No. 2 Bulldogs stand in 3rd after 18

No. 2 Mississippi Gulf Coast has got a lot of work to do Saturday to try to make up 18 strokes in the second round of the MACCC Championship in Wesson.

The Bulldogs trail No. 5 Meridian by 18 shots at Wolf Hollow Golf Club.

"The wind kicked up and the course played about as difficult as it could," Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. "You can't really prepare kids for days like today. I don't think we really had our best stuff, and the conditions just amplified that. We're gonna give it a go tomorrow and see where we wind up."

Gulf Coast is in third place, four shots behind Northeast Mississippi. The Bulldogs are four shots ahead of Copiah-Lincoln. Pearl River is in fifth, another 13 strokes back.

The top five teams qualify for the NJCAA District D Tournament later this month in Brandon.

David Beard (Fr., Madison/Madison Central) and Alessio Graziani (Fr., Johannesburg, South Africa/Beaulieu College) are tied for seventh place in the individual standings. They're seven shots back of Meridian's Diego Leslie.

The slow start hasn't dissuaded Gulf Coast from thoughts of winning a state championship.

"Absolutely not," Thornton said. "I think these kids have plenty of confidence, and we didn't dwell on the negatives of today very much. We relaxed this afternoon and will take a fresh, new mindset into tomorrow and see where we finish up."

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