No. 1 Bulldogs stack another district title

(MGCCCCBulldogs.com) No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast dominance continued Wednesday, with only a brief hiccup at the start of the final round of the NJCAA Gulf District Championship.

The Bulldogs won their fifth straight district title with a 20-shot win over No. 6 Meridian. Gulf Coast finished 1-over for the 54-hole event at Tunica National Golf Club.

"Sixteen district championships out of the past 17, that doesn't happen by accident," Gulf Coast coach Brad Thornton said. "This sophomore class is unbelievable. They may not get a Sophomore Day, but this is the culmination of them going through two years without having to lost anybody in the district. That's awesome, and I don't want to let that get in the way of a hard day. I'm super proud of all of them."

John Mark Mills (So., Pontotoc/Mike Bender Golf Academy) finished second by two shots to Jones' Sebastian Nowak, who led the Bobcats third place. Mills and Stanley Campbell (So., London, England/Essex Golf College) started the day tied for the lead, and Campbell earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team by finishing third.

"John Mark played exceptionally well all week," Thornton said. "He gave himself a chance down the stretch. It's unfortunate we had a couple of players who had a chance, but that's all you can ask for. Sometimes it doesn't happen, but they gave themselves a chance, which is awesome."

Peyton Russell (So., Gautier/Gautier) Ludvig Behring (So., Sollentuna, Sweden/Osterakers Gymnasium) also finished in the top 10.

Gulf Coast started the day with a 13-shot lead over Jones, but saw it dwindle to three midway through the front nine. The Bulldogs tore up holes six through 11, playing them at 7-under to reestablish control. Campbell had four birdies in that stretch, helping make up for starting the day 5-over on the first three holes.

The Bulldogs will focus on finishing up the academic year strong the next could of weeks, then zoom in on their trip to Indiana to defend their national championship. The top three teams in the tournament qualified for the NJCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship, which starts May 20 in Plymouth, Ind. Meridian edged Jones for second place.

"We just gotta clean up the mental game more so than anything," Thornton said. "These guys are as physically talented or more talented than anybody in the country. Sometimes, you just have to fight through those bad spells in long tournaments like the national championship, you're gonna have some tough stretches. If we can stay mentally tougher than everybody, we're right there and able to compete to win it."