No. 9 Bulldogs win by 39 shots in Meridian
No. 9 Mississippi Gulf Coast had a big lead heading into Tuesday's final round of the Meridian Fall Invitational, and the Bulldogs only expanded it to claim their third MACCC event in as many tries this season.
Gulf Coast had six golfers in the top 10 finishers to crush the field, beating second-place Meridian by 39 shots. No. 7 Meridian, the hosts at Briarwood Golf Club, was another shot back in third.
"The goal today was to win today's round," Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. "We did that, but I don't think we did it with our best stuff. Those learning experiences are much better spent on days where you still win."
Will Burnham (Fr., Jackson/Jackson Prep) shot a second straight 74 to finish at 4-over. He claimed second place, two shots behind Copiah-Lincoln's Alex Navarro.
Gulf Coast's Alessio Graziani (So., Johannesburg, South Africa/Beaulieu College) was third another shot back, with Chase Kaiser (So., Natchez/Cathedral) and Kyle Davidson (Fr., Kyalami, South Africa/St. Peter's College) tied for fourth. They each shot 72-78, with Davidson playing as an individual whose score didn't count toward the team total.
Andrew Zielinski (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) finished at 8-over in sixth place, and Jackson Wise (Fr., Pontotoc/North Pontotoc) tied for eighth.
"Will just stayed consistent," Thornton said. "He hit the ball a little bit better today, although he didn't quite get as many putts to fall, but he was able to score well. We had a couple of guys who had a chance to win the tournament today, but unfortunately that didn't happen."
Gulf Coast finished off a sweep of fall MACCC events in Meridian. The Bulldogs host the MGCCC Fall Invitational, a non-conference event, on Oct. 24-25 at Windance Golf Club.
"We're looking forward to getting back and prepping to host our event at Windance," Thornton said. "We're excited to come out of Meridian with the win."
Team scores |
|
| Team | Score |
|---|---|
| 1. Gulf Coast | 291-308—599 (+23) |
| 2. East Mississippi | 325-313—638 (+62) |
| 3. Meridian | 327-312—639 (+63) |
| 4. Copiah-Lincoln | 326-317—643 (+67) |
| T5. East Central | 324-321—645 (+69) |
| T5. Pearl River | 317-328—645 (+69) |
| 7. Itawamba | 323-329—652 (+76) |
| 8. Northeast Mississippi | 333-339—672 (+96) |
| 9. Hinds | 348-337—685 (+109) |
| 10. Jones | 358-344—702 (+126) |
| 11. Southwest Mississippi | 384-350—734 (+158) |
MGCCC scores |
|
| Player | Score |
|---|---|
| 2. Will Burnham | 74-74—148 (+4) |
| 3. Alessio Graziani | 70-79—149 (+5) |
| T4. Chase Kaiser | 72-78—150 (+6) |
| T4. Kyle Davidson* | 72-78—150 (+6) |
| 6. Andrew Zielinski | 75-77—152 (+8) |
| T8. Jackson Wise | 77-80—157 (+13) |
| T15. Kemit Spears* | 78-81—159 (+15) |
| * — Played as individual | |
For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
