No. 2 Bulldogs stay in 6th place after 2 rounds
PLYMOUTH, Ind. — No. 2 Mississippi Gulf Coast got off to a horrendous start to the second round of the NJCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship here Wednesday, but the Bulldogs righted the ship and are still alive in the chase for a title.
Gulf Coast shot the fourth-best round of the day, an 8-over 296, and are 12 shots back of Kirkwood in sixth place at Swan Lake Resort's Black Course. That's the same place in the standings and two shots further behind the leader.
"I thought we grinded toward the end of the round and were able to salvage a respectable finish," Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. "I don't think we came out mentally prepared. We gave away a lot of opportunities. Tomorrow is the time to make the adjustment and see if we can make a move and put ourselves with a chance on Friday."
Chase Kaiser (So., Natchez/Cathedral) finished birdie-birdie to get to 2-under for the round. He's tied for sixth at 3-under, five behind Glendale's Warner Beach.
"I don't think anybody got off to the start they wanted," Thornton said, "but for Chase to come in birdieing the last two holes is great."
Alessio Graziani (So., Johannesburg, South Africa/Beaulieu College) is tied for 21st at 3-over after shooting 77. Will Burnham (Fr., Jackson/Jackson Prep) shot 73 to move up 24 spots on the leaderboard.
Gulf Coast was 8-over after the first four holes, but played the final 14 at even-par. Kaiser eagled No. 5 and Burnham birdied it to jump-start the revival. The Bulldogs had 11 birdies and that eagle down the stretch.
The third round in 72-hole events is traditionally known as moving day, and Gulf Coast will need to do some moving on Thursday. Temperatures are expected to cool off a little in Plymouth.
"The wind picked up and the conditions were tough today," Thornton said. "I hope it's the same way the next two days because I think that suits us best for what we're trying to accomplish."
Team scores |
|
| Team | Scores |
|---|---|
| 1. Kirkwood | 284-291—575 (-1) |
| 2. Parkland | 283-295—578 (+2) |
| 3. South Mountain | 281-300—581 (+5) |
| 4. Roane State | 285-297—582 (+6) |
| 5. Walters State | 293-293—586 (+10) |
| 6. Gulf Coast | 291-296—587 (+11) |
| T7. Glendale | 299-298—597 (+21) |
| T7. Des Moines Area | 292-305—597 (+21) |
| T7. Heartland | 287-310—597 (+21) |
| 10. Meridian | 297-303—600 (+24) |
| 11. Cleveland State | 293-313—606 (+30) |
| 12. Iowa Lakes | 304-303—607 (+31) |
| 13. Alexandria Tech | 304-304—608 (+32) |
| 14. Northeast Mississippi | 308-301—609 (+33) |
| 15. Illinois Central | 316-308—624 (+48) |
| 16. Seminole State | 315-311—626 (+50) |
| T17. Grand Rapids | 314-319—633 (+57) |
| T17. Highland | 308-325—633 (+57) |
| 19. Muskegon | 317-317—634 (+58) |
| 20. Murray State | 320-319—639 (+63) |
| 21. Black Hawk | 326-320—646 (+70) |
| 22. Glen Oaks | 330-341—671 (+95) |
MGCCC scores |
|
| Player | Score |
|---|---|
| T6. Chase Kaiser | 71-70—141 (-3) |
| T21. Alessio Graziani | 70-77—147 (+3) |
| T33. Will Burnham | 76-73—149 (+5) |
| T72. Andrew Zielinski | 77-79—156 (+12) |
| —. Jackson Wise | 74-XX |
| —. Kyle Davidson | XX-76 |
For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
