The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Alabama
Rebels Fall Just Short in Match Play Finale Against Alabama
10/12/2021 | Men's Golf
Vongchaisit Finishes Week Undefeated, Meeks Goes 3-1 Individually
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Ole Miss men's golf team wrapped up play at the SEC Match Play Championship in Birmingham on Tuesday, falling to No. 5 seed Alabama 3-2 in Pool Play.
Kye Meeks was one of two Rebels to win his individual match on the day, defeating Alabama's Tyler Lipscomb 4 & 2. Sarut Vongchaisit was also able to capture his match on the day, defeating Thomas Ponder 2 & 1. With the win, Vongchaisit finished 4-0 in match play individually, the best of any of the Rebels competing on the week.
"We certainly had a lot of good out there," head coach Chris Malloy said. "Sarut played great from start to finish. Kye Meeks, a freshman, was outstanding and really played great golf all week, especially those last two days. Tough way to end and certainly never fun to lose, especially on the last hole, but that's okay. Tons of positives to take out of this week and heading into our final event of the fall."
Jackson Suber battled in a long matchup with Alabama's JP Cave, and even carried a one-hole lead into the back nine for the Rebels. However, it was Cave that prevailed and got the Crimson Tide on the board first, winning the match 3 & 2 to give Alabama an early 1-0 lead.
Needing a big point to remain in the fight, redshirt-freshman Kye Meeks came up big for the Rebels, capturing his match by a score of 4 & 2 over Tyler Lipscomb. Meeks, who finished his week 3-1 in individual play, won four consecutive holes (13-16) to seal up his match and knot the team score up at one apiece.
Alabama then struck back to retake the lead with Brett Schell falling by a score of 3 & 2, putting the Rebels in a position where they needed to win the two remaining matches in order to come out victorious over the Crimson Tide.
Again needing a response, the Rebels looked to Sarut Vongchaisit, who had yet to drop a match on the week, to put the team score back at level pegging. Holding at least a one-hole lead in his match from No. 6 onward, Vongchaisit captured victory over Thomas Ponder with a birdie on Hole 17, leveling the playing field at 2-2 with just one match remaining.
Evan Brown needed a comeback of his own to give Ole Miss the victory, as he trailed Alabama's Jones Free by two through 13 holes. The graduate transfer found his rhythm, winning back-to-back holes on 14 and 15 and hanging on to have an even match going to No. 18. However, it was a chip-in birdie on 18 by Free that would clinch the match for himself and for the Tide, having the comeback fall just short for Brown and the Rebels.
Ole Miss will now wait to close out their fall season at the end of the month, with the team traveling to Nassau, Bahamas to take part in the White Sands Bahamas Invitational. The three-day tournament will take place Oct. 29-31 at the Ocean Club Golf Course.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @OleMissMGolf on Twitter and OleMissMGolf on Instagram and Facebook.
Pool Play: Alabama 3, Ole Miss 2 (results in order of finish)
JP Cave (Alabama) defeated Jackson Suber (Ole Miss) 3 & 2
Kye Meeks (Ole Miss) defeated Tyler Lipscomb (Alabama) 4 & 2
Canon Claycomb (Alabama) defeated Brett Schell (Ole Miss) 3 & 2
Sarut Vongchaisit (Ole Miss) defeated Thomas Ponder (Alabama) 2 & 1
Jones Free (Alabama) defeated Evan Brown (Ole Miss) 1 up
Championship Match Result
Arkansas 3, Vanderbilt 2
Consolation Match Result
Georgia 4.5, LSU 0.5
Pool Play Team Results
Alabama 3, Ole Miss 2
Tennessee 5, Florida 0
Texas A&M 3, South Carolina 0
Auburn 3.5, Kentucky 1.5
Mississippi State 4, Missouri 1
Players Mentioned
