JOPLIN, Mo. — No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast has the lead headed into the final round of the NJCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship after rebounding from a poor opening round.
Thursday was a long day for the Bulldogs, who had to finish off the final third of the second round. After lunch, they came back and played the third round, getting the ball in the last hole just before dark at Twin Hills Golf Club.
“We battled back from a tough round to start things off, and to have the lead with 18 holes to go, that’s a testament to these guys’ willingness to battle and to fight through adversity,” Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. “I think this team has the talent to get things done tomorrow.”
Gulf Coast is 13-over with a three-shot lead over No. 6 Des Moines Area. No. 4 Kirkwood, the defending national champions, are another six shots back. The Bulldogs will tee off starting at 11:12 a.m.
Peyton Russell (Fr., Gautier/Gautier) led the Bulldogs’ charge. He finished the second round Thursday morning with a 4-under 68, followed with a 69 in the afternoon. He birdied 16 in the morning, then went bogey-bogey to start the third round.
“We said it all year he has the ability to go low and make birdies,” Thornton said. “He got his round kicked off with that eagle on No. 6. He played exceptionally well on the back nine. His putter got hot.”
Russell made the turn at even, then birdied 10, 12 and 13. He made a sand save on 18 to get into the clubhouse at 3-under. He’s tied for third, three shots behind Kirkwood’s Grant Greazel.
Will Burnham (So., Jackson/Jackson Prep) is another shot back at 2-over and alone in fifth place. Stanley Campbell (Fr., London, England/Essex Golf College) shot 71 in the second round and is tied for 28th at 9-over.
Andrew Zielinski (So., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) and Jackson Wise (So., Pontotoc/North Pontotoc) are 11-over, tied for 35th. Zielinski shot 69 in the second round, and Wise shot 72.
“Finishing up this morning, getting a couple more shots back on top of what we’d done the previous day was great. We came back out this afternoon and got off to a slow start and were able to rebound from that. You can’t be too disappointed.”
Team scores |
|
| Team | Scores |
|---|---|
| 1. Gulf Coast | 305-280-292—877 (+13) |
| 2. Des Moines Area | 304-287-289—880 (+16) |
| 3. Kirkwood | 301-290-295—886 (+22) |
| T4. South Mountain | 307-292-295—894 (+30) |
| T4. Chandler-Gilbert | 301-292-301—894 (+30) |
| 6. Roane State | 304-291-303—898 (+34) |
| 7. Parkland | 306-294-303—903 (+39) |
| 8. Southeast | 314-296-300—910 (+46) |
| 9. Hesston | 314-293-304—911 (+47) |
| 10. Meridian | 316-303-299—918 (+54) |
| 11. Illinois Central | 321-308-291—920 (+56) |
| 12. Murray State | 311-303-311—925 (+61) |
| 13. Walters State | 315-301-314—930 (+66) |
| 14. Danville Area | 314-312-308—934 (+70) |
| 15. Black Hawk | 327-306-305—938 (+74) |
MGCCC scores |
|
| Player | Scores |
|---|---|
| T3. Peyton Russell | 80-68-69—217 (+1) |
| 5. Will Burnham | 73-75-70—218 (+2) |
| T28. Stanley Campbell | 75-71-79—225 (+9) |
| T35. Drew Zielinski | 77-69-81—227 (+11) |
| T35. Jackson Wise | 81-72-74—227 (+11) |
For more information on MGCCC’s 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
This post originally posted at https://www.mgcccbulldogs.com/landing/index by MGCCC Athletics
