MGCCC’s De Los Santos headed to PGA event

Mississippi Gulf Coast sophomore golfer Danny De Los Santos is headed to Florida this weekend to participate in a PGA event.

He'll be part of the field at the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla. More than 230 men and women are expected to compete in the three-day event, which starts Friday.

"I'm looking forward to the level of competition," he said. "I know there's going to be 50 teams out there. I think it will be a great experience for me. I've never been out to Florida before, so it'll be all new."

De Los Santos, part of the powerhouse Bulldogs team that has won the MACJC and Region 23 championships already this year, will be one of only two community college players participating. He'll be playing as an individual, joining Meridian's Luther Thompson.

Teams from minority-serving institutions are playing, and as a Hispanic-American, De Los Santos, who is from Lancaster, Texas, qualifies to play. His mother was born in Mexico, and his dad was born in Texas with Mexican roots.

He averaged 74.93 strokes per round in 27 rounds this year for Gulf Coast. De Los Santos has signed a scholarship to play at St. Gregory's University in Shawnee, Okla.

"I'm really looking forward to playing with them," he said. "It feels like the right school for me. It's not too big and the golf team is really good. It's going to be awesome. I'm really looking forward it."

Gulf Coast golf coach Tommy Snell has seen one of the courses that will be used, and thinks it sets up well for De Los Santos. It requires accuracy off the tee, which fits his game.

Snell said he's seen De Los Santos at the driving range every time he's been out there the last two weeks, and that he's got a good chance to do well at the PGA event.

So does De Los Santos.

"I think I'll stack up just fine," he said. "I think I can actually win this event if I just play to my full potential. I think I can take this whole deal."