MERIDIAN, Miss — Pearl River men's golf notched its best finish of the year Tuesday, claiming seventh place at the Jim Redgate Invitational held at Briarwood Golf Club.
"We had a good mindset going into the tournament. We put a lot of work and effort into it, focusing on our short game," head coach Coby Scarborough said. "That course isn't super long, but the greens and approach shots were more difficult than how they were in the past. It really benefited us on the first day.
"It was our first time as a team that we all broke 80. That's a feat in itself for six guys to go out there and break 80. It shows that we're moving in the right direction."
Pearl River made its mark on the par 5s, finishing five under and averaging 4.88 — comfortably ahead of the tournament average of 4.96. The Wildcats weren't just steady, they were aggressive, scoring 27 birdies through two rounds.
The Wildcats landed a top 10 finish from Will Dickerson (Gautier), who was the picture of consistency, having 10 pars in a row on day one of the tournament. Dickerson also attacked the pin to rack up seven birdies in his two rounds of play. He carded a 73 in both rounds to finish tied for eighth at 2-over par.
"I was very happy with how Will played," Scarborough said. "He led us both days with 73 in each round. He missed the first tournament of the year due to an injury, but he's back now and doing what we thought he could.
Riley Barnett (Lakeville, Minn.; Lakeville South) turned in a strong performance, finishing 1-under on par 3s and leading Pearl River with five birdies. He also notched the team's only eagle of the tournament. Barnett's efforts earned him a tie for 24th at 10-over par.
Right behind Barnett was Seth Tubb (Hattiesburg; Presbyterian Christian), who finished tied for 28th after shooting an opening round 79 and bouncing back on day two to shoot a 76 and end at 11-over par. Tubb was one of the tournament's best on par 5s, averaging 4.5 strokes, putting him at 4-under across the two-day event.
Competing as an individual, Lake Fincher (Biloxi; St. Martin) finished tied for 39th with a 15-over-par performance. He recorded five birdies during the tournament, opening with a 78 on day one and closing with an 81 on the finishing round.
Lucas Johnson (Long Beach) was next up for the Wildcats, tallying three birdies on his way to an opening round 79 and an 86 final round. He finished the tournament tied for 56th at 22-over par.
Jeremiah Cochran (Gautier; Covenant Christian Academy) was the final Wildcat to hit the course, opening with a 78 on day one, highlighted by a red-hot stretch where he went 3-under from holes 8 through 12. He wrapped up the tournament tied for 60th at 21-over par.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats return to action Oct. 27-28 at the Charles Cooper Classic at Windance Country Club in Gulfport.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).