MGCCC golf team takes aim at NJCAA national Tournament

MGCCC Golf Coach Tommy Snell helps Colin McNamara line up a putt during a practice session earlier this season.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College golf coach Tommy Snell wasn’t sure what to expect from his 2009 squad which includes only three sophomores and eight freshmen.

What he got was outstanding play from a team that chalked up a 4-1 MACJC tournament record in the regular season and scored the college’s second straight Region 23 Championship.

“Last year was the first time we won the Region title as a Division II college,” Snell said. “So that makes it the first time we’ve won back-to-back titles, so we’re very excited. We thought we were the best team and the deepest team.”

Other than their second place finish at the MACJC State Tournament in 30 degree weather in Starkville last month, 2009 has been all about the Bulldogs on the links.

“The guys were resilient,” Snell added. “They came back after state and played well.”

Freshman Richie Williams earned the Hubert Tucker Award, an honor that goes to the state’s best golfer in terms of scoring average during the 2009 season. Williams, a freshman from Wiggins, finished the 2009 regular season with a 72.80 per-round average and helped lead Gulf Coast to victories in four out of the five MACJC events. He’s also the second Gulf Coast golfer to earn the award after Stone Thames took home the honor in 2008.

Williams, along with Bulldog golfer Nic Ishee (75.40), earned MACJC First-Team All-State honors, while Corey Ward (75.80) and Michael Wilkinson (75.88) garnered Second-team All-State recognition.

“Richie’s maturation process has been phenomenal,” Snell said.

At the Region 23 Tournament, Williams fired rounds of 72-74-146 to beat teammate Corey Ward (148) by two shots, while Nic Ishee finished tied for third. Williams, Ward, and Ishee were All-Region honorees while Snell was named Region 23 Coach of the Year.

Now it’s time to get ready for the NJCAA Division II National Tournament May 19-22 at the 6955-yard Goose Pond Colony Golf Course in Scottsboro, AL. Earlier this season Gulf Coast, currently ranked No. 13 in the latest NJCAA poll, finished eighth at the annual Goose Pond Spring Fling Tournament. The Bulldogs annually play in events at that venue; a fact that has Snell cautiously optimistic about is team’s chances.

“We’ve really got a good chance of finishing in the top five,” he said. “Our goal is to win it, but anytime you can be a top five team at a national tournament…that’s outstanding. Corey Ward has played well there in the past, so we’re looking for him to be our sophomore leader when we go up there. The guys are familiar with the course, and right now they’re swings are in good shape. We’ll get there a few days early to get ready.”