NORTHEAST GOLF FINISHES SECOND IN FIRST DIV. II EVENT OF YEAR

 BOONEVILLE, Miss. -- Northeast Mississippi Community College’s golf team made the jump to Division II before the start of 2009 and has not missed a beat since.

After finishing the season undefeated in Division III in 2008, Northeast wrapped up the two-day Mississippi Association of Community/Junior College’s (MACJC) Division II opener hosted by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College at the Laurel Country Club with a second-place finish.

Northeast used a second-day total of 313 to vault passed East Mississippi and Holmes for second place against the hosts after trailing both East Mississippi and Holmes by five and four strokes, respectively, heading into the final day.

Booneville’s Blake Hatfield bettered his first-day score by shooting a 74 on the par 72 course to lead the Tigers to their runner-up position.

Hatfield tied for second place individual honors with his 149 (75-74) – knotting with Gulf Coast’s Richie Williams after Williams posted a four-over-par 76 on the second day of the tournament.

Alex Down’s and Tyler Parsons’ 161s were second on the Tiger team while Brandon Robbins, who played basketball for the Tiger basketball team this season, finished with a 167 (87-80) during the event.

Hunter Stanford rounded out the five scorers for Northeast in its first Division II match with a 168. Stanford made a 14-stroke improvement from Day 1 to Day 2 of the event.

Top honors when to the host, Mississippi Gulf Coast, who carded a 612 during the two-day tournament.

The Bulldogs captured the MACJC state and Region XXIII championships during the 2008 campaign en route to a thirteenth place finish in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) National Tournament before kicking off their 2009 campaign at home.

Mississippi Gulf Coast linkster Nic Ishee, who was the only golfer to match par both days, finishing as the medalist with a 144.

The tournament field included 12 teams and 68 golfers competing for the crown.

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