The Jones College Bobcats made history here Wednesday at the MACCC Tournament at The Oaks Golf Club.
The Bobcats defeated East Mississippi on the second playoff hole to finish fourth in the tournament. Jones now qualifies for the Region 23 Tournament, which will be played April 20-21 at Beau Pre’ Country Club in Natchez.
“I’m real proud of my guys,” said first-year head coach Bob Herrington. “They are really good guys and they have worked their tails off. They are a class group.”
Mississippi Gulf Coast won the event with a 276-289 – 565, 11-under par. Meridian was second at 307-310 – 617 and Northeast at 307-320 – 627. Those three teams, along with Copiah-Lincoln, qualified for the regional. The Wolves qualify because they will be hosting the event.
Jones shot 315-315 – 630 and EMCC posted a 324-306 – 630. That meant the Bobcats had to battle the Lions in a playoff to determine the final regional spot.
All five players from both teams went to No. 18 at The Oaks for the first playoff hole with the top four scores counting. Jones was in great position to win the playoff on the first hole, but EMCC made two huge shots to tie it up again.
“One of their players chipped in from off the green and the other player drained a 30-footer to tie us,” Herrington said. “That forced us to go back and play No. 18 again.”
This time, there was little drama.
The Bobcats had a total score of 1-over, while the Lions were at 3-over to give Jones the fourth-place finish.
“It was a Ryder Cup atmosphere on that final playoff hole,” Herrington said. “They could not give out awards and present trophies until the playoff was over, so all the teams and officials were standing around on No. 18 to watch us finish. Supposedly, it the first time they have ever had a playoff like that to determine the final qualifier.”
It was quite an accomplishment for the Bobcat program, which is in its first year back after a seven-year absence.
Individually, Connor Mitchell (South Jones) performed well, firing a 72-74 – 146, 2-over par, to finish fifth overall. He was named to the All-Tournament Team.
“Connor played lights out,” Herrington said. “It’s been there all year for him. He hit greens both days and if you hit greens you are going to have a good score.”
Dustin Walters (Northeast Jones) shot an 82-76 – 158, 14-over par, and tied for 17th. Kieran Morris (Ireland) shot 76-84 – 160, Ty Herrington (Northeast Jones) had an 86-81 – 167 and Zander Pitts (Wayne Academy) shot 85-85 – 170.
Chase Kaiser of MGCCC was tournament medalist with a 65-69 – 134, 10-under par. MGCCC’s Alessio Graziani was second at 68-74 – 142, 2-under par, and MGCCC’s Will Burnham was third with a 73-70 – 143, 1-under par. Co-Lin’s Alex Navarro was fourth at 70-74 – 144, even-par.
The top two teams at the region tournament will advance to the NJCAA Division II Golf Championship May 23-26 at Swan Lake Golf Club in Plymouth, Indiana.
MACCC Tournament Champion: Gulf Coast
MACCC Tournament Runners-up: Meridian
Tommy Snell Award (Medalist): Chase Kaiser, Gulf Coast
All-Tournament Team
· Chase Kaiser, Gulf Coast
· Alessio Graziani, Gulf Coast
· Will Burnham, Gulf Coast
· Alex Navarro, Copiah-Lincoln
· Connor Mitchell, Jones
All-MACCC First Team
· Chase Kaiser, Gulf Coast
· Will Burnham, Gulf Coast
· Alessio Graziani, Gulf Coast
· Noah Bumgarner, Meridian
· Drew Zielinski, Gulf Coast
All-MACCC Second Team
· Alex Navarro, Copiah-Lincoln
· Lexton Ford, Meridian
· Jackson Wise, Gulf Coast
· Navid Mousavi, Copiah-Lincoln
· Wesley Pippens, Meridian
Hubert Tucker Award (Low Season Average): Chase Kaiser, Gulf Coast
Chris Clark Sportsmanship Award: River Maskew, East Central
NJCAA Region 23 Qualifiers (Team)
1. Gulf Coast
2. Meridian
3. Northeast Mississippi
4. Jones
5. Copiah-Lincoln
NJCAA Region 23 Qualifiers (Individual)
· Matthew Phillips, East Mississippi (Low season average)
· Gage Miller, East Central (Low season average)
· Timmy Turnage, Pearl River (Low season average)
