Northwest Mississippi places 10th at Charles Cooper Classic

Northwest Mississippi Community College finished 10th in an 18-team field at the Charles Cooper Classic, posting a 57-over-par total at Windance Country Club in Gulfport.

The Rangers opened the 54-hole tournament at 21-over before shooting 18-over in each of their final two rounds. Mississippi Gulf Coast won at 15-over. Northwest was the fourth-best Mississippi team, behind Gulf Coast, East Central Community College, which tied for sixth, and Meridian Community College, which placed eighth. The Rangers finished 10 strokes ahead of Jones College and 11 ahead of Hinds Community College.

Atharv Sharma, ranked 15th nationally entering the tournament, led Northwest with a tie for 19th at 6-over. He improved from a 77 in the opening round to a 73 in the afternoon, then was 5-under through 11 holes in the final round. Five bogeys over his last seven holes left him even par for the round.

Cole Elander placed 24th at 9-over. After rounds of 78 and 73, he made four birdies in the final round but finished with a 74 after a double bogey and three early bogeys.

Caesar Ingendorf, who entered ranked 21st nationally, tied for 65th. He shot 77 and 81 on the first day, then closed with a 79 after a quadruple bogey on the 14th hole. Cooper Phillips tied for 75th after rounds of 77, 79 and 84. Freshman Drew Tuccio shot 82, 81 and 81.

Coach Adam Payne said the course’s tucked pins required careful decisions. He said the freshmen could learn from the tournament that mistakes carry a greater cost in college golf and that patience is important.

Northwest’s next tournament was scheduled for Monday at the Bobcat Invitational at Laurel Country Club, hosted by Jones College. Payne described the course as challenging, with greens tougher than those at Windance.

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