No. 7 MGCCC in driver’s seat in Natchez
Published 3:02 pm Friday, September 30, 2022
MGCCC Sports Information
No. 7 Mississippi Gulf Coast battled demanding conditions Thursday in Natchez and leads the second MACCC tournament of the season. On a firm course with long rough on a windy day, the Bulldogs shot 10-over at the Copiah-Lincoln Fall Invitational and are in front of second-place Itawamba by eight shots, with No. 5 Meridian another shot back. Pearl River is in fourth at 24-over at Beau Pre’ Country Club.
“It was a solid day in extremely tough conditions,” Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. “Even with a few mistakes coming it, we handled adversity well and put ourselves in a great spot tomorrow.”
The Bulldogs are packed near the top of the individual leaderboard, too. Will Burnham (Fr., Jackson/Jackson Prep) was the only golfer to score even-par, and he’s a shot ahead of ICC’s Ross Reeder and Copiah-Lincoln’s Chandler Byrd.
Chase Kaiser (So., Natchez/Cathedral) and Kyle Davidson (Fr., Kyalami, South Africa/St. Peter’s College) are another shot back, tied for fourth at 2-over. Davidson is playing as an individual.Alessio Graziani (So., Johannesburg, South Africa/Beaulieu College) is in a pack of nine golfers tied for sixth at 3-over.
“I’m very proud of Will’s performance today,” Thornton said. “He was steady all day. That’s nothing surprising as that’s what we’ve come to expect from him. It’s great to have a few guys in the hunt for the individual win as well.”
Andrew Zielinski (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) and Mateo Jimenez (Fr., Diamondhead/Hancock) are at 5-over 77. Jimenez is Gulf Coast’s other individual competing.
Gulf Coast will try to make it 2-for-2 to start the season Friday. The second round begins with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.
Team Scores
Team Score
1. Gulf Coast 298 (+10)
2. Itawamba 306 (+18)
3. Meridian 307 (+19)
4. Pearl River 312 (+24)
5. Copiah-Lincoln 318 (+30)
6. Northeast Mississippi 330 (+42)
7. Jones 331 (+43)
T8. East Mississippi 334 (+46)
T8. Hinds 334 (+46)
10. East Central 338 (+50)
11. Southwest Mississippi 352 (+64)
MGCCC Scores
Player Score
1. Will Burnham 72 (E)
T4. Chase Kaiser 74 (+2)
T4. Kyle Davidson* 74 (+2)
T6. Alessio Graziani 75 (+3)
T17. Andrew Zielinski 77 (+5)
T17. Mateo Jimenez* 77 (+5)
T27. Jackson Wise 81 (+9)
* — Played as individual
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