No. 4 Gulf Coast headed back to NJCAAs

PERKINSTON — No. 4 Mississippi Gulf Coast's golfers have gone home since the academic year ended, so the Bulldogs have been on their own to prepare for next week's NJCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship.

That doesn't mean they've been slacking, even with all the rain that's been in the area.

"They call me or text me every day, and they're practicing," Gulf Coast coach Tommy Snell said. "We've had to go to different places that have been open. That tells me they're focused, they're ready, they're working hard and know it's an important tournament."

The team left Friday for the two-day drive to Plymouth, Ind. The four-day tournament starts Tuesday at Swan Lake Resort, which has been a frequent host of the tournament. The Bulldogs finished third in the 2019 tournament there.

Snell will take six golfers to the tournament: Chase Wilkinson (Fr, Madison Central/Madison), Reeves Johnson (Fr, Germantown/Madison), Hayden Green (So, D'Iberville/Biloxi), Matt Wilkinson (Fr, Madison Central/Madison), Ethan Trouth (Fr, The Streetly Academy/Sutton Coldfield, England) and Cade Wilkinson (Fr, Madison Central/Madison). A rule change allows substitutions, so the plan now is for Trouth and Cade Wilkinson to play two rounds each.

Assistant coach Brad Thornton is driving the van, and they'll spend the time on the road talking about the course. They'll play a round on a different course on Saturday before the first of two official practice rounds on the Swan Lake Course on Sunday and Monday. The par-72 course plays at 7,100 yards.

"Brad played there (when he played for Gulf Coast) and is very familiar with the golf course and loves it," Snell said. "They'll talk about it for the two days it takes to drive up there. He'll tell them which holes to take advantage of, which holes not to. And Sunday, when we play the first practice round, we'll just identify places where we want to hit, which holes we want to attack. They'll be familiar with the golf course before they even step foot on it."

The field, as usual, will be a tough one. As a result of COVID eligibility rules, there's a lot of talent that has returned to traditional powers. Snell's team includes five first-year freshmen.

"The field is going to be extremely talented," Snell said. "South Mountain, Tyler, Kirkwood is right there. This COVID rule has brought a lot of players back."

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