No. 1 Bulldogs lead by 5 at Meridian

Battling a good team on its home course in challenging weather conditions made for an adventurous first round for No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast, but the Bulldogs handled everything well in the first round of the Lou Hart Invitational in Meridian.

Gulf Coast shot even-par Monday to lead over the No. 8 Eagles at Northwood Country Club.

"I thought we played pretty well," Bulldogs coach Brad Thornton said. "Obviously, it's going to be tough to compete against a good team like Meridian on their home course, but to have a five-shot lead means we did what we needed to do to win the day. Hopefully, we can do the same tomorrow."

Will Burnham (So., Jackson/Jackson Prep) and Jackson Wise (So., Pontotoc/North Pontotoc) fired 2-under and are tied for second, a shot back of Meridian's Dawson Hester who shot 68.

Stanley Campbell (Fr., London, England/Essex Golf College), playing as an individual, is fourth at even-par. Peyton Russell (Fr., Gautier/Gautier) is 1-over tied for fifth.

Rain is expected overnight, but the conditions at Northwood should be more favorable Tuesday. The 11 teams in the field will tee off in a 10 a.m. shotgun start.

"We had pretty regular 30, 35 mph gusts," Thornton said. "The wind stayed going pretty strong all day. Luckily, the course is in absolutely fantastic shape. We're really excited to be on a track like that. I think the guys were able to adjust to the conditions and we were able to post a good team number."

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