The No. 5 Ole Miss Men’s Golf team made a quick trip to Simons Island, Ga., from April 24-26 to compete in the Men’s SEC Golf Championship. The Rebels competed against all other SEC teams in three rounds to determine the individual champion and tournament seeding.
Round one
The team started the day as the leadoff group, along with Vanderbilt and Auburn, at the Sea Island Golf Club. The Rebels concluded day one of play by shooting 1-over and headed into round two in eighth place.
Ole Miss shot 11 birdies in, shooting 4-under on par three throughout the first 18 holes. The Rebels hoped to improve their play in the next two rounds to place in the top eight teams to qualify for match play.
Kye Meeks ended day one tied for 4th, shooting a 67 (-3) with 15 pars and three birdies. Cameron Tankersley joined Meeks in the top 10, tied for 8th after shooting a 68 (-2). Tankersley followed with 14 pars and three birdies.
Tom Fischer finished the day even par and tied for 27th after round one. Patton Samuels — Michael La Sasso’s replacement due to health issues — joined Tim Tillmanns in capturing a lone birdie in the first round. Both Tillmanns and Samuels tied for 63rd with a 76 (+6).
Round two
The Rebels went into round two paired with Arkansas and Alabama. Capping off the second round, Ole Miss finished 9th place with a 1-over par on the week.
The Rebels shot even par on the front nine as a team and hit 25 birdies and 125 pars through 36 holes. At the end of day two, the Rebels ended with a score of 280.
Tankersley led day two for the Rebels, shooting a 69 (-1), putting him at a 137 (-3) for the first two rounds. Meeks hit 1-under in the front nine, struggling in the back nine but ending tied for 20th at 139 (-1).
Fischer shot an even 70 to stay on par for the week, capping off the day tied for 28th place. Tillmanns returned from round one and went 71 (+1), heading into the final round tied for 57th.
La Sasso shot a birdie on hole two and continued to capture two more birdies on the back nine. The No. 4 ranked sophomore had excellent plays through his first 18 holes, hooding an even 70-par.
Round three
Nearing the end of tournament play, Tankersley and Fischer led the Rebels, finishing with an even score and tying for 23rd. Fischer remained steady, securing all three rounds even. Tankersley fell in the front nine of the final round but returned in the back nine.
La Sasso caught five birdies and finished with a 71 (+1) third-round score. Meeks finished stroke play tied for 41st at 3-over overall. Tillmanns ended in 58th overall and shot a 12-under.
The Rebels placed ninth overall as a team. However, Ole Miss struggled to make a comeback to qualify as the top 8 teams in order to advance in match play, finishing 11 strokes behind the cut line.
What’s Next?
The Rebels will continue their postseason journey at the NCAA Selection Show, televised on the Golf Channel on May 1 at 1 p.m. CT.
