First impressions are important. Grant Yawn made a lastingimpression on his new golf coach at Southwest Texas College. Heshot a course-tying record 67 at Plum Creek Golf Course which islocated in Kyle, Texas.

Wow!

Golf coach Bill Woodley likes to play a round of golf with eachof his players as a get-acquainted routine. Yawn, a senior whoseparents live here in Lincoln County, happily obliged his mentor andthe results were mighty impressive.

“It was a real good round,” said Woodley. “I learned that Grantis a tough kid and a fierce competitor.”

Yawn impressed nearly everyone at Plum Creek.

“Shooting a 67 on this course from the tips is quite a feat,”said Cameron Zablocky, Plum Creek’s assistant professional. “It’s along course from back there. It’s longer than the course the U.S.Open was played on this summer.”

The only blemish on Yawn’s card was a 3-putt on the the fourthhole, a 203-yard par 3. He 3-putted from 15 feet.

“I look back on that and think I could have set the recordoutright with a 66,” said Yawn. “But I hit a lot of good shots andputts besides that hole.”

Yawn won medalist honors at the Sam Houston Invitational lastspring. At Plum Creek, he teed off on the back nine during hisrecord-tying round and was 3-under at the turn. He had threebirdies and a bogey on the final nine.

On the 603-yard ninth hole, Yawn was 60 yards short of the greenafter a mammoth drive and fairway shot. His wedge to the green waswithin 20 feet of the hole but he missed the birdie putt. Mostpeople miss putts from 20 feet, even in their living room.

Plum Creek’s greens had just been aerated the day before so Yawnwas putting on a bumpy surface to say the least. Yawn and his SWTteammates frequent the course so that course record certainly is injeopardy.

The Brookhaven Country Club is going public. Area golfers canenjoy playing an outstanding 18-hole layout for a mere $25 greenfee, including a golf cart. Call 833-6841 to reserve a tee time.Golfers must wear a shirt with a collar and have rubber spikes ontheir golf shoes. Brookhaven native Ronny Ross is the new clubmanager/PGA professional and he has a bunch of new ideas to helppromote the golf course. The BCC boasts one of the finest coursesin southwest Mississippi but it’s also one of the best keptsecrets. We’ll provide more details in a later story.

Professor Hoopla B.S., was concerned about trying to fix adangerous slice when he dropped off his list of weekly predictions.He was headed back to the practice range, pursued by severalwounded spectators. Here’s his forecast for this weekend.

Madison St. Joseph at Loyd Star: Bruins are prime favorites forhomecoming games this season which means the Hornets should roar onWilliam E. “Sambo” Smith Field. Loyd Star 44-12.

Brookhaven Academy at Centreville Academy: Cougars encounter atough Tiger in rural Amite County. Centreville 24-14.

Bogue Chitto at Mt. Olive: Bobcats can’t afford to overlook thestruggling hosts. Bogue Chitto 22-8.

Stringer at West Lincoln: In a battle of hungry, winless teams,the Red Devils escape with a victory. Stringer 18-10.

Wesson at St. Andrew’s: Streaking Cobras move one step closer tosecuring the Division 6-2A crown. Wesson 36-16.

Franklin County at Amite County: Bulldogs have qualified for theClass 3A state playoffs but they must improve their stature inLiberty. Franklin County 21-12.

Lawrence County at Raymond: Cougars tune up for a Division 6-4Ashowdown with the Brookhaven Panthers. Lawrence County 45-6.

North Pike at Crystal Springs: Bogue Chitto native Adam Barronhas the Jaguars on a roll and in the state playoffs. North Pike33-8.

Jackson Prep at Parklane: Patriots have too much size and talentfor the Pioneers. Prep 35-20.

Terry at McComb: The Bulldawgs are still recovering from lastweek’s lopsided loss at Lawrence County. McComb 38-10.

South Pike at Port Gibson: Division 6-4A-leading Eagles sharpentheir spurs for next Friday’s showdown with the McComb Tigers.South Pike 47-12.

Open dates: Couldn’t have come at a better time for Brookhavenand Copiah Academy.

Co-Lin at Gulf Coast: A Saturday afternoon special in Perkinstonbrings out the best in the Bulldogs. Gulf Coast 21-10.

East Central at Southwest: There’s no joy in Summit as theWarriors go on the warpath. East Central 26-7.

Ole Miss at LSU: This should be a great game to watch in DeathValley, especially if you’re a Tiger fan. LSU 32-24.

Houston at Southern Miss: Golden Eagles finally find the winningcombination and whip the Cougars. Southern Miss 27-10.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Jackson State: Tigers display depth onoffense and an improving defense. Jackson State 38-14.

In other Magnolia State college action, Alcorn State will ambushCal Poly 29-19, Belhaven will spike Pikeville 22-6, Delta Statewill dump Central Arkansas 31-10, Sewanee will swamp Millsaps 27-7,Austin will kick Mississippi College 17-14 an Southern Universitywill stampede Valley State 38-16. Mississippi State has an opendate to work on producing Christmas cheese balls.