Michael La Sasso, the Ole Miss golfer who was named the 2025 Division I Golf Individual National Champion, ended his collegiate golf career a semester early to join the LIV Golf league. Though La Sasso’s leaving hurts, his former teammates have taken advantage of his absence to fully showcase their skills.
La Sasso had always wanted to play professional golf, and the opportunity presented itself with LIV, so he took it. Although he had a semester left of the collegiate season, he seized the opportunity while he knew it would be presented.
“One of the things that went into my decision, when I was 10 years old … the goal for me was to play professional golf,” La Sasso said in an interview with Golfweek.
Since a team’s score in a tournament is determined only by the top five or six individual scores in that tournament, golfers who consistently shoot well can make up for poor performances by teammates. This is what La Sasso provided for Ole Miss; since he nearly always shot within the top five for Ole Miss, he gave the other Rebel golfers room for error each week.
La Sasso has been a top performer since he transferred to Ole Miss from NC State as a sophomore. In his first season, he led the team in stroke average and rounds under par. He also earned the No. 1 spot in the lineup of all 10 tournaments.
“We obviously have a very talented team, an experienced team and I think with the loss of La Sasso it’s a team that’s trying to reinvent themselves a little bit too,” head coach of the Ole Miss Men’s Golf team Chris Malloy said. “I think it’s trying to find their identity and how we’re gonna go about it just a little differently than originally planned, but I know that they are certainly excited for the Spring and believe that they can have even more success this year.”
While La Sasso’s departure marks the end of a historical chapter, championship programs are not sustained by a single player. Depth across the lineup determines a team’s performance over the course of the season, and Ole Miss’ depth is already on display this spring.
“In the fall, we didn’t have La Sasso for a couple of tournaments so I think it was them trying to figure it out. Now in hindsight, that turned out to help us, and these guys got a sneak preview,” Malloy said. “Maybe there was a guy or two that potentially wouldn’t have been in the lineup or made the trip that had the opportunity to do that.”
Finn Meister has not yet played in the spring season but posted strong scores throughout fall competition. Meister’s lowest 18-hole score in the fall was three-under at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
Cameron Tankersley competed in his first tournament this week at the Cabo Collegiate, hitting an even par alongside Cohen Trolio in the second round.
Tom Fischer has also found his path in leading the team this season. He led the Rebels with negative numbers at the Cabo Collegiate in the first two rounds of play.
Tankersly’s experience should help him serve as a mentor to freshman Daniel Tolf, a native of Sweden, who started his collegiate career strong in the fall and has played well in the spring. He was crowned the co-individual champion at the Watersound Invitational, making him the first freshman in nearly 10 years to win a share of an individual title for Ole Miss.
“We need some of these guys that maybe were designed or, in theory, were going to be a little bit in the background in a supportive role to really step their games up and help fill that void, certainly somebody has to,” Malloy said.
The rookie also beat his own career low from fall play; his new 18-hole personal best of 65 (-5) leads the teams so far this spring. This score placed him among the lowest rounds of the tournament, separating him from much of the field early.
Tolf’s low round boosted the team score and created stability across the Ole Miss lineup. Tolf has quickly emerged as a contributor for the team. In the Cabo Collegiate second round, he posted a 72 (+1), maintaining good play. He should help fill the void left by La Sasso.
With veterans stabilizing the roster and freshmen already producing low rounds, the Rebels enter the heart of their spring schedule with a blend of experience and momentum.
The Ole Miss Golf team has a multitude of great golfers, from freshmen like Tolf to seniors like Tankersley, who looks to bring Rebel golf a championship in his final semester with the team. His experience in SEC Championship play and high-pressure tournament environments provides balance to the lineup.
With spring momentum building, the Rebels now turn their focus toward SEC play. Early performances from both upperclassmen and freshmen have created a solid foundation that could be essential as the season continues.
