Carter Martin paces EMCC to sixth-place men’s golf team finish at Tiger Invitational

CORINTH – Paced by Carter Martin's all-tournament team performance, the Lions of East Mississippi Community College posted a sixth-place team finish at this week's Northeast Mississippi-hosted Tiger Invitational. The two-day MACCC men's golf tournament concluded Tuesday at Shiloh Ridge Golf Club.

Martin fired an even-par 144 (71-73) during the two days of competition to finish in a three-way tie for third place. The Canton Academy product completed Monday's opening round in a three-way tie for first place after carding a 1-under-par 71.

As a team, EMCC's two-round total of 618 (311-307) was just three shots behind Meridian (315-300—615) and only five strokes behind fourth-place Jones (309-304—613). Top-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast (289-289—578) captured its eighth straight tournament title with a 23-stroke victory over runner-up East Central (306-295—601). Host Northeast Mississippi placed third with a team score of 608 (308-300).

East Mississippi's Lorenzo Ligabue (78-74—152), from Italy, placed 17^th individually after shaving four strokes off his opening-round effort with a 2-over-par 74 on Tuesday. Norway's Haavard Haakensen (80-77—157) bettered his first-day score by three shots to finish in a five-way tie for 28^th place for the Lions.

Rounding out EMCC's scorecard in Corinth were sophomore Daniel Martin (Parrish, AL) and freshman Brian Ludden (Hernando, MS), who finished tied for 43^rd (82-83—165) and 50^th (84-84—168), respectively.

East Central's Jamie Stace (75-66—141) claimed individual medalist honors with a two-stroke victory over Gulf Coast's Will Burnham (73-70—143) after firing a 6-under-par 66 during Tuesday's final round.

Coach Ashton Maddaloni's EMCC Lions will conclude the MACCC regular-season men's golf schedule by competing in the Lou Hart Invitational, March 25-26, in Meridian. Hosted by Meridian Community College, the two-day tournament will be played at Northwood Country Club.