Ross Bell holds onto win Mississippi State Amateur

HATTIESBURG, MS (June 4, 2017) - Down the stretch at the Mississippi State Amateur Ross Bell had to do everything in his power to hold on for a wire-to-wire victory at Canebrake Country Club. With the tournament reduced to 54-holes after rain wiped out play on Saturday, Bell began the final round 12-under and ahead by three-strokes. From the get go on Sunday the round proved to be an adventuresome one for Bell, a redshirt junior to be at Mississippi State. On the front nine Bell carded a birdie on No. 1 and another on the 5th but he also bogeyed three-times, including on the 7th and 8th holes to fall back to 11-under as the leaderboard tightened. However, unfazed Bell found a grove early on the second nine as he carded birdies on No. 10 and Nos. 12-14 to reach 15-under and put the tournament away. Bell did give three shots back over the course of the final four holes with three bogeys but his run early on the side had created enough separation for Bell to hold on for the title. With his closing even-par 71 Bell finished the week 12-under and two shots in front of runner-up Joel Myrick (-10). Hayes Weathersby (-9) took third, Alabama commit and recent U.S. Amateur Four-Ball medalist Wilson Furr (-8) was fourth while in fifth it was Isaiah Jackson (-7).