WESSON – For the first time in school history, the Copiah-Lincoln golf team will be hosting the Region 23 Division II Tournament this weekend at Wolf Hollow Golf Club. The tournament serves as a team and individual qualifier for the NJCAA National Tournament at Swan Lake Golf Club in Plymouth, Indiana on May 20-23.

The region tournament will tee off at 10 a.m. in Wesson on Saturday, May 3, and at 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 4. Joining the Wolves will be teams from East Mississippi, Gulf Coast, Jones County, and Northwest Mississippi. The field will also feature individual qualifiers from East Central, Hinds, and Itawamba.

The Wolves are coming off of a MACJC State Tournament in which they finished in third place, three shots behind tournament winner Meridian.

Co-Lin head coach Ronny Ross hopes that the familiarity of playing on their home course will spur his team towards a first ever region championship. “Some of our guys are playing their best golf of the year right now. There is pressure on you playing on your home course, but I think we’ll handle it well,” said Ross.

The recent wet weather hasn’t had an ill effect on the course according to Ross, who also serves as director of golf operations at Wolf Hollow. “The golf course is the best shape it has ever been in. Tony McInnis, Chad Coon, and Steven Nickles are our guys that work on the course and they have been busting their tails the last few weeks to get everything ready.”

The course will host a practice round on Friday and Ross believes that the local economy, especially Brookhaven, will benefit from Wolf Hollow hosting the tournament.

“Everybody will spend at least two nights in a hotel room, most of them in Brookhaven, and this tournament usually draws a large crowd of spectators. Our area restaurants and hotels should see a bump in business this weekend,” said Ross.