The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
FAU Slomin Autism Invite
Rebels, Thornberry Win FAU Slomin Autism Invite
3/27/2016 | Men's Golf
LAKE WORTH, Fla. - Freshman Braden Thornberry fired a final round 2-under 69 Sunday to earn co-medalist honors and help lead the Ole Miss men's golf team to its first victory of the season at the FAU Slomin Autism Invite.
The Rebels posted a final round score of 3-under par 283 to bring their three-round total to 11-under 841 at the 6,876-yard Fountains Country Club North Course. It was their lowest total since posting a team score of 845 at the 2012 Sam Hall Intercollegiate. The tournament score was highlighted by a 7-under 277 in the second round, which was Ole Miss' lowest round of the season. The Rebels bested second-place UConn by 11 strokes for their first team title since the 2012 Cabo Querencia Collegiate.
"I'm very proud of the guys for getting the victory this week," said Rebel head coach Chris Malloy. "It was really a team effort as each of them really stepped up at critical moments and hit some big time golf shots. Hopefully they can take this momentum into our final few tournaments. This is a special one for me personally with it being our first team win at my alma mater. I won't ever forget this one."
Thornberry tallied a 2-under par 69 in the final round en route to an 8-under 205 to capture his first title of his career. His previous best finish came at the Seminole Intercollegiate two weeks ago, where he finished tied for fourth place. Thornberry tied for the individual title with Patrick Flavin of Miami Ohio and Manuel Elvira of Central Florida.
"Braden is playing some great golf right now," said Malloy. "He has been close to winning the last couple of tournaments so it's great to see him break through. This should be the first of many for him."
Two Rebels also earned their first top-10 finishes of the season. as junior Noah West posted a three-day score score of 3-under par 210 to finish in a tie for ninth and senior Forrest Gamble finished in a tie for 10th with a 2-under 211. West, a Tupelo, Mississippi native birdied the 18th hole to slide into ninth place, while Gamble turned in a 1-under par 70 Sunday to lock in his top-10 finish. Fellow senior Connor Davis matched his season-low round of 18 score with a 1-under par 71 Sunday and finished tied for 26th. Junior Ben Wolcott carded his best round of the tournament on the final day at 1-over 73 and finished in 88th place.
Next up, the Rebels will compete next at the Old Waverly Invitational in West Point, Mississippi April 4-5. For all Ole Miss Men's golf news and information, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMGolf, on Instagram at OleMissMGolf and on Facebook at facebook.com/OleMissMGolf. Fans can also follow head coach Chris Malloy on Twitter at @CoachMalloy12.
Ole Miss Individuals
T1. Braden Thornberry-69-67-69--205
9. Noah West-69-67-74--210
T10. Forrest Gamble-69-72-70-211
T26. Connor Davis-74-71-71--216
88. Ben Wolcott-78-82-73--233
Team Standings
1. Ole Miss-281-277-283-841
2. Connecticut-276-288-288--852
3. UCF-289-278-289-856
T4. Florida Atlantic-282-294-283-859
T4. DePaul-288-285-286-859
6. Murray State-293-282-286--861
7. Georgia Southern-285-290-288-863
8. Florida Gulf Coast-281-290-293--864
9. Bethune-Cookman-282-293-291-- 866
10. Middle Tennessee St.-290-292-287-869
11. Jacksonville State-286-291-293-870
12. Miami (OH)-299-291--285--590
13. Georgetown-288-291-297-876
14. Hartford-287-298-299--884
15. Toledo-301-292-294--887
16. Stetson-290-307-298--895
17. Morehead State-309-298-299--906
18. Canisius College-324-328-320--972
Players Mentioned
