The Ole Miss men’s golf team was eliminated from the SEC Championship after finishing 10th on Saturday at the Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course.
The Rebels started the tournament firing on all cylinders, shooting a 5-under 275 as a team in the first round. The team was in good shape and tied for third place after the round, but couldn’t maintain that performance throughout the weekend. A 283 on Thursday and 304 on Friday sent the Rebels sliding down the standings.
“It’s been a long three days. We’ve had some good, some okay and some bad. Unfortunately today we weren’t very good — especially in the middle part of our round,” head coach Chris Malloy said on Friday. “We just have to be a little bit better, and for some of these guys on the team, this was their first experience in the postseason.”
The underclassmen were a bright spot for Ole Miss in the disappointing week. Freshmen Jack Gnam and Jackson Suber continued their impressive play over the past few weeks.
Gnam finished tied for 16th place individually in his first conference championship, his career-best finish. He led the team with 37 pars alongside an eagle on the par 4 second hole in the third round. Gnam started the tournament with the best round of his career, shooting a 3-under 67.
“Jack looked as settled and as polished as any of our guys out here,” Malloy said on Wednesday. “It says a lot about him and where he has come. He’s improved so much this year and he’s ready. His time is now.”
Suber came back on day two to tie his own career-low with a 5-under 65 moving him up the table to tie for 4th place individually. A tough third-round 81 in windy conditions dropped him to 34th the following day.
Sophomore Cecil Wegener shot a 3-over 73 in the third round to claim his spot tied for 39th place. Senior Beau Briggs finished tied for 46th while Josh Seiple came in at 62nd.
“The wind kicking up made for some tough conditions, but we’re going to see a lot of that down the road, probably in the NCAA Tournament and NCAA Championship,” Malloy added. “We need to learn from it and be better.”
The Rebels will now wait until Wednesday to find out where they’ll go for the NCAA Regionals, which starts May 12. The selection show will be broadcast on the Golf Channel starting at 8 p.m.
