AROEIRA, Portugal – Mississippi State men’s golfer Pedro Cruz Silva claimed his first national title this week. Cruz Silva is the Portuguese National Amateur Champion after shooting 7-under at the Portuguese National Absolute Championships.

He was one of two golfers to never shoot above par across the four-round tournament along with professional champion Pedro Lencart Silva.

Cruz Silva fired rounds of 70, 72, 68 and 71 on the par-72 course. That was made even more impressive by the fact that he nearly didn’t play at all.

“I was in doubt for the tournament because before I had been seven days in a row without touching the clubs, on vacation,” he explained. “Fortunately, they convinced me to participate. I feel I made the right decision, because the title of national amateur champion – which I had been chasing for a long time – means a lot to me.”

The third round was Cruz Silva’s most impressive. He shot five birdies on the back nine to go along with three on the front nine. His 68 (-4) was tied for the third-lowest round by any golfer over the four rounds and trailed only professional champion Lencart Silva’s 6-under 66 and 7-under 65.

Cruz Silva and Mississippi State open the fall portion of the 2022-23 schedule on September 7 at the Frederica Cup in Sea Island, Georgia.

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