Poplarville’s Hayes Weathersby, currently a member of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College golf team, has signed a scholarship with the University of Southern Mississippi.

Former Poplarvillle standout golfer Hayes Weathersby earned all state honors during his days with the Hornets.

He has continued that type of success on the collegiate level.

Now a standout member of the golf team at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College,  Weathersby recently signed a golf scholarship with The University of Southern Mississippi.

The sophomore was a key member of the 2013 Bulldog golf team that won the college’s sixth straight Region 23 title and was named to the 2013 All-MACJC First Team. This past fall Weathersby was Low Medalist in three straight events including the MGCCC Fall Invitational Nov. 28-29 at Windance C.C.

“Words cannot express how excited I am to be heading to Southern Miss,” Weathersby said. “Here at Gulf Coast, coach Tommy Snell has helped me refine my game. Playing here has helped me get acquainted with golf at the collegiate level. I’ve learned to be patient and hold my composure, and I’ve realized that the next birdie streak can be just around the corner.”

Weathersby and the Bulldogs are set to open to 2014 spring campaign Feb. 9-10 with the first MACJC event at Great Southern Golf Club in Gulfport.

Weathersby was one of two signees in the recent golf class, with Vasili Kartos the other recruit.

Weathersby leads his team this year with a stroke average of 71.42 through 12 rounds. He is the seventh ranked junior college player by Golfstat.com. Last year, he was named the PING All-American after posting a scoring average of 75.21.

Weathersby is a two-time participant in the annual Patriot All-American Tournament. He currently holds numerous school records at MGCCC, including most victories (4), most consecutive wins (4), most rounds of par or better in a season (11), most birdies (102) and eagles (5) in a season and low 54-hole total (212).

“We are very excited about the talent level of these two young men,” said head coach Jerry Weeks. “Both of these players are very experienced in tournament golf at a national level and their track record have proven that they can compete under pressure situations. They come from great families and are driven to succeed as student-athletes. They will be excellent assets for our program moving forward.”

Kartos is currently a senior at Spain Park High School. He is the fifth-ranked player in Alabama and 234th-nationally by Junior Golf Scoreboard and 350th-nationally by Polo Golf. This past year, he won the United States Golf Association’s Junior Amateur qualifier at Hattiesburg Country Club, posting rounds of 71 and 68. At the USGA Junior Amateur Nationals, he posted consecutive rounds of 76 to miss match play by one

Kartos earned five top ten finishes on the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour, including a second-place finish at the Lakewood Junior Classic, where he shot 77-69. He has competed in multiple AJGA tournaments as well as numerous national junior championships, including the Jones Cup Junior Invitational, the Western Junior Championship and the Future Masters. In 2013, he participated in the Nike Cup as a member of the Alabama Team.