No. 1 Bulldogs power to fourth straight win
SAUCIER — No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast flexed some bundled-up muscles Tuesday, coasting to a 22-shot win at the MGCCC Fall Invitational.
It was a cold, wet and windy day at Windance Country Club that ended with two teams of Bulldogs finishing in the top three. The Gulf Coast B team with its second five golfers beat out all but the A team and Roane State in the 18-team field.
"I was very, very pleased with both teams out there today," Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. "With the conditions deteriorating so fast, it was cold and very windy. It was nothing like we've played in this semester. We got off to a slow start but were able to make some birdies on the back nine. We showed a lot of fight and pretty much put the tournament away there."
Gulf Coast shot 24-over in the 36-hole event to beat Roane State, from Tennesee. The B team was just three shots off finishing second, edging Loyola-New Orleans, an NAIA school.
Will Burnham (So., Jackson/Jackson Prep) led Gulf Coast with a 3-over finish, shooting a 1-over 73 on a blustery day. He finished second, three strokes behind East Central's Will Thompson.
"Will played pretty consistent today," Thornton said. "A few bogies and a few birdies, and he had some opportunities on the back nine to make a push for the individual title. He wasn't able to capitalize on a few putts, but that's a solid round."
Kyle Davidson (So., Kyalami, South Africa/St. Peter's College) led the B team with a 4-over score, tying for third.
Andrew Zielinski (So., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) was sixth at 5-over, with Peyton Russell (Fr., Gautier/Gautier) trying for ninth at 9-over.
It was the Bulldogs' final event of the fall semester. Gulf Coast will host its next event, too, the Gulf Coast Invitational. It will be played Feb. 5-6 at Diamondhead Golf Club.
"I truly believe this team is the best team in the country," Thornton said. "Ultimately when we tee it up in the spring and in the postseason, we have to prove it day in and day out. I've got the utmost confidence in these guys that they can put together another great semester and we'll see where we fall in May."
Team scores |
|
| Team | Scores |
|---|---|
| 1. Gulf Coast | 292-296-300—888 (+24) |
| 2. Roane State | 295-304-311—910 (+46) |
| 3. Gulf Coast (B) | 309-297-307—913 (+49) |
| 4. Loyola-New Orleans | 305-302-308—915 (+51) |
| 5. Central Alabama | 290-304-324—918 (+54) |
| 6. Wallace State | 311-296-314—921 (+57) |
| T7. Calhoun | 302-310-312—924 (+60) |
| T7. East Central | 305-307-312—924 (+60) |
| 9. Copiah-Lincoln | 305-320-308—933 (+69) |
| 10. Murray State | 309-321-305—935 (+71) |
| 11. Meridian | 308-313-315—936 (+72) |
| 12. Jones | 307-311-320—938 (+74) |
| 13. Northeast Mississippi | 321-311-313—945 (+81) |
| 14. East Mississippi | 308-316-331—955 (+91) |
| 15. Coastal Alabama | 325-320-316—961 (+97) |
| 16. Andrew | 319-321-324—964 (+100) |
| 17. Jefferson State | 323-321-322—966 (+102) |
| 18. Itawamba | 327-327-337—991 (+127) |
MGCCC scores |
|
| Player | Scores |
|---|---|
| 2. Will Burnham | 70-76-73—219 (+3) |
| T3. Kyle Davidson* | 72-72-76—220 (+4) |
| 6. Andrew Zielinski | 73-72-76—221 (+5) |
| T9. Peyton Russell | 74-73-78—225 (+9) |
| T18. Ludvig Behring* | 79-72-77—228 (+12) |
| T20. Stanley Campbell | 75-81-73—229 (+13) |
| T25. John Mark Mills | 78-75-78—231 (+15) |
| T36. Jackson Wise* | 79-78-78—235 (+19) |
| T47. Garner Seymour* | 81-75-81—237 (+21) |
| T58. Mateo Jimenez* | 79-85-76—240 (+24) |
| * — B Team | |
For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
