No. 1 Bulldogs win again
No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast regular-season romp is over, and the Bulldogs finished with nine straight victories after running away from the Lou Hart Invitational field Tuesday.
The Bulldogs shot 5-under in the final round to win by 26 shots over No. 7 East Central. No. 8 Meridian, which hosted the event at Northwood County Club, was another three shots back.
"I could not be more proud of the team's performance today," Thornton said. "Having the depth we do, their ability to play so consistent is great. This group of sophomores has never lost to a junior college team in the regular season. That's a tremendous accomplishment. We are ready to take this momentum into postseason."
The Bulldogs brought eight golfers to Meridian, and they combined to shoot 1-under in the second round.
Jackson Wise (So., Pontotoc/North Pontotoc) rolled in a 40-foot putt on 18 to edge teammate Will Burnham (So., Jackson/Jackson Prep) for medalist by one shot. Wise shot consecutive 69s to finish at 4-under.
Burnham shot 1-under Tuesday, as did Peyton Russell, who finished third, and Kyle Davidson (So., Kyalami, South Africa/St. Peter's College), who finished fifth. John Mark Mills (Fr., Pontotoc/Mike Bender Golf Academy) also shot 1-under and finished tied for 15th. Garner Seymour (Fr., Biloxi/Biloxi) rebounded from a first-round 84 to shoot 72, and Stanley Campbell (Fr., London, England/Essex Golf College) and Andrew Zielinski (So., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) shot 73s.
It was Wise's first win as a collegian.
"Since he's been here on campus, he's been everything a coach can ask for," Thornton said. "A reliable leader who works hard every day. I'm so proud he finally broke through."
Gulf Coast will head into the MACCC Championship on April 8-9 having won all five conference events it played in. The postseason starts at Tunica National Golf Club.
The Gulf District Championship will be played at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club in Philadelphia on April 22-24.
Team scores |
|
| Team | Score |
|---|---|
| 1. Gulf Coast | 284-279—563 (-5) |
| 2. East Central | 298-291—589 (+21) |
| 3. Meridian | 289-303—592 (+24) |
| 4. Jones | 305-299—604 (+36) |
| 4. Northeast Mississippi | 302-302—604 (+36) |
| 6. Copiah-Lincoln | 306-305—611 (+43) |
| 7. Hinds | 318-297—615 (+47) |
| 8. East Mississippi | 322-301—623 (+55) |
| 9. Southwest Mississippi | 311-313—624 (+56) |
| 10. Itawamba | 322-314—636 (+68) |
| 11. Pearl River | 364-341—705 (+137) |
MGCCC scores |
|
| Player | Score |
|---|---|
| 1. Jackson Wise | 69-69—138 (-4) |
| 2. Will Burnham | 69-70—139 (-3) |
| T3. Peyton Russell | 72-70—142 (E) |
| T5. Kyle Davidson* | 73-70—143 (+1) |
| 7. Stanley Campbell* | 71-73—144 (+2) |
| T12. Andrew Zielinski | 74-73—147 (+5) |
| T15. John Mark Mills | 78-70—148 (+6) |
| T34. Garner Seymour* | 84-72—156 (+14) |
| * — 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.
