SCOOBA — It was a full circle moment for new East Mississippi Community College golf coach Mark Furnari.
The Caledonia graduate once spent his days playing at the Lion Hills course with the Cavaliers, where he was scouted by EMCC head coach Benji Williams. The game took him through college at the Mississippi University for Women, where Williams now resides, and eventually into coaching.
It was a localized experience, but a fruitful one for Furnari and shaped a new perspective on what is possible for golf in the state.
“It’s a fresh sport for JUCO in Mississippi, so we can really set the standard,” he told The Dispatch.
Furnari was appointed to the position in late May, but he isn’t new to the lay of the land. He is an alumnus of both Caledonia High School and the Mississippi University for Women, where he was able to hone his trade on the green locally. He’ll take that experience to Scooba and look to build a program foundation with the same sort of local talent he’s seen his whole life.
“I feel pretty confident that we’ll have one of our better teams in the last few years,” he said. “The program is still young, and I know when Benji was there, they had some good teams. We’re looking at bringing in some good international players, and we’ve got guys who put up some impressive scores as freshmen. With the women’s team in their second year, there’s only one way to go, and that’s up.”
Furnari was a four-year letter winner with the Cavaliers in high school and was part of the school’s Class 4A state championship teams in 2015 and 2016.
“I’m lucky Caledonia had golf,” Furnari said. “There are a few schools that didn’t have teams or are just now starting, and in Lowndes County, we’re lucky to have three or four schools with it. There’s a lot of good golf around, and getting to play at a place like Caledonia was great. We went something like 12 straight years of top-six finishes at state. Being able to be around players like that, we had at least two go off to college every year, that was awesome and showed me the work it takes, but also that it’s achievable.”
Furnari graduated in 2019 and joined the young golf program at Mississippi University for Women, where he learned from former EMCC coach Benji Williams and veteran assistant coach Scott Milam. Williams has known Furnari since his days at Caledonia, where he would regularly play at Lion Hills.
Like at the high school level, golf was still taking off at junior colleges in the state, but Williams knew the landscape and the talent that was there to recruit in the JUCO ranks.
Getting to know his teammates, he realized many of them also learned their craft in-state.
“I got to play with, and then coach, some guys who came from Meridian, which is probably a top-3 JUCO in MS, and Gulf Coast, one of the top programs of all time,” he said.
Furnari got to see that level of play up close from his teammates and saw how quickly The W’s program transformed.
In 2023, the Owls finished second nationally at the United States Collegiate Athletic Association championships, the final year before moving up to NCAA Division III. In 2024, the Owls qualified for the NCAA DIII national championships by winning the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in their first year as a full member.
The Owls repeated the feat this year, with Furnari on staff as a graduate assistant working under Williams. He helped coach the team and notably Zach Riley, a former teammate, who reached the final round at the national tournament and finished 31st.
That experience with the Owls not only demonstrated what a winning program looks like but also showed the possibilities of recruiting and developing locally. It was a fortunate opportunity right near his hometown, which gave him an experience as a player and coach under Williams that he is grateful for.
“It was really cool getting to stay local and learn the ropes,” he said of his experience at The W. “Getting to start off by going to tournaments as a high school player and recruit was a great experience. It made it easier, it wasn’t as much of a shellshock as if I’d had to start as a grad assistant somewhere two states over. I’m lucky for the opportunity he gave me, and I owe him a lot for that.”
Williams, who served as head coach of the Lions for four years before starting the program at The W, sees the right stuff in Furnari.
“I’m extremely proud of Mark and the opportunity he has at EMCC, running the men’s and women’s golf programs,” Williams said. “I’ve known him since he was a sophomore in high school playing at Lion Hills and Caledonia High. He has always been a hard worker on and off the golf course. Words can’t describe how much he has meant to Scott and I with his leadership, and working to get the teams motivated in the weight room and on and off the golf course. EMCC will not be disappointed in the hire they have made.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
