No. 1 Bulldogs finish 3rd in tough field

Mississippi Gulf Coast had the lead on the final nine of the Folds of Honor Challenge on Tuesday in Allendale, Mich., but the Bulldogs couldn’t hold off a pair of four-year schools.

Gulf Coast finished at 16-over, six back of host Grand Valley State, playing on its home course. The Lakers are the seventh-ranked team in NCAA Division II, and the Bulldogs finished four shots back of Aurora, the 16^th-ranked team in NCAA Division III.

“With different course conditions, going against tough talent, it was an opportunity we gave ourselves, and I was proud of the guys for fighting the whole way. Sometimes it just doesn’t go in your favor. We didn’t get any of the good breaks, and we couldn’t get the putts to fall down the stretch. But overall, I’m happy with how we played.”

Stanley Campbell (So., London, England/Essex Golf College) shot 2-under Tuesday to move up to sixth place. After making double-bogey on the first hole, he had four birdies on the second nine.

“He had a good gameplan all week to stay out of bad places on the golf course,” Thornton said. “Today, he gave himself opportunities to make birdies and executed. I’m proud of the round he put together.”

Peyton Russell (So., Gautier/Gautier) finished 12^th; and Harlan Yerger (Fr., Oxford/Oxford) bounced back from a poor first round to shoot 1-over the next two days for 14^th.

Ludvig Behring (So., Sollentuna, Sweden/Osterakers Gymnasium) shot back-to-back 71s after his poor first round to move into a tie for 19^th with teammate John Mark Mills (So., Pontotoc/Mike Bender Golf Academy).

The Bulldogs, who finished 11^th in the event last year, played much better this time around on The Meadows at Grand Valley State. They were 32-over in the 36-hole event last year.

There were two other community colleges in the 10-team field, and Grand Rapids finished 114 shots behind Gulf Coast. The Bulldogs, the defending NJCAA Division II national champs who were ranked first in the preseason poll by the coaches, finished 13 shots ahead of Odessa, the No. 1-ranked team in NJCAA Division I. They also finished ahead of the 15^th-ranked team in NCAA Division II, West Texas A&M. There was another NCAA Division II team, two Division III teams and an NAIA team in the field.

Gulf Coast will play in another national event later this month, making the trip to Plymouth, Ind., to play in the NJCAA Preview.

“The disappointment of not getting it done stings a little bit, but the goal was to come up here and try to compete and play at a high level in different tournament conditions,” Thornton said. “That’s the purpose of these trips we’re taking in September. Hopefully, we prepare well heading into Swan Lake in two weeks and do well there.”

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