Bonded By Different Cultures

On Sept. 24 of this year, the Europeans defeated the Americans 18 -9 in the Ryder Cup. While most golf fans in this country were discussing what went wrong with the U.S. and why they lost yet again, there were at least four people right here in Oxford who were happy with the outcome. That's because they hail from Scotland, England and Sweden.

Four years ago, Callum Macaulay, a native of Kincardine, Scotland, mulled over offers from a few colleges in the U.S. and decided to cast his lot with Ole Miss. Macaulay, who is now a senior, had always wanted to get a degree and play golf at the college level, but that is not an option back home, so he packed up and headed to Oxford.

"Golf and soccer are the primary sports back home," Macaulay said. "You can either go to a university or play the sport. I didn't know that much about college golf at the time. I heard that the SEC was the best golf conference in the country and pretty much the best conference for all sports in the country. When I got the opportunity to come here, I took it."

For junior Jamie Howarth, a native of Stockport, England, the chance to do what other young players from England have gone on to do encouraged him to leave his comfort zone and head to the United States.

"I knew nothing about Oxford or Ole Miss until I came here," Howarth said. "I knew a little about the United States from seeing other players do the same thing I am doing. Then you have guys on tour like Luke Donald (Northwestern) and Paul Casey (Arizona State), who are doing well."

Sophomore Will Roebuck did what a lot of potential athletes do from other countries. He left his hometown of Bucks, England, prior to his last year of high school and enrolled at the David Leadbetter Academy in Florida. That is where head coach Ernest Ross saw him practice and invited him to come for an official visit. The rest is history.

"The year I spent in Florida really helped me get used to living in the United States," Roebuck said. "Coming straight from England to a place that is so different would have been tough to adjust. Being in Florida helped bridge the gap."

Even though it's quite different here than back home, for Roebuck, some things are the same. "It was neat to see the Double Decker bus and the phone booth on the square, which remind me of England."

One of two newcomers on this year's team, junior transfer Stefan Strandlund of Linkoping, Sweden, came to Ole Miss via Bethune-Cookman. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

"When I was looking for a school to come to, I sent out about 30 emails and got some responses, including Ole Miss," Strandlund said. "But at the time the team was full, so I wound up at Bethune-Cookman."

Looking for better competition and a place where he could study engineering, Strandlund sought to transfer after two years.

"We played a tournament with Ole Miss when I was at Bethune-Cookman," Strandlund said. "We were paired with them and he (Coach Ross) saw me play. I played No. 1 for Bethune-Cookman. He had an opening, and that's how I got to Ole Miss."

Coming from a different country to a small Southern town has been an experience for the four. Macaulay, whose earliest memory of the U.S. was a trip to Disney World at the age of 10, describes his time here as memorable.

"I've met a lot of really nice people," Macaulay said. "The people here are really friendly. My parents and my younger brother have been here to visit, and my two best friends are here this weekend. I am excited to show them where I've been living for the last four years, and they are excited about seeing it, too."

Howarth, now in his second year here, talks about the difference in England and Oxford, but says he is getting used to it.
"The way of life here is different," Howarth said. "People do different things to pass the time, like hunting and fishing. Back home, the town usually revolves around the next soccer game. That's big."

According to all four, the food is also a little different. "I've tried catfish," Howarth said. "I've even tried Grits, but I am not a big fan of them. I don't mind sweet tea, but I prefer hot tea."

"We eat some of the same foods, but we just eat them in a different way," Macaulay added. "For example, people here eat steak a lot. We have something called steak pie, which is steak chopped up in little cubes mixed in with sausage and gravy."

Roebuck says he misses his mom's Sunday roast dinner. Strandlund notes the amount of junk food that Americans consume, saying he misses healthy food.

The end is approaching for Macaulay. Howarth and Strandlund have another year after this, and Roebuck has two more years. But for all four, the time is now. They want to help the Rebels continue their climb back up the college golf ladder.

"I would like to see us make it to NCAA Regionals this year," Macaulay said. "That is what we strive for every year. The last two years if we would have played a little better at SECs, we would have made it. We were the highest ranked team last year not to make regionals."

For one weekend in September, Macaulay, Howarth, Roebuck and Strandlund may have been on the opposite side with their teammates, but now they are competing as one hoping to continue the rise of Ole Miss men's golf.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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