No. 1 Bulldogs grab MACCC win
No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast got back in the winner's circle Tuesday, pulling away in the final round of the Jim Redgate Invitational in Meridian. The Bulldogs won by 13 shots over East Central and the host Eagles.
"This was a really important week for us," Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. "Not only getting the win in conference but doing it on Meridian's home course and right off the back doorstep of East Central in Decatur. It's a tough place to win. Any win would be much appreciated, but to win by 13, the guys really stepped it up and were able to finish well."
Gulf Coast shot 1-over in the second round at Briarwood Golf Club, 12 shots better than the Eagles and 10 better than the Warriors.
The Bulldogs were led by Stanley Campbell (So., London, England/Essex Golf College), who shot 3-under to beat East Central's Will Thompson and Meridian's Bruce McClung by a shot. Ludvig Behring (So., Sollentuna, Sweden/Osterakers Gymnasium) joined his teammate on the All-Tournament Team by finishing fourth at 1-under.
Campbell finished sixth in the first two tournaments of the season against national competition. He got off to a scorching start to Tuesday's second round.
"I've been hitting the ball well all week, but I just struggled around the greens yesterday," he said. "I knew if it clicked today, I could go low. I came out quite hot, parred the first hole and made four back-to-back birdies."
A double-bogey on No. 8 didn't derail him, and he birdied 10 and 15 to get home with a 69.
"He's just been paying really solid golf all around," Thornton said. "He had a little shaky finish yesterday but came out and got really hot on the front nine. He made a lot of birdies and really responded well after a mistake on 8."
John Mark Mills (So., Pontotoc/Mike Bender Golf Academy) finished at 4-over for an 11th-place finish, and Peyton Russell (So., Gautier/Gautier) was another shot back tied for 12th.
Gulf Coast has won 11 straight regular-season MACCC events, plus three Region 23 titles and two MACCC championships. The Bulldogs' last loss to conference opposition was in the 2022 MACCC championship.
"We haven't had that spark and coming close two times and not getting it done, the team wasn't low, but we found that spark," Campbell said. "Hopefully we can keep it alight going into the next tournament. I'm proud of the boys, and we're playing some good golf. I hope that's the first of many wins this season."
Team scores |
|
| Team | Scores |
|---|---|
| 1. Gulf Coast | 292-289—581 (+5) |
| T2. East Central | 295-299—594 (+18) |
| T2. Meridian | 293-301—594 (+18) |
| 4. Jones | 305-291—596 (+20) |
| 5. Copiah-Lincoln | 309-299—608 (+32) |
| 6. Northeast Mississippi | 315-298—613 (+37) |
| 7. East Mississippi | 313-306—619 (+43) |
| 8. Hinds | 311-312—623 (+47) |
| 9. Pearl River | 314-317—631 (+55) |
| 10. Northwest Mississippi | 331-323—654 (+78) |
| 11. Southwest Mississippi | 338-326—664 (+88) |
MGCCC scores |
|
| Player | Score |
|---|---|
| 1. Stanley Campbell | 72-69—141 (-3) |
| 4. Ludvig Behring | 70-73—143 (-1) |
| 11. John Mark Mills | 75-73—148 (+4) |
| T12. Peyton Russell | 75-74—149 (+5) |
| T23. Garner Seymour | 75-79—154 (+10) |
| T32. Grayson Lockhart* | 81-77—158 (+14) |
| * — Playing as individual | |
For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
