WEST POINT — Zach Riley has had some pretty good days on the golf course for Mississippi University for Women.
The junior from Hernando was a second-team USCAA All-American last year and says he has had “a few top-10 finishes.”
But Riley bested that during two blustery days at Old Waverly Golf Club, following a first-round 1-over 73 with an even-par 72 for a 145 that was one shot ahead of Tennessee Southern’s Gary Glassman on Tuesday at the Blue Mountain College Golf Classic to capture his first collegiate tournament championship.
“It was really just my ball striking was very good,” Riley said of his success during the windy conditions. “I kept the ball under the wind. When I got on the greens, I putted very well.”
“The wind was blowing 15, 25 miles per hour as far as gusts, so conditions were pretty tough,” said Owls coach Benji Williams. “He’s a great ball striker. He can control the flight of his ball, keep it under the wind.”
Riley said his game fits Old Waverly’s 6,834-yard, par-72 layout.
“It does,” he said. “I think I’m very controlling off the tee box, and that’s what you’ve got to do. If you get it in play, you can tear this course up.”
Because of the threat of severe weather, 27 holes were played Monday and the final nine Tuesday morning. The key hole for the Owls’ medalist came during the final nine holes on Monday.
On the par-5, 516-yard No. 9, Riley’s sixth hole of the “second” round, he stuck his second shot within 10 feet of the cup and then drained the putt for an eagle 3. It was one of only six eagles recorded during the tournament.
That effort proved vital as Riley struggled at the end of the day Monday.
“After the first 18, I got on a good run and ended up having two bad holes to finish the day yesterday, and that kind of brought me down a little bit,” said Riley, who had a disastrous quadruple-bogey 8 on No. 11 and a bogey 4 on No. 12, his last two holes of the first day.
But Riley was solid throughout Tuesday’s nine holes, making par on seven of them and recording two birdies, giving him eight for the tournament.
“I just came back out here today and played my game,” he said.
“I’m really proud of Zach and how he battled the elements the past two rounds in some really windy conditions,” Williams said.
It was the second year in a row that a golfer from The W won the event, Brandon Walker, now a graduate assistant coach with the Owls, matched Riley’s rounds of 72 and 73 to medal in 2021.
The Owls men, tied for second after the first 18 holes, stumbled a bit during the second half of the tournament and finished eighth at 626, 21 shots off the pace set by University of Mobile. Tennessee Southern (611), Bethel University (616), host Blue Mountain College (618) and Freed-Hardeman (619) rounded out the top five in the 12-team field.
Freshman Timothy Turnage of Picayune carded matching rounds of 76 to place 11th for The W, while New Hope High School graduate Logan Pannell, who was tied for third with Riley after the first round, went 73-83—156 to tie for 24th.
Other Owl scores included Connor Wilder (88-86—174) and Seth Wallace (87-87—174), playing as an individual, tying for 61st. Caledonia grad Mark Furnari, another individual, had a card of 88-90—178, and Brandon Jordan was at 87-92—179 to round out The W participants.
Owls women fifth at Blue Mountain
Chesne Joyner and Olivia Derbyshire each shot 190 to tie for 19th place as The W women’s golf team finished fifth.
Joyner, a junior from Walnut, jumped four places during the final round with her total of 99-91—190 on the women’s 5,821-yard, par-72 layout. Derbyshire, a freshman from Ocean Springs, had the biggest leap up the leaderboard between the two rounds, following a disastrous 102 with an 88, the sixth-best score of the second round to move up 12 places.
Sophomore Emma Coggin (87-104—191) of Amory was tied for eighth place after the first round and slipped to a tie for 21st in the final standings. Sophomore Ta’Dashia Flowers of Meridian finished in 36th place on rounds of 101 and 119.
The Owls had team aggregate scores of 389-402—791, two shots behind fourth-place Central Baptist. Host Blue Mountain College dominated the event; the Toppers’ team total of 657 was 53 shots ahead of runner-up University of Mobile. Bethel College was in third with an aggregate score of 728.
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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 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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Junior Zach Riley of Mississippi University for Women holds his first-place trophy after winning the men's Blue Mountain College Golf Classic on Tuesday in West Point. Riley carded rounds of 72 and 73 to capture his first collegiate tournament title by one stroke. Tom Rysinski/Dispatch Staff
Mississippi University for Women junior Zach Riley and Owls coach Benji Williams after Riley won medalist honors at the Blue Mountain College Golf Classic on Tuesday at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point. Tom Rysinski/Dispatch Staff
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