EMCC men’s golf begins spring season with ninth-place team finish at Pearl River Invitational
With a 12-shot improvement on the final day of play, the East Mississippi Community College men’s golf team opened spring competition with a ninth-place showing at the Pearl River Invitational. The two-day tournament, hosted by PRCC, was held Monday and Tuesday at Diamondhead Country Club.
DIAMONDHEAD – With a 12-shot improvement on the final day of play, the East Mississippi Community College men's golf team opened spring competition with a ninth-place showing at the Pearl River Invitational. The two-day tournament, hosted by PRCC, was held Monday and Tuesday at Diamondhead Country Club.
Tuesday's final-round 320 gave the EMCC Lions a two-day total of 652 to finish just four shots behind eighth-place Northeast Mississippi.
Starkville product Watkins Dumas led East Mississippi earlier this week in the team's spring opener by tying for 24th place individually after carding rounds of 78 and 81 for a 159 total.
EMCC's Lawson Burton and Ace Rock both made significant improvements in their second-round scores by shooting 74 and 76, respectively, on Tuesday. Burton, out of Itawamba Agricultural High School, finished in a four-way tie for 36th place with a 164 total. Rock, a freshman from Amory, tied for 44th place with two other golfers at 166.
Whitt Welch, a sophomore from Leake Academy, rounded out the Lions' scorecard with a two-day score of 174 (85-89).
Pelayo Castillo, EMCC's No. 1 qualifier for the tournament, withdrew during the second round due to a stomach bug after firing a 79 during Monday's opening round.
The top-ranked Bulldogs of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (294-295—589) claimed their third consecutive MACCC tournament of the 2025-26 season with a 24-shot victory over runner-up and No. 8 Meridian (306-307—613). East Central (316-300—616) finished third followed by Jones College (316-307—623), Itawamba (321-309—630), Hinds (314-317—631), and Northwest Mississippi (324-314—638).
Meridian's Dax Reaux (72-71—143) bested Gulf Coast's Paul Hoefer (70-74—144) by a single stroke to earn individual medalist honors.
Head coach Mark Furnari's EMCC Lions are scheduled to compete next in the Mississippi Gulf Coast-hosted Tommy Snell Invitational, Feb. 25-26, at Sunkist Country Club in Biloxi.