Shamrock Cup wraps up series
Published 7:00 am Friday, April 11, 2014
Picayune golf coach Russell Mitchell’s wife is pregnant.
He is also expecting big things from the Maroon Tide on the course as well.
Both Picayune and Pearl River Central competed in the Shamrock Cup Tuesday here at Grand Bear Golf Club. The event was the final “major” tournament of the season for prep golfers in South Mississippi, as they now prepare for upcoming district and state affairs.
“We are young, and we have a very strong district this year,” Mitchell said. “Our goal all season has been to use the season to prepare for the district and qualify for the state tournament. That’s what we still hope to accomplish.”
Twenty teams converged on Grand Bear, and Pearl River Central finished third. St. Stanislaus won the event with an impressive score of 299, while the host team St. Patrick finished second at 310. The Blue Devils finished a single shot back at 311.
Picayune finished 13th, with a 352.
Zach Meyers of Ocean Springs beat Vancleave’s Ethan Dean in a playoff to win low medalist honors. Both golfers shot a 71, but Meyers’s shot par on the 18th hole in the one hole playoff to tae the title.
Myers was also honored as the Player of the Year for the Major Series, averaging just less than 71 in the four events he competed in.
“It means a lot,” Myers said. “It’s an honor to play as well as I do and to improve year to year from each tournament. Just stay positive and stay aggressive. Just hit it down the middle.”
Pearl River Central’s Nick Sumner was named to the Major Series Top 10 team, finishing fifth in the overall standings with an average of just under 76. Also included in the top 10 were Cole Bagget, Patrick Powers and Matthew Saucier of St. Stanislaus, Thomas Miles, Dillon Morris and Jackson Wedgeworth of West Jones, East Central’s Wyatt Akison and George County’s Isaac Marshall and Sean Smith.
Sumner’s teammate Malachi Spiers shot 75 followed by Sumner’s 76 as both made The Shamrock Cup All Tournament team. Mason Cunningham shot a 79, Matthew Spiers an 81 and Carter Nicholson an 86 to round out the PRC scoring.
In addition to Sumner, Malachi Spiers and Cunningham made the Major Series All South Mississippi team, which consisted of the Top 20 scoring averages complied in the series.
Brandon Ladmirault paced Picayune with an 85 at The Shamrock, while Jon Brunson shot an 87. Rounding out the scoring for Picayune were Tyler Penton (91), Drew Larsen (94) and Ethan Jones (97).
The district tournament is set for Millbrook Country Club on April 22. Pearl River Central will host the event. Teams competing will be PRC, Picayune, George County, East Central, Long Beach, Pascagoula, West Harrison and Stone County.