The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss To Host BancorpSouth Intercollegiate
4/2/2011 | Men's Golf
April 2, 2011
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OXFORD, Miss. - Some of the finest players in the history of golf hail from schools in the Southeast. Legends such as Bubba Watson, Camillo Villegas, Jim Gallagher, Randy Watkins, Brandt Snedeker and Graeme McDowell hail from the region's schools.
The future of professional golf will be on display April 4-5, as Ole Miss and BancorpSouth team up to host the BancorpSouth Intercollegiate at Reunion Golf and Country Club.
The two-day, 54-hole event will showcase some of the top golf talent in the Southeast and the United States. Admission is free.
The tournament begins Monday with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start followed by continuous play for the second round. The final round begins Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. with teams teeing off from the No. 1 and 10 tees.
"We are excited to host the BancorpSouth Intercollegiate and for our continued relationship with the bank, its officers and staff," said Ole Miss head coach Ernest Ross. "We are very appreciative of their efforts in bringing a high-caliber golf event to central Mississippi. Reunion Golf and Country Club is a great course and will challenge this field to the best of their ability. We are proud to bring golfers and coaches in from all over the southeast to play this excellent venue. As a team, we look forward to competing and trying to win this tournament."
Ole Miss seeks its first win in the history of the event, which began in 2008. All four Division I Mississippi golf schools are represented with Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, and Jackson State. The highest ranked team in the field currently, is 30th-ranked Central Florida.
One of the hottest teams in the nation right now coming to Madison is Middle Tennessee State. The Blue Raiders started off the spring winning three straight titles. They captured the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, the USF Invitational and the Louisiana Tech Bulldog Classic.
Some of the individuals to watch include Brandon, Miss. native Jonathan Randolph, a 2010 All-American and three-time winner, who seeks his first collegiate win in his home state. Other players to watch are Middle Tennessee's Hunter Green, who took home medalist honors at the USF Invitational, and the Bulldog Classic as well as Blue Raider Jason Millard, who won the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate.
Joining Randolph on the links for the Rebels will be juniors Joe David, Billy Brozovich and Zach Primavera and sophomore Chad Bounds.
"We are getting close to championship time. We have been pressing hard with our players to correct some course management mistakes," Ross said. "Sometimes there are just bad swings -- I can understand that. What I don't like as a coach is bad plans. We can correct that. Each player makes hundreds of decisions in a round about how to play a hole or shot. The player that makes the best decisions makes the game easier. We want to be those players."
BancorpSouth's Mid-Mississippi Region President David Barrentine said, "BancorpSouth is pleased to be the presenting tournament sponsor, helping to showcase college golf here in Mississippi. Regardless of where you graduate from we are all Mississippians first and foremost. Education is our number one focus and we are pleased to celebrate the outstanding student athletes from these schools."
Reunion Golf and Country Club is a Bob Cupp-designed course that opened in 2003. It has hosted many championships, including the USGA Amateur and Mid-Amateur qualifiers, the Mississippi State Amateur Championship, and will host the 2011 National Trusted Choice Junior Championship. The course plays over 7,400 yards from the championship tees, and the rolling hills provide a perfect setting for a tremendous golf facility.
BancorpSouth, Inc. is a $13.2 billion-asset financial holding company. The company operates approximately 314 banking and insurance locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. In addition to providing traditional banking services, credit cards, mortgages, trust and fiduciary services, the company provides investment services through its subsidiary BancorpSouth Investment Services, Inc. and insurance services through its subsidiary BancorpSouth Insurance Services, Inc. BancorpSouth's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BXS.
Live scoring of the tournament will be available by going to www.OleMissSports.com and clicking on the link in the calendar.
