No. 1 Gulf Coast wins 3rd MACCC event
No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast won its third straight MACCC tournament of the season Tuesday, expanding its lead over No. 8 Meridian to win the Pearl River Invitational.
The Bulldogs flexed their deep roster's muscles and were 12 shots better in the final round, posting a score of 13-under to win by 24 at Diamondhead Country Club.
"It was the same story as yesterday," Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. "We played very consistently. I told them that was probably the most consistent tournament that I've ever been a part of, especially to have all the guys playing. We had eight guys finish inside the top 15 so that tells us that we got some depth."
Paul Hoefer (Fr., Heidelberg, Germany/Kurpfalzgymnasium Mannheim) finished second with an even-par 144. He was one shot behind Meridian's Dax Reaux.
"He just had a bad break on 4," Thornton said. "His ball got out of bounds on him, and he made triple bogey, but he responded really well. He got himself back into the golf tournament coming down the stretch. A couple of putts didn't fall in his favor, but to come so close to getting it done, he'll have that opportunity later on this year, I'm sure."
Cal Wier (Fr., Hernando/Lewisburg) joined them on the All-Tournament Team by tying for Tuesday's low round with a 71.
"Cal played extremely well," Thornton said. "Coming back in the spring, he's been one of the leaders at the top of the scoring in qualifying, and it showed today and yesterday in the tournament. He gave himself a shot."
Jayden Owensby (Fr., Hernando/Hernando) and Braeden Dobbs (Fr., Fulton/Itawamba AHS) finished tied for seventh at 5-over, and Craig Bullock (Fr., Ripley /Ripley) earned a top-10 finish at 7-over.
The Bulldogs will host a non-conference tournament Feb. 25-26. The Tommy Snell Invitational will be played at Sunkist Country Club in Biloxi. The next MACCC event is in early March.
Team scores |
|
| Team | Score |
|---|---|
| 1. Gulf Coast | 294-295—589 (+13) |
| 2. Meridian | 306-307—613 (+37) |
| 3. East Central | 316-300—616 (+40) |
| 4. Jones | 316-307—623 (+47) |
| 5. Itawamba | 321-309—630 (+54) |
| 6. Hinds | 314-317—631 (+55) |
| 7. Northwest Mississippi | 324-320—644 (+68) |
| 8. East Mississippi | 332-320—652 (+76) |
| 9. Pearl River | 337-317—654 (+78) |
| 10. Copiah-Lincoln | 338-322—660 (+84) |
| 11. Northeast Mississippi | 325-338—663 (+87) |
| 12. Southwest Mississippi | 346-357—703 (+127) |
MGCCC scores |
|
| Player | Score |
|---|---|
| 2. Paul Hoefer | 70-74—144 (E) |
| 3. Cal Wier | 74-71—145 (+1) |
| T7. Jayden Owensby | 75-74—149 (+5) |
| T7. Braeden Dobbs (IND) | 76-73—149 (+5) |
| 10. Craig Bullock | 75-76—151 (+7) |
| T11. Noah Peters (IND) | 76-76—152 (+8) |
| T13. Matthew Bond | 78-76—154 (+10) |
| T15. Logan Jensen (IND) | 78-77—155 (+11) |
| T64. Chandon Johnson (IND) | 92-89—181 (+37) |
For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
