No. 1 Bulldogs finish sixth in Michigan

No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast was in position to challenge for the lead midway through the final round of the prestigious Folds of Honor Challenge on Wednesday.

Then the wheels fell off for the Bulldogs. They played the back nine of the third round 16-over and finished in sixth place, still more than 50 shots ahead of the other two NJCAA Division II teams in the field.

NCAA Division II Grand Valley State, playing on its home course at The Meadows, finished 8-over and held off a determined run by Aurora to claim the title by two strokes and a spot in next year's Folds of Honor Collegiate against top NCAA Division I teams. Grand Valley State is ranked 15^th in the Bushnell Golfweek NCAA Division II Coaches Poll, and Aurora is 10^th in the NAIA poll.

Jayden Owensby (Fr., Hernando/Hernando) tied for sixth at 1-over after seeing his second-round lead slip away. Cal Wier (Fr., Hernando/Lewisburg) tied for 18^th at 6-over, and Craig Bullock (Fr., Ripley /Ripley) shot 1-over in the final round to join teammates Matthew Bond (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) and Paul Hoefer (Fr., Heidelberg, Germany/Kurpfalzgymnasium Mannheim) tied for 30^th at 12-over.

The Bulldogs got off to a slow start again in the final round. They played the first four holes at 17-over for the week, but they were five back at the turn.

Gulf Coast started the long drive back from Allendale, Mich., after the round, and they'll have a short week of prep before starting MACCC play Monday. Northeast Mississippi is hosting the Tiger Invitational, the second conference event at Shiloh Ridge Golf Club in Corinth.

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.