MGCCC golf team gears up for Fall Invitational

The MGCCC 2012-13 golf team (from left to right): Adam Ham, Jake "Bubba" Pritchard, Lewis Maples, Brad Thornton, Tommy Snell, Hayes Weathersby, Corey Connell, Patrick Dickson, Gabe Ahlers

Defending NJCAA D-II National Champion and 2008 MGCCC Fall Invitational winner South Mountain Community College will compete in the 2012 MGCCC Hilton Garden Inn Fall Invitational scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, October 29-30 at Windance Country Club. Twelve teams from NJCAA D-I, D-II and NAIA are slated to contend for the title. Jake Argento and Michael Grenz from South Mountain, Gulf Coast’s Hayes Weathersby and T J Morgan of Meridian, the 2nd, 3rd, 11th and 18th respectively ranked JUCO players in the world will be in the field of 70 golfers.

Gulf Coast’s roster includes seven freshman and one sophomore. Coach Snell likes arigorous fall schedule, “We keep improving each week, and that’s what these fall events are all about. We’ve competed against several top-ranked NJCAA D-I teams already this fall, and now we’ll meet the No 1 D-II team in the nation. That’s what we like. We want to play against the best.” Freshman Hayes Weathersby of Poplarville has finished 3rd and 4th respectively in his first two events and sports a Golftat 71.93 scoring average. NJCAA All-American sophomore Brad Thornton hasstarted slowly this season, but his qualifying scores leading up to the event have shown signs of his 2011-2012 form. Freshman Jake Pritchard has played solidly and has the third lowest scoring average on the team.

Gulf Coast will close its fall season in Alexander City November 12-13 at the Central Alabama Willow Point Fall Invitational. The Bulldogs have won five straight NJCAA Region XXIII Championships and finished 5th in the 2012 NationalChampionship at Swan Lake Resort in Indiana. Goose Pond Colony Golf Club in Scottsboro, AL will host the 2013 championship.