NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

JOPLIN, Mo. — The celebration was passionate and cathartic here Friday night as Mississippi Gulf Coast put the cap on the 2024 NJCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship with a dramatic victory.

The Bulldogs finished 18-over for the tournament and held off hard-charging Kirkwood by three strokes for the program’s second team national championship.

“The mindset today was to go out there and be steely-eyed killers,” Gulf Coast sophomore Will Burnham said. “We knew they were going to start off hot and throw a punch at us, but it was going to be how we responded. We responded well and held on that down the stretch. Thankfully, P is really good at golf.

P is what his teammates call Peyton Russell (Fr., Gautier/Gautier), whose dramatic 18^th-hole birdie came after a 50-minute lightning delay. He rallied from a first-round 80 to finish 2-over, tied for second. Kirkwood’s Grant Greazel won medalist at 3-under.

“Peyton is one of the most talented golfers I’ve ever been around,” Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. “His ability to sit through a rain delay and absolutely stiff it on 18 to put the tournament away is unbelievable.”

“The coaches told me (during the delay) to stick to the gameplan,” Russell said. “We’ve put in all the hard work, all those gym hours, the shots you’ve hit on the range, just go out there and act like you’re on the range. Hit a stock shot right at it, and fortunately, I was able to do that and get a birdie.”

Gulf Coast started the day with a three-shot lead over Des Moines Area, who fell back to third as Kirkwood shot 1-under. Kirkwood made six birdies over the final three holes, cutting into what at one point was an eight-stroke Gulf Coast lead.

Russell finished the day at 1-over. Andrew Zielinski (So., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) shot 72 to lead the Bulldogs in the fourth round. He finished tied for 17^th.

Gulf Coast was tied for fifth after the first day, trailing by four shots. Zielinski shot 69 in the second round to help get his team back in front.

“We got a big speech from (Coach Thornton),” he said. “He got us all hyped up, and we just knew what we had to do. We all had these conversations with ourselves, and we all just fed off each other. We knew there was a lot more golf to play, and we banked on that.”

The Bulldogs were in fifth place four shots off the lead after Tuesday’s first round. They got back in first place by the end of Wednesday’s play, when the second round was suspended by darkness, and led by six when it concluded Thursday morning. Gulf Coast led by four shots after the third round, which ended just before sunset later that night.

Jackson Wise (So., Pontotoc/North Pontotoc) played a huge part in that comeback, rebounding from a poor first round to shoot 72-74-73. He was second in the field with 55 pars.

“I knew I had the game,” he said. “The putter wasn’t working this week, so I just had to hit a lot of greens, two-putt and make a lot of pars. It kinda worked out.”

All five Bulldogs made the NJCAA All-American team, with Russell on the first team, Burnham on the second team, and Zielinski, Wise and Stanley Campbell (Fr., London, England/Essex Golf College) on the Honorable Mention list.

“We’ve been wanting this so bad,” Campbell said. “The boys made a group chat back this time one year ago. The sole purpose was for this exact moment, and we’ve done it. I’m so happy, and I’m so proud of all the boys. I’m just glad they’re all my teammates.”

Gulf Coast depth was in full display this week. Kyle Davidson (So., Kyalami, South Africa/St. Peter’s College) was the designated substitute, and by rule couldn’t be out on the course the first three rounds in case he was called to play. He was out there enjoying his teammates’ strong play Friday.

John Mark Mills (Fr., Pontotoc/Mike Bender Golf Academy) also made the trip as the seventh player. He was called on to act as what’s called a marker, to fill out a threesomes in the second and third rounds. All he did was shoot 68-72.

Mississippi Gulf Coast won the team championship in 2018, and the Bulldogs’ Colin Troxler won the individual title in 2017. It’s the school’s ninth national championship, including five in football and one in women’s basketball.

“It is absolutely indescribable,” Thornton said. “This group of guys is the most fantastic group I’ve ever been around. Their grittiness and refusal to fail all year culminated in this championship.”

For more information on MGCCC’s 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.