No. 1 Bulldogs head to NJCAA Tourney as favorites

PERKINSTON — The college golf scoring website Scoreboard.Clippd has a headline on their NJCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship preview that reads “Who can stop Mississippi Gulf Coast?”.

That’s what happens when you’ve won your last 11 tournament, including, as the article points out, beating the field at the Gulf District Championship by 65 shots. But having a bullseye on their backs has been the case all season long, with other MACCC teams trying to bring them down in the state and an impressive list of out-of-state opponents at non-conference events.

“Competition among ourselves has been the driving force all year,” Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. “These guys have been proactive in trying to stay ahead of our goals. They prepare in practice every day, and I don’t think that’s changed. As long as we stay true to our identity, we’ll be fine.”

Gulf Coast has tied the school record for wins in a year, and they’ll try to set a new mark next week at Twin Hills Golf Club in Joplin, Mo. The 72-hole event starts Tuesday.

The Bulldogs’ list of superlatives this year is impressive. They’re ranked first in the Bushnell Golfweek NJCAA Division II Coaches Poll and the Scoreboard computer rankings, and the squad set school records for lowest round and lowest 54-hole total. All five players who will comprise the squad in Missouri have won tournaments.

Their winning streak started at the NJCAA Preview back in September. The Bulldogs were the only team to shoot sub-300 rounds, and they did it three straight times to be defending national champion Kirkwood by 34 shots.

Peyton Russell (Fr., Gautier/Gautier) beat teammate Will Burnham (So., Jackson/Jackson Prep) in a one-hole playoff for medalist. Five Bulldogs finished in the top eight.

“If you hit it good off the tee, you can really score out there,” Russell said. “You’ve just got to keep the ball in play. On the par 5s, you can lay up and still give yourself a good opportunity to make birdie.” 

The teams faced very windy conditions in the fall event’s third round, which was an important test Gulf Coast passed. 

The field includes No. 2 South Mountain, which has won eight national titles since 2004. No. 3 Parkland won the 2021 title, and No. 4 Kirkwood won it last year. Fifth-ranked Roane State has made a run up the rankings this year and finished second at the Bulldog Invitational in the fall.

Gulf Coast has been practicing together since winning the 15^th district title in the last 16 tries almost a month ago. They took a week off to focus on final exams but have been out on South Mississippi courses since.

“This sophomore group came in and really wanted to push to stay together throughout this long break of regionals to nationals,” Thornton said. “Typically, we’ve gone home for an extended period of time. Luckily, with the support of our administration, they’ve allowed us to stay together these few weeks. It’s been really good, lots of good golf being played. Nothing can replace preparation with your teammates.” 

Stanley Campbell (Fr., London, England/Essex Golf College) is coming off a dominant performance at district, which saw him pepper the school record book with the second-lowest 36-hole and 54-hole scores. He fired the fifth- and 12^th-lowest rounds in school history.

Andrew Zielinski (So., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) had the sixth-lowest 54-hole total in school history there, and he’s second in Scoreboard’s rankings behind Burnham.

Jackson Wise (So., Pontotoc/North Pontotoc) had two tournament wins this year, and he’s in the top-10 nationally. He struggled at Twin Hills in the fall but will bring those lessons back to Joplin.

“I learned you’ve got to be a little bit better off the tee than I was in the fall,” he said. “Even if you’re not hitting driver well, you can lay back a little bit and play short irons into most of the holes.” 

Even substitute Kyle Davidson (So., Kyalami, South Africa/St. Peter’s College) brings impressive credentials. He finished fifth in the preview event and played two rounds at the national championship last year. 

Two years ago, Gulf Coast charged back from a poor first round to finish second at the national championship in Joplin. None of these Bulldogs were around for that, but they did learn lessons last year in Indiana. That team was poised to make a run at a title on the back nine of the final round and slumped.

“Last year, I think we overhyped it,” said Will Burnham, who won one event with top-five finishes in the last 11 events. “I think that’s what eventually got us. This year, we know even with our worst golf we can compete with people. We’ve been able to prove it by winning tournaments. Just like any other tournament, it’s taking the name away and doing what we do.” 

They’ll put the targets back on Tuesday to see if they can claim the second golf national championship in school history.

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