The University of Mississippi Athletics
Gnam Wins Cotton States Invitational
7/27/2020 | Men's Golf
Second Straight Year an Ole Miss Golfer Wins Prestigious Tournament
MONROE, La. – Ole Miss men's golfer Jack Gnam captured the 69th annual W.E. Cole Cotton States Invitational at Bayou DeSiard Country Club over the weekend (July 22-26). After teammate Charlie Miller was victorious at last year's event, Gnam became the second consecutive Rebel to win the prestigious tournament.
Gnam immediately made his presence known by finishing as medalist during the two qualifying rounds. The sophomore fired an even-par 72 before going low for a 66 (-6) in round two, claiming the top spot going into match play. After 36 holes of stroke play, the 116-man field narrowed to just 32 golfers.
Cruising through the opening round of match play 5&3 Friday morning, Gnam secured his spot in the quarterfinals with a 3&2 victory during the afternoon. On the other side of the bracket, Miller kept his title defense alive with a pair of wins as well. Both Gnam and Miller took care of business Saturday morning, meaning two of the remaining four golfers were Rebels.
Gnam advanced to the finals with a 3&1 victory over Austyn Reily from the University of Houston. Miller suffered a narrow loss to Mitchell Ford (2&1), and the elimination of the defending champion prevented an all-Ole Miss final. However, Gnam made sure that an Ole Miss Rebel kept the trophy by rallying past Ford in the championship match.
Two down with five holes to play, Gnam won a hole back to find himself one down going to the 18th. After hitting the green, the Ridgeland, Mississippi, native drained a clutch 25-foot putt for birdie to tie the match and force extra holes to decide the champion. On the second playoff hole, Gnam's putting came through once again. Rolling in another birdie, this time from 20 feet, Gnam completed the comeback to win the 2020 Cotton States.
Over the years the Cotton States has attracted some of the top collegiate and amateur golfers from around the world. The Cotton States has a rich tradition of high-level competition with several past contestants and champions moving on to success on the PGA Tour. A few Cotton States players of note were Don January, Homero Blancas, Jackie Cupit, Gil Morgan, Bill Rodgers, Hal Sutton, David Toms, Abraham Ancer and Marc Leishman.
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.
Gnam immediately made his presence known by finishing as medalist during the two qualifying rounds. The sophomore fired an even-par 72 before going low for a 66 (-6) in round two, claiming the top spot going into match play. After 36 holes of stroke play, the 116-man field narrowed to just 32 golfers.
Cruising through the opening round of match play 5&3 Friday morning, Gnam secured his spot in the quarterfinals with a 3&2 victory during the afternoon. On the other side of the bracket, Miller kept his title defense alive with a pair of wins as well. Both Gnam and Miller took care of business Saturday morning, meaning two of the remaining four golfers were Rebels.
Gnam advanced to the finals with a 3&1 victory over Austyn Reily from the University of Houston. Miller suffered a narrow loss to Mitchell Ford (2&1), and the elimination of the defending champion prevented an all-Ole Miss final. However, Gnam made sure that an Ole Miss Rebel kept the trophy by rallying past Ford in the championship match.
Two down with five holes to play, Gnam won a hole back to find himself one down going to the 18th. After hitting the green, the Ridgeland, Mississippi, native drained a clutch 25-foot putt for birdie to tie the match and force extra holes to decide the champion. On the second playoff hole, Gnam's putting came through once again. Rolling in another birdie, this time from 20 feet, Gnam completed the comeback to win the 2020 Cotton States.
Over the years the Cotton States has attracted some of the top collegiate and amateur golfers from around the world. The Cotton States has a rich tradition of high-level competition with several past contestants and champions moving on to success on the PGA Tour. A few Cotton States players of note were Don January, Homero Blancas, Jackie Cupit, Gil Morgan, Bill Rodgers, Hal Sutton, David Toms, Abraham Ancer and Marc Leishman.
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.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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