No. 3 Bulldogs win by 1 after strong finish
No. 3 Mississippi Gulf Coast closed out the regular season Tuesday with a hard charge to win the Lou Hart Invitational in Meridian. Paul Hoefer made birdie on the final hole to get the victory, and Jayden Owensby went to a playoff for medalist as the Bulldogs chased down the host Eagles to pick up an MACCC victory.
"That was a really, really big team win for the guys today," Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. "We had kinds of success at different points throughout the tournament, but you need to come down the stretch and finish the way we did. That was really nice."
Gulf Coast finished at 9-over for the 36-hole event at Northwood Country Club, one shot better than No. 8 Meridian and five ahead of Hinds. It was the team's fourth win of the season, all coming in conference events.
Owensby, a freshman from Hernando, started the day with a five-shot lead, but was 6-over through 13 holes on Tuesday. He birdied three straight starting at No. 15 to earn his way into a playoff with Meridian's Daniel Young. Young won on the second hole.
"He gave himself an opportunity after a slow start," Thornton said. "The team as a whole has had issues with slow starts, and I've gotta fix that or come up with something different. He battled back and birdied three of his last four to get into a playoff and give himself an opportunity. It's really a testament to the hard work he puts in. The more opportunities he gives himself, the more chances he's gonna have to win."
Hoefer, a freshman from Heidelberg, Germany, finished birdie-birdie, beating the Meridian player in his threesome by two shots to get Gulf Coast in front. He, too, got off to a slow start and was 4-over on his first eight holes, but made five birdies after and six for the day to get to even-par for the round.
Logan Jensen (Fr., Diamondhead/Hancock) shot 1-under 70 for the low round of the day for the Bulldogs and finished tied for 19th.
Noah Peters (Fr., London, England/Croxley Dane's School), playing as an individual, got his first hole-in-one. He used an 8-iron on the 102-yard 13th hole.
Gulf Coast will play in the MACCC Championship starting April 13. The 36-hole event will be played over two days at The Club at Ole Brook in Brookhaven.
For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
