SAUCIER — No. 9 Mississippi Gulf Coast set the tone in Monday’s first round of the MGCCC Fall Invitational, then the Bulldogs expanded their lead in the second 18 to take command over the 10-team field.

 

Gulf Coast, which shot 2-under 286 in the first round, also had the low score in the second and closed the day at 8-over at Windance Country Club. The Bulldogs are 15 shots ahead of Copiah-Lincoln, and another 14 in front of Calhoun. No. 6 Meridian is at 43-over.

 

“I thought we played pretty well,” Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. “We got off to a hot start and were able to withstand the tough conditions with the wind in the afternoon. Stamina-wise, we were able to keep ourselves together and give ourselves a chance to win tomorrow.”

 

The Bulldogs had six golfers in the top 13 after the first round, finishing with four in the top nine after 36 holes. Chase Kaiser (So., Natchez/Cathedral) is at 1-under, one shot behind Co-Lin’s Alex Navarro.

 

Will Burnham (Fr., Jackson/Jackson Prep) is in third at even-par, with Andrew Zielinski (Fr., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) at 3-over tied for fifth. Jackson Wise (Fr., Pontotoc/North Pontotoc), playing as an individual, is tied for eighth two more shots back.

 

The tournament concludes Tuesday with the final round teeing off at 7:30 a.m. It’s Gulf Coast’s last competition of the fall semester.

 

“We have to stay consistent,” Thornton said. “That’s something this team prides itself on, the depth we have. We want to stay level-headed and get the job done.”

 

Team Scores

Team                                 Score

1. Gulf Coast                      286-298—584 (+8)
2. Copiah-Lincoln               300-299—599 (+23)
3. Calhoun                        299-314—613 (+37)
4. Meridian                       316-303—619 (+43)
5. East Mississippi              307-318—625 (+49)
6. Andrew                         320-307—627 (+51)

T7. Rend Lake                    312-319—631 (+55)

T7. Coastal Alabama          321-210—631 (+55)

9. East Central                    318-326—644 (+68)
10. Pearl River                   336-328—664 (+88)

 

MGCCC Scores

Player                                Score

2. Chase Kaiser                  69-74—143 (-1)
3. Will Burnham                 73-71—144 (E)

T5. Andrew Zielinski          71-76—147 (+3)

T8. Jackson Wise*              73-76—149 (+5)

T13. Kemit Spears              73-78—151 (+7)

T16. Raines Walker*          76-76—152 (+8)

T28. Kyle Davidson*          79-79—158 (+14)

T33. Mateo Jimenez*          77-84—161 (+17)

* — Played as individual

 

For more information on MGCCC’s 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.