EMCC Lions place seventh in ECCC-hosted men’s golf tournament held at Dancing Rabbit

The East Mississippi Community College men’s golf team posted a seventh-place finish during this week’s ECCC Invitational played at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club. Hosted by East Central Community College, the two-day MACCC event was held Monday and Tuesday.

EMCC Lions place seventh in ECCC-hosted men’s golf tournament held at Dancing Rabbit
October 4, 2023

PHILADELPHIA – The East Mississippi Community College men's golf team posted a seventh-place finish during this week's ECCC Invitational played at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club. Hosted by East Central Community College, the two-day MACCC event was held Monday and Tuesday.

Highlighted by newcomer Lorenzo Ligabue's 3-under-par 69 on Monday, EMCC was in second place as a team behind eventual runaway winner Mississippi Gulf Coast after putting together an opening-round score of 307. With Tuesday's 313, the Lions finished five strokes behind host East Central (314-301—615) and Jones (311-304—615).

EMCC's Ligabue was tied for third place individually after Monday's round before going on to finish in a seventh-place tie following a final-round 77. During his collegiate debut two weeks ago (Sept. 18-19) at the EMCC Invitational held at West Point's Mossy Oak, the Italian native finished in a three-way tie for fifth place after carding a pair of 4-over-par 76s.

Canton native Carter Martin, a reigning NJCAA Gulf District Championship participant for the Lions, fired a pair of 77s at this week's conference event to tie for 22nd place.

EMCC sophomore Daniel Martin (Parrish, AL) and freshman Trace Carpenter (Kosciusko) tied for 38th and 41st place, respectively. Martin posted a two-day 161 (79-82), while Carpenter improved eight strokes with a second-round 77 to finish one stroke behind at 162.

Norway's Haavard Haakensen rounded out the Lions' scorecard this week by placing tied for 49th with a 166 total (82-84).

In addition, EMCC freshman Brian Ludden (Hernando) tied for 56th place with a two-day total of 173 (88-85) while competing as an individual.

Perennial MACCC powerhouse Mississippi Gulf Coast breezed to the ECCC Invitational team title with a two-day score of 1-under-par 575 (280-295) - 28 strokes better than co-runners-up Meridian and Northeast Mississippi, who posted identical team scores 308 and 295 on both days to finish at 603.

Head coach Ashton Maddaloni's EMCC Lions will return to the links in two weeks (Oct. 16-17) by participating in the Jones College Invitational in Laurel. The fall's third MACCC men's golf event will be played at the Laurel Country Club.