The University of Mississippi Athletics
No. 18 Ole Miss Set For NCAA Championships
5/25/2017 | Men's Golf
What: NCAA Men's Golf Championships
When: May 26-31
Where: Rich Harvest Farms, Sugar Grove, Illinois
Broadcast: Golf Channel, May 29-31 3PM-7PM
The Field: Southern California, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Baylor, LSU, Illinois, Oregon, Kent State, Texas, Clemson, UNLV, Oklahoma, Virginia, UCF, Duke, Auburn, Ole Miss, Pepperdine, Arizona State, Florida State, North Carolina, Alabama, Lipscomb, Kennesaw State, Purdue, Jacksonville, New Mexico, Iowa State, Penn State
Course Stats: Par 72; 7,300 yards
Player to Watch: Sophomore Braden Thornberry owns the second-best stroke average in the nation at 69.61. Thornberry lead the Rebels to a fourth place finish at the NCAA Austin Regional where he earned his ninth top-five finish of the season.
Ole Miss Lineup: Braden Thornberry, Ben Wolcott, Josh Seiple, Kerry Sweeney, Noah West
Quoting: Head Coach Chris Malloy
On the team's approach to the NCAA Championships...
"As much as you sit there and try to tell the guys it is another tournament, it is different. The reward is a lot bigger."
On the program turnaround in three years...
"The guys in the locker room have made it all possible. Certainly, we have had some guidance, but I cannot thank my seniors enough for what they have done with this program. It is this senior class that is very special. It is pretty remarkable that it has only been three years."
On Braden Thornberry and Ben Wolcott's impact for the team this year...
"It is a great feeling when those two guys are walking on the golf course. More often than not, you know you can count on two scores. You only count four scores each day, so you are already half way there coming out of the gates. With the other three guys, if they can piece together a round here and there, then you are going to be in the hunt. They have been very good, but the consistency has been remarkable."
Tournament Layout: Finals play consists of three days of stroke play on Friday, May 26 through Sunday, May 28 (54 holes), after which the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play on Monday, May 29 to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion wil be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, May 30, followed by finals on Wednesday, May 31.
