EMCC golfers Carter Martin and Matthew Phillips compete in NJCAA Gulf District Championship

NATCHEZ – East Mississippi Community College golfers Carter Martin and Matthew Phillips finished tied for 11^th and 14^th, respectively, during this week's NJCAA Division II Gulf District Championship. The two-day tournament concluded Friday at Beau Pre' Country Club.

Martin stood in a three-way tie for sixth place following Thursday's 1-over-par 73 on the 6,993-yard, par-72 layout. After firing a 1-under-par 35 on Friday's front nine that included three birdies during a four-hole span, the freshman out of Canton Academy struggled down the stretch on the back nine to finish with a two-day total of 151.

Phillips, a repeat district tournament performer for head coach Ashton Maddaloni's EMCC Lions, improved four strokes from Thursday's opening round. The Columbus Christian Academy product also made three birdies during a four-hole stretch on the final day en route to carding a 2-over-par 74 and finishing at 152.

Second-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast (282-274—556) earned its 14^th championship in the last 15 region/district tournaments by posting a decisive 40-shot victory over No. 9 Meridian (300-296—596). Northeast Mississippi (306-300—606) claimed the other automatic team berth by finishing third to advance to next month's (May 23-26) NJCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Indiana.

Half of the top-10 individual district finishers represented Gulf Coast. Will Burnham (70-65—135) edged teammate Alessio Graziani (69-67—136) by one shot in a medalist shootout. Another MGCCC teammate Chase Kaiser (71-70—141) finished in third place one shot ahead of Northeast Mississippi's John Deaton (72-70—142). 

In addition, Alex Navarro of host Copiah-Lincoln (74-74—148) and East Central's Gage Miller (73-75—148) qualified for nationals as individual competitors after finishing in a sixth-place tie this week in Natchez.