MACJC Golf Season Tees Off Sunday

Gabe Ahlers is one of several freshmen on the 2013 golf team.

It’s said, “statistics don’t lie.”

In the case of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College golf team, the stats speak for themselves; five straight Region 23 titles, three straight MACJC titles (four in the past five years), a 2012 sweep of all six MACJC regular season events, and a best ever fifth place finish at the 2012 NJCAA D-II Tournament.

That begs the question…how can the 2013 squad top that?

Gulf Coast golf coach Tommy Snell hopes his new crop of talented freshmen and returning sophomore Brad Thornton can provide that answer on the course.

“This is the most tournament ready team we’ve had since I’ve been here,” said Snell. All these kids have been very active junior golfers and have played in lots of tournaments. They’re competitive already, and that should work well for our program.”

Thornton, a George County native, was Low Medalist at the 2012 MACJC Tournament and was an Honorable Mention NJCAA All-American. He’ll be helped by fellow sophomore Lewis Maples and incoming freshmen Jake Pritchard (Angie, LA) Patrick Dickson (Mount Olive), Gabe Ahlers (Hancock), Hayes Weathersby (Poplarville), Corey Connell (St. Louis), and Adam Ham (Columbia, MS).

“The new kids are excited about being at Gulf Coast and helping us continue our legacy,” Snell added.

The MACJC golf season will tee off Sunday and Monday at Diamondhead’s Pine Course with ten teams vying for the first trophy of the year.

Thronton (MGCCC) and Chad Cupples (Northwest) lead a conference that continues to develop players for four-year schools each year. “The conference improves and becomes more competitive every year,” added conference president Snell. Four of the ten MACJC teams were represented at the championship.

Ten teams will compete in the 36-hole event Sunday and Monday beginning at 8:30 AM each day. Teams will play in five conference tournaments and the MACJC State Golf Championship slated for Dixie Golf Club in Laurel, MS on April 14-15. Five teams will advance to the NJCAA Region XXIII Championship April 22-23 at Dancing Rabbit Azalea in Philadelphia, MS. The NJCAA National Championship will be held at Goose Pond Colony in Scottsboro, AL May 21-24.