JOPLIN, Mo. — A rainy Thursday morning caused a lengthy delay in the third round, and Mississippi Gulf Coast had just finished the front nine when play was suspended.

 

The Bulldogs remain in sixth place having lost two shots to the leaders. Their golfers will start on the 10^th through 13^th holes when play resumes at 7:30 a.m. Friday. The third round will be completed, and organizers are looking at trimming the field before the final round tees off late in the morning.

 

Gulf Coast is at 35-over, with South Mountain leading the field at 20-over. David Beard (Fr., Madison/Madison Central) struggled with his putter late but remains in the top-10 at 4-over for the tournament.

 

The tournament was supposed to tee off a 7 a.m. Thursday, but rains pushed the back. It got started about two hours later, but play shut down within a couple of hours. The Bulldogs were supposed to start at noon, got pushed to 1 p.m. and eventually didn’t make it on the course until 5 p.m.

 

The highlight hole for Gulf Coast was the 533-yard uphill sixth hole. Three straight Bulldogs birdied the hole. The approach shot of Ethan Trouth (So., Sutton Coldfield, England/The Streetly Academy) hit the flag and dropped left him a 10-foot birdie. Beard was just off the green in two and nearly made his eagle chip.

 

Alessio Graziani (Fr., Johannesburg, South Africa/Beaulieu College) started the birdie spree, and he had already chipped in on the third hole for another birdie.

 

Reeves Johnson (So., Madison/Germantown) is even-par through the 11^th hole, and Trouth is 1-over after nine.

 

Team scores: https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=24936

 

Individual scores: https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=player&tid=24936

 

For more information on MGCCC’s 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.