfweek Coaches' preseason poll. Colorado State-Pueblo is ranked 22nd, while Colorado School of Mines and Dallas Baptist were receiving votes. The field also includes Colorado Christian, UC-Colorado Springs, Regis, South Dakota School of Mines, Colorado Mesa, Fort Lewis, Westminster, UT Permian Basin, West Texas A&M and Lubbock Christian.

2 |  Midwestern State opens the season outside of the State of Texas for just the second time in the program's 16-year history this week at the Bob Writz Invitational in Lakewood, Colo. The Mustangs finished tied for ninth in a 22-team field at the 2015 NCAA Division II Preview held at Grand Valley Ranch Golf Course in Denver. MSU was led by Thomas Smith (T20th), Will Mullins (T34th) and Colton Dorion (T39th).

3 |  Midwestern State finished amongst the top three on the team leader board four times in its previous 15 season openers. The Mustangs closed the 2018 Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational played at La Paloma Golf Course in Amarillo with a runner-up showing and is coming off of third-place finish last season in the LSC-RMAC Shootout at Butterfield Trail Golf Club in El Paso. MSU also finished third in back-to-back seasons at ACU's Charles Coody West Texas Invitational in 2009 and 2010 at Diamondback Golf Club.

4 |  Midwestern State boast first-place individual finishes in each of its last two season starters. Garrett Leek won the LSC-RMAC Shootout with a sensation 13-under 203 last season at Butterfield Trail Golf Club. The Brock native notched scores of 68, 68 and 67 on the way to a seven-stroke win. Jake Doggett tied for first at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational at the Tascosa Country Club, but losing a playoff to Oklahoma Christian's Andres Brictson. Doggett marked scores of 70, 69 and 66 to finish with an 8-under 205.

5 |  Senior Jake Doggett carries the No. 1 bag into the season opening Bob Writz Invitational as a two-time GCAA/PING All American and a three-time first-team All-Lone Star Conference performer and was the league's player of the year in 2019. Transfer Jake Leatherwood is on the No. 2 bag. Leatherwood was a top junior college golfer at Western Texas College enjoying seven Top 10 finishes in 17 tournaments before competing last season at Division I McNeese State. Garrett Leek, a GCAA/PING All-American and LSC Player of the Year in 2021, carries the No. 3 bag. He posted a program record low season stroke average at 70.89 with 19 par-or-better rounds and nine scores in the 60s. Freshman Ryan Hailey makes his debut for the Mustangs carrying the No. 4 bag. Hailey led Mansfield High School to four district golf championships and finished 11th at the 2021 UIL Texas Class 6A Championships in 2021. Junior Mason Mikeska carries the No. 5 bag into the opener after claiming the Sooner Athletic Conference individual title last season at Oklahoma City University.