No. 4 MGCCC in 11th after 36
No. 4 Mississippi Gulf Coast didn't ease into the 2023-24 golf campaign. The Bulldogs opened the year at the prestigious Folds of Honor Challenge in Allendale, Mich., and finished the first day in 11th place in a power-packed field.
"Overall, this is definitely the toughest field we'll play against all year," Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. "And it's what I believe will be the toughest golf course we'll play all year. It's a reality check for us."
The 15-team field includes two teams from NCAA Division II's top 10, and the fifth-ranked Division II squad. NJCAA Division I No. 1 Indian Hills is in the field. Gulf Coast is ranked fourth in NJCAA Division II.
No. 7 Grand Valley State (NCAA D-II), playing on its home course, leads the field by five over Wayne State. Gulf Coast led Indian Hills after the first round, but Indian Hills surged to fourth by the end of the long day.
Peyton Russell (Fr., Gautier/Gautier) rebounded from a tough opening stretch and is tied for 11th at 2-over. He shot 4-over on the first four holes before locking in.
Fellow freshman Stanley Campbell (Fr., London, England/Essex Golf College) was 3-under through 27 holes but then struggled on the final nine. Playing as an individual, he's tied for 20th at 4-over.
"I saw a lot of good things out of all three freshmen on this trip," Thornton said. "John Mark (Mills) had a really rough start but battled all day. He really put together a respectable Round 2."
The Bulldogs finished two shots better than they did last year through 36 holes.
"Being one of the higher ranked teams in junior college golf, you can see there is bigger competition out there," Thornton said. "That's why we make this trip up here. It's also the first tournament, so there's a lot of stuff we can build off of. I'm not complete disappointed in today."
The teams will start the final round at The Meadows with an 8:30 am ET shotgun start Monday.
Team scores |
|
| Team | Scores |
|---|---|
| 1. Grand Valley State | 287-282—569 (+1) |
| 2. Wayne State | 280-294—574 (+6) |
| 3. Aurora | 293-288—581 (+13) |
| 4. Indian Hills CC | 301-281—582 (+14) |
| 5. Illinois Wesleyan | 297-288—585 (+17) |
| 6. UT Permian Basin | 293-293—586 (+18) |
| T7. Lee | 298-293—591 (+23) |
| T7. Lawrence Tech | 294-297—591 (+23) |
| 9. Findlay | 300-294—594 (+26) |
| 10. Indianapolis | 317-278—595 (+27) |
| 11. Gulf Coast | 299-301—600 (+32) |
| 12. Davis & Elkins | 301-303—604 (+36) |
| 13. Otterbein | 308-312—620 (+52) |
| 14. Fayetteville State | 303-321—624 (+56) |
| 15. Grand Rapids CC | 329-326—655 (+87) |
MGCCC scores |
|
| Player | Scores |
|---|---|
| T11. Peyton Russell | 74-70—144 (+2) |
| T20. Stanley Campbell* | 71-75—146 (+4) |
| T38. Will Burnham | 71-78—149 (+7) |
| T54. John Mark Mills | 78-75—153 (+11) |
| T62. Andrew Zielinski | 77-78—155 (+13) |
| T62. Jackson Wise | 77-78—155 (+13) |
| * — Playing 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.
