The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Shoal Creek Invitational
Ole Miss Climbs Leaderboard at Shoal Creek Intercollegiate
9/25/2017 | Men's Golf
Day 1 Results 
| Live Scoring | Twitter Updates
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Opening up the 2017-18 season, the Ole Miss men's golf team had to shake off some rust before regaining the form that earned the Rebels a spot in the 2017 NCAA Championships. After an opening round 296 (+8), the Rebels fired the best round of the day with a 280 ( -8) to sit in fifth through the first 36 holes of the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate at Shoal Creek Country Club.
Dominating the par-5s helped Ole Miss get back in a groove. Through two rounds of play, the Rebels are a tournament-best 14-under on par-5s, while tying for the most birdies as a team (37) as well. However, Wake Forest leads the tournament at 9-under (285-282-567). Notre Dame, UAB and Liberty are also under-par after 36 holes, while the Rebels sit at even.
"I'm proud of the way the team responded in the second round. We really struggled out of the gates but saved ourselves with a great afternoon," said head coach Chris Malloy. "We will go get some rest and be ready to build on the momentum from this afternoon."
Leading the way was defending national champion Braden Thornberry, who fired a 71 (-1) before rattling off eight birdies on his way to a second-round 66 (-6). The Olive Branch, Mississippi, native climbed the leaderboard and sits in second place at 7-under, only two strokes back of UAB's William Walker III.
"Braden picked up where he left off last year and has positioned himself to win the tournament tomorrow," said Malloy.
Junior Josh Seiple matched Thornberry with a team-low round of 71 to begin the day. He followed that by recording four bogeys and four birdies for an even-par 72 to sit at 1-under for the tournament, tied for 12th. Only one stroke behind Seiple was fellow junior Beau Briggs. After starting off 6-over through his first six holes, Briggs played his final 30 holes of the day at 6-under to bounce back to even-par for the tournament (75-69-144).
Ben Reichert and Kerry Sweeney rounded out the Rebels' play as the two posted identical scores of 79 (+7) in the first round and 73 (+1) in the afternoon. Reichert, making his Ole Miss debut after transferring from East Tennessee State, and the veteran Sweeney rebounded from the morning 18 to gain momentum going into tomorrow's final round.
Two other Rebels competed as individuals, including freshman Cecil Wegener. In his first collegiate tournament, Wegener is tied for 31st after shooting an opening-round 73 (+1) to go along with a 74 (+2). Sophomore Chip Getz fired a 36-hole total of 153 (76-77) on the first day of the season.
The Rebels will wrap up the tournament tomorrow morning. The final round begins at 7:30 a.m. CT, and Ole Miss golfers will be teeing off hole No. 1 from 7:39 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.
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 Ole Miss Men's Golf.
Ole Miss Individuals
2. Braden Thornberry: 71-66-137
T12. Josh Seiple: 71-71-143
T15. Beau Briggs: 75-69-144
T59. Ben Reichert: 79-73-152
T59. Kerry Sweeney: 79-73-152
*T31. Cecil Wegener: 73-74-147
*T62. Chip Getz: 74-77-151
*Competing as individuals
Team Standings
1. Wake Forest: 285-282-567
2. Notre Dame: 285-286-571
3. UAB: 287-285-572
4. Liberty: 282-291-573
5. Ole Miss: 296-280-576
6. Georgia Southern: 295-283-578
7. North Florida: 290-289-579
8. Kennesaw State: 295-285-580
9. Memphis: 301-281-582
10. Chattanooga: 289-297-586
11. Troy: 293-299-592
12. South Alabama: 306-294-600
Players Mentioned
