Host EMCC sits in second place heading into final round of MACJC State Men's Golf Championship at Lion Hills
Host East Mississippi Community College fired a 1-under par 287 as a team during Saturday's opening round of the MACJC State Men's Golf Championship to stand in second place at the two-day event being held at Lion Hills.
COLUMBUS – Host East Mississippi Community College fired a 1-under par 287 as a team during Saturday's opening round of the MACJC State Men's Golf Championship to stand in second place at the two-day event being held at Lion Hills.
Perennial MACJC golf powerhouse Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, ranked tied for third nationally in the Bushnell Golfweek NJCAA Division II Coaches Poll, will take a six-stroke team lead into Sunday's final round on the 6,069-yard, par-72 layout. The Bulldogs, reigning seven-time NJCAA Region 23 team champions, extended their first-round lead over the second nine and finished the day with a 7-under par 281.
Under the guidance of first-year head coach Benji Williams, the EMCC Lions placed three golfers among the top 10 finishers following Saturday's opening round. Sophomores Chase Chitwood and Hunter Harmon, along with Copiah-Lincoln's Jacob Ross, are jointly tied for sixth place individually after carding identical 1-under par 71s. Following close behind for the host team, fellow sophomore Steven Eilders stands in a two-way tie for ninth place with Meridian's Clayton Gray at even-par 72.
On the team leaderboard, East Central (293), Copiah-Lincoln (295), Meridian (298) and Itawamba (298) also completed the opening round under the 300-stroke mark to complete the top half of the team standings. Hinds (304), Northeast Mississippi (310), Northwest Mississippi (310) and Jones County (343) currently make up the bottom portion of the tournament's team results heading into Sunday's final round.
Battling for individual medalist honors, MGCCC's Conner Entriken fired a 4-under par 68 Saturday and owns a slim one-shot lead over Wilson Reeder of Itawamba. The trio comprised of East Central's Andrew Joiner and the Gulf Coast tandem of Phillip Hickam and George Kawell are collectively tied for third place following their respective 2-under par 70s.
Rounding out East Mississippi's Saturday scorecard, sophomore Trent Humber, of Caledonia, sits in a three-way tie for 11th place with his 1-over par 73, while freshman Daniel Schroder is tied for 29th after his first-round 77.
Second-round MACJC State Championship golf action is scheduled to tee off at 9 a.m. Sunday morning at Columbus' Lion Hills. Team and individual results can be accessed via www.golfstat.com.