The Ole Miss men’s golf team traveled out to the Pacific to compete in the Hoakalei Country Club Invitational in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, this week.
Ole Miss ended their fall season on a positive note, finishing second overall in the three-day tournament, marking two of their lowest rounds in program history.
Jackson Suber, Sarut Vongchaisit, Jack Gnam, Veeti Mahonen and Charlie Miller made up the Rebel squad in Hawaii. Brody Blackmon made the trip as well, playing as an individual.
Ole Miss finished the first day with their second lowest round score in program history. The Rebels shot 18-under par as a team and were leading the field, six strokes ahead of second place. Miller was atop the individual leaderboard as well, shooting a 7-under par in the first round, his career low.
Every Rebel shot at least 2-under par. The team only had nine bogeys after the first day as well, the lowest in the field.
The second round did not go as well for the Rebels. The Rebels shot a 6-over par in round two, falling to 12-under par and third place overall. A top finish was still in sight as they were only two strokes behind the two teams tied for the lead, East Tennessee State and Louisville.
The final round was another record-setting round. Ole Miss shot an 8-under par in round three, one of the best scores in program history. The Rebels were able to move into second place, beating out No. 10 Louisville. However, their efforts were not enough to take back first place after East Tennessee State shot 15-under in the final round.
The final team rankings came down to the wire. Ole Miss and Louisville were back and forth between second and third place throughout the final round. The teams were tied for second, with only Mahonen to play the final hole. Mahonen birdied 18 and solely secure second place for the Rebels, tying their best finish this season.
Mahonen recorded his best score and finish as a Rebel so far. The freshman shot an 8-under par, finishing tied for sixth overall, the only Rebel to place in the top 10 individually. He was also the only Rebel to shoot under par in every round.
Suber finished tied for 19th overall, shooting a 2-under par. Suber has finished in the top 20 in every tournament this fall.
Vongchaisit shot 4-under par in round one, including seven birdies on 18 holes. The sophomore shot an even par during the final two rounds, finishing 4-under par and tied for 14th overall.
Vongchaisit notched an eagle in round two on par-5 hole 9, the only Rebel to tally an eagle this tournament.
Miller, who found himself atop the leaderboard after round one, shot a 5-over par on day two. Miller was able to fight his way back and score an even par in round three, finishing tied for 19th place at 2-under par. He also finished tied for second in birdies with 16 throughout the tournament, just ahead of teammate Vongchaisit with 15.
After shooting 5-over par in round two, Gnam was able to bounce back in the final round and shoot a 4-under par, including five birdies on the back nine to finish the tournament 1-under par. Gnam’s final round was one stroke shy of his career best 18-hole score.
Blackmon, who was playing as an individual, finished his final fall season as a Rebel tied for 25th overall with a score of 1-under par. The senior shot a 69 in round one, two strokes shy of his career-best score on 18 holes and his best 18-hole finish since his freshman year.
Even after the rough second round, every Rebel finished the tournament under par. Ole Miss also led the field with the most birdies on the course with 67.
The men’s golf team won’t be back in action until Feb. 16 for the start of their spring season.
