EMCC Lions earn season-best, seventh-place men’s golf team finish at Lou Hart Invitational
The East Mississippi Community College men’s golf team registered a season-best, seventh-place finish during this week’s Lou Hart Invitational played at Northwood Country Club. The two-day tournament, hosted by Meridian Community College, concluded on Tuesday.
MERIDIAN – The East Mississippi Community College men's golf team registered a season-best, seventh-place finish during this week's Lou Hart Invitational played at Northwood Country Club. The two-day tournament, hosted by Meridian Community College, concluded on Tuesday.
Paced by sophomores Watkins Dumas (Starkville, MS/Starkville HS) and Pelayo Castillo (Oviedo, Spain), the Lions shaved 12 strokes off their opening-round team score by collectively firing a 298 during Tuesday's final round to tie for seventh place with Northwest Mississippi (308-300—608) in the 12-team event.
Dumas put together rounds of 74 and 72 to improve six spots and move into a five-way tie for ninth place with a composite score of 146.
Castillo, who previously earned all-tournament honors earlier this spring season at the Mississippi Gulf Coast-hosted Tommy Snell Invitational, bettered this week's opening-round score by 10 shots and moved up 23 places with an even-par 71 to finish Tuesday's final round in a tie for 30th place.
Competing as an individual, EMCC freshman Ace Rock (Amory, MS/Amory HS) finished in a tie for 43rd place with a total score of 154 after carding rounds of 76 and 78.
Sophomore Lawson Burton (Fulton, MS/Itawamba Agricultural HS) followed by posting scores of 75 and 80 to tie for 47th place with a composite total of 155.
Fellow sophs Whitt Welch (Union, MS/Leake Academy) and Bryce Shivers (Prentiss, MS/Prentiss Christian School) rounded out EMCC's scorecard this past week with composite scores of 157 (81-76) and 159 (80-79) to finish in 54th and 59th place, respectively.
Mississippi Gulf Coast (290-287—577) topped host Meridian (291-287—578) by a single shot to claim the team championship. Hinds (296-286—582) finished in third place. Meridian's Daniel Young (69-69—138) earned individual medalist honors by edging Gulf Coast's Jayden Owensby (64-74—138) in a playoff.
Head coach Mark Furnari's EMCC Lions will be back in action on the links at the MACCC Men's Golf Championship, April 13-14, in Brookhaven. The two-day tournament, hosted by Copiah-Lincoln Community College, will be played at The Club at Ole Brook.