Last spring, Ole Miss Men’s Golf secured its first SEC Championship in 41 years and finished the season at No. 19 in national rankings. This season, the Rebels will look to build on last year’s success.
Four golfers return from last year’s team: junior Jacob Blanton, sophomore Finn Meister, sophomore Daniel Tolf and senior Collins Trolio.
Coach Chris Malloy graduated two All-Americans last year, Tom Fischer and Cameron Tankersley, plus key contributor Cohen Trolio. Replacing the three standouts are two freshmen and three transfers.
The incoming freshman class is composed of Tomas Restrepo and Xander Mulder. Restrepo comes to Oxford after growing up in Manizales, Colombia. In Colombia, he put together an incredible junior golf career and is currently the 114th-ranked amateur in the world. He was named Columbia’s Youth Athlete of the Year in 2025. He found his way into the starting lineup in his very first opportunity as a Rebel.
Mulder hails from Scottsdale, Ariz. He put together an impressive high school career at Notre Dame Preparatory High School and is currently the 202nd-ranked amateur in the world.
The transfer class is composed of seniors Cooper Claycomb and Per Ekelund and sophomore Eduardo Matarazzo.
Matarazzo joins the Rebels from Barry University in Miami. At Barry, Matarazzo had an exceptional freshman year. He won the Citrus Intercollegiate tournament and was named the Sunshine State Freshman of the Year. He made his first start at Ole Miss in Toledo, Ohio.
Claycomb joined Restrepo and Matarazzo at the Inverness Invitational after three great years at Louisville. Last year, he shot 12-under over 54 holes at the NCAA regional tournament, finishing third.
Ekelend comes to Oxford after three years at West Florida. He started on the Argonaut team that won the NCAA Division II title in 2025. Ekelend claimed three wins in his time at North Florida, posting a three-year stroke average of 70.90.
Inverness Intercollegiate
Returners Meister and Collins Trolio joined Matarazzo, Claycomb and Restrepo in Toledo.
The Rebels did not have the showing they anticipated in the tournament. They finished second to last overall with each player’s 54-hole score combining to a whopping 42-over. Only Austin Peay at 62-over finished with a higher score than Ole Miss.
Claycomb recorded the best 54-hole Rebel score at eight-over. He and Collins Trolio both had individual rounds of even par, but their other rounds were well over par.
Bryan Bros Collegiate
Ole Miss bounced back in a major way by winning the Bryan Bros Collegiate in Columbia, S.C.
Hosted by popular YouTube golfers Wesley and George Bryan, the tournament took place at Solina Golf Club.
Collins Trolio, Matarazzo, Claycomb, Tolf and Restrepo represented Ole Miss, while Meister competed as an individual.
Collins Trolio was the highest finisher for Ole Miss, shooting eight-under through 54 holes. He, Matarazzo (-6) and Claycomb (-4) all finished under par for the Rebels.
Claycomb carded a 68 (-3) in the final round to pull Ole Miss into a tie for first. On the final hole of the tournament, Collins Trolio rolled in a birdie putt to break the tie with Arkansas and Liberty, winning the tournament for Ole Miss.
Collins Trolio’s performance made him the SEC Player of the Week. His career-low 54-hole score and clutch play was integral for the Rebel’s success.
After the rough showing at the Inverness Intercollegiate, it was encouraging for Ole Miss to play such phenomenal golf to get its season back on track.
What’s next?
The Rebels look to continue their success in the Hamptons, N.Y., at the Hampton’s Intercollegiate on Oct. 5 and 6.
