No. 1 MGCCC wins playoff
No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast headed to a playoff against No. 6 Meridian in the Chris Clark Invitational on Tuesday after having clawed back from two shots down on the back nine.
The teams returned to the toughest hole on the course for the sudden death showdown, and the Bulldogs prevailed by four shots at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club.
"Meridian's a very good team, and we found a way to get it into the hole and get into a playoff," Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. "We woke up during that playoff and put it away."
John Mark Mills (So., Pontotoc/Mike Bender Golf Academy) and Stanley Campbell (So., London, England/Essex Golf College) finished tied for second at even-par, four shots behind Meridian's Jace Duckworth. They earned spots on the All-Tournament Team.
The 12 teams in the MACCC event started on the back nine after playing into the second round Monday trying to beat bad weather. The Bulldogs were two shots behind the Eagles at that point, but they'd taken a lead headed to 18 in regulation. A disastrous final hole meant a playoff, and the teams headed right back out to that same hole.
The field played the hole more than a shot above par on a windy day on the Azalea Course, which the conference hadn't played on in a few years. Gulf Coast played it even par and beat Meridian by four shots.
"We responded in a situation I wouldn't like to see us in too often," Thornton said, "but it's nice to get that experience."
The Bulldogs will be right back in action next week at the GlenLakes Invitational in Foley, Ala. They'll play 54 holes over two day at the site of the program's 2018 national championship.
Team scores |
|
| Team | Scores |
|---|---|
| T1. Gulf Coast* | 295-302—597 (+21) |
| T1. Meridian | 292-305—597 (+21) |
| 3. East Central | 309-300—609 (+33) |
| 4. Jones | 311-301—612 (+36) |
| 5. East Mississippi | 320-302—622 (+46) |
| 6. Northeast Mississippi | 317-313—630 (+54) |
| 7. Hinds | 325-315—640 (+64) |
| 8. Copiah-Lincoln | 325-319—644 (+68) |
| 9. Northwest Mississippi | 330-315—645 (+69) |
| 10. Itawamba | 341-321—662 (+86) |
| 11. Southwest Mississippi | 340-326—666 (+90) |
| 12. Pearl River | 348-320—668 (+92) |
| *— Gulf Coast won one-hole playoff | |
MGCCC scores |
|
| Player | Score |
|---|---|
| T2. Stanley Campbell | 72-72—144 (E) |
| T2. John Mark Mills | 74-70—144 (E) |
| T9. Peyton Russell | 76-75—151 (+7) |
| T19. Garner Seymour* | 77-78—155 (+11) |
| T31. Grayson Lockhart | 74-85—159 (+15) |
| T34. Ludvig Behring | 75-86—161 (+17) |
| * — Played as individual | |
For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
