No. 1 Bulldogs lead Tommy Snell Invitational
BILOXI — No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast took over the lead in the second round of the Tommy Snell Invitational on Wednesday, and the Bulldogs head into the final 18 with a six-shot lead over No. 8 Meridian.
Paul Hoefer (Fr., Heidelberg, Germany/Kurpfalzgymnasium Mannheim) and Matthew Bond (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) are tied for fourth at 2-over 142, one shot off Northeast Mississippi's Olof Behle, Hinds' Stephen Faucheaux and East Mississippi's Pelayo Castillo Alonso.
The 54-hole tournament, named in honor of the former Gulf Coast golf coach, is being played at Sunkist Country Club.
"I was pretty pleased with how we responded in the second 18," Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. "We just really didn't get any putts to fall on the first 18, and they grinded out a competitive score. We've got a lot of guys in contention tomorrow individually, and we're in a good spot as a team, so we'll see what happens."
Hoefer shot back-to-back 71s, and Bond rebounded from a 74 in the first round to shoot a 68, tied for the best round of the day. He's playing as an individual.
Logan Jensen (Fr., Diamondhead/Hancock) also shot 68 in the second round to help Gulf Coast post a 1-under 279. Jayden Owensby (Fr., Hernando/Hernando) and Craig Bullock (Fr., Ripley /Ripley) shot identical rounds of 73-71, joined by Cal Wier (Fr., Hernando/Lewisburg) in a ninth-place tie. Wier carded a 1-under to move up the standings.
Gulf Coast has five golfers in the top-15 of the non-MACCC event.
"We definitely have the depth and some consistency to compete," Thornton said. "We would obviously like to see a couple guys rise to the top and set themselves apart, but I keep having to remind myself, this is their ninth college tournament as all freshmen. With more experience will come better results, but you can't ask for much more as a team."
The tournament concludes Thursday, with a third-round shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.
Team scores |
|
| Team | Scores |
|---|---|
| 1. Gulf Coast | 292-279—571 (+11) |
| 2. Meridian | 289-288—577 (+17) |
| 3. Pearl River | 295-293—588 (+28) |
| 4. East Central | 297-292—589 (+29) |
| 5. Jones College | 292-298—590 (+30) |
| 6. Northeast Mississippi | 293-298—591 (+31) |
| 7. Itawamba | 291-303—594 (+34) |
| 8. Copiah-Lincoln | 296-299—595 (+35) |
| 9. Northwest Mississippi | 296-301—597 (+37) |
| T10. Hinds | 303-298—601 (+41) |
| T11. Southwest Mississippi | 314-301—615 (+55) |
| T11. East Mississippi | 311-304—615 (+55) |
MGCCC scores |
|
| Player | Scores |
|---|---|
| T4. Paul Hoefer | 71-71—142 (+2) |
| T4. Matthew Bond (IND) | 74-68—142 (+2) |
| T9. Jayden Owensby | 73-71—144 (+4) |
| T9. Craig Bullock | 73-71—144 (+4) |
| T9. Cal Wier | 75-69—144 (+4) |
| 20. Logan Jensen | 76-68—146 (+6) |
| T40. Braeden Dobbs (IND) | 73-80—153 (+13) |
| T40. Noah Peters (IND) | 79-74—153 (+13) |
| T40. Chandon Johnson (IND) | 78-75—153 (+13) |
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