No. 3 Bulldogs claw back at Charles Cooper Classic
SAUCIER — No. 3 Mississippi Gulf Coast got off to another poor start in a tournament Monday morning, but by the end of a long day the Bulldogs had clawed back to within striking distance.
Gulf Coast heads into the third and final round Tuesday in third place as tournament hosts of the Charles Cooper Classic, trailing by just four shots.
"I think it just comes down to getting out of the gate early," coach Brad Thornton said. "I think if we play well from the beginning and apply some pressure, these guys are pretty comfortable out here on this golf course. I think I think we'll be fine."
No. 5 Murray State, which led the Bulldogs by 12 after the first round, held onto that cut-down lead and finished Monday's 36 holes at 13-over. Calhoun is two shots back in second place.
The Bulldogs Cal Wier (Fr., Hernando/Lewisburg), playing as part of the B team, is tied for fourth at 1-over. Matthew Bond (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) shot 2-over and is tied for seventh, and Paul Hoefer (Fr., Heidelberg, Germany/Kurpfalzgymnasium Mannheim) shook off a poor first round to get back to 3-over.
Murray State's Connor Tallentire is at 4-under, one of three players under par.
Gulf Coast had the lowest score in the field in the second round, and Thornton is hoping for a repeat Tuesday.
"I just think we got off to a little bit better start," he said. "We still left some shots out there, but we put ourselves back in the mix, which is something to be pretty proud of, especially after the shaky start. I'm looking forward to battling it out tomorrow."
The tournament is named for Charles Cooper, who was part of the two-man coaching staff for the first Gulf Coast golf team in 1975, and he took over in full in 1979. He coached through 1995. His teams won five state championships and three region titles. Gulf Coast finished fourth, fifth and seventh in the NJCAA Tournament.
Team scores |
|
| Team | Scores |
|---|---|
| 1. Murray State | 290-299—589 (+13) |
| 2. Calhoun | 292-298—590 (+14) |
| 3. Gulf Coast | 302-291—593 (+17) |
| T4. Central Alabama | 303-294—597 (+21) |
| T4. Jefferson State | 305-292—597 (+21) |
| T6. Snead State | 298-305—603 (+27) |
| T6. Northeast Mississippi | 299-304—603 (+27) |
| T6. Jones | 307-296—603 (+27) |
| T9. South Mountain | 301-303—604 (+28) |
| T9. Southern Union | 300-304—604 (+28) |
| 11. Meridian | 309-299—608 (+32) |
| T12. Coastal Alabama-South | 301-309—610 (+34) |
| T12. East Central | 305-305—610 (+34) |
| 14. Wallace State | 309-313—622 (+46) |
| 15. Pearl River | 319-307—626 (+50) |
| 16. Copiah-Lincoln | 322-317—639 (+63) |
MGCCC scores |
|
| Player | Scores |
|---|---|
| T4. Cal Wier* | 72-73—145 (+1) |
| T7. Matthew Bond | 73-73—146 (+2) |
| T9. Paul Hoefer | 76-71—147 (+3) |
| T16. Craig Bullock | 77-72—149 (+5) |
| 32. Jayden Owensby | 76-75—151 (+7) |
| T44. Noah Peters | 77-76—153 (+9) |
| T66. Braeden Dobbs* | 77-81—158 (+14) |
| T72. Logan Jensen* | 78-82—160 (+16) |
| T82. Chandon Johnson* | 98-80—178 (+26) |
| * — Playing on B team | |
For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
