No. 1 Bulldogs play for MACCC title this week
PERKINSTON — No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast will be shooting for their second straight MACCC Championship starting Monday when the 11 teams from the conference tee it up in Tunica.
The Bulldogs, undefeated in the last 13 tournaments against conference competition, are playing at Tunica National Golf Club in the 36-hole event over two days.
"It's a different golf course," Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. "There are no trees on the golf course, and it's exposed to the wind. It's a big golf course. It can be stretched out pretty long. The greens are really slick. It'll be a challenge, and there won't be an accidental winner."
Thornton stresses competition throughout the preparation for a tournament. There were qualifying spots in play up until Friday, the day before they headed up to the Delta.
Will Burnham (So., Jackson/Jackson Prep), Andrew Zielinski (So., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs), Peyton Russell (Fr., Gautier/Gautier), Jackson Wise (So., Pontotoc/North Pontotoc) and Stanley Campbell (Fr., London, England/Essex Golf College) are the five-man team, with John Mark Mills (Fr., Pontotoc/Mike Bender Golf Academy) making the trip as a substitute.
Gulf Coast won eight times last season in MACCC and district events and five times this year.
"The sophomore class has taken it well, especially with the streak we have going in conference," Thornton said. "They're really proud of that, and I'm excited for them, but ultimately we have that goal of still being ranked No. 1 at the end of May."
Six teams, including host East Central, will make it to the Gulf District Championship on April 22-24. It will be played at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club in Philadelphia.
The national championship is May 21-24 at Twin Hills Country Club in Joplin, Mo.
Follow this week's results at https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournament-leaderboard/232463/scoring/team.
For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
