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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Arkansas
Women’s Golf Takes Down Arkansas to Claim Third at Stephens Cup
10/20/2021 | Women's Golf
Cunningham Comes Back to Tie No. 5 Ranked Golfer, Helps Clinch Third for Rebels
ROLAND, Ark. – The Ole Miss women's golf team battled their way to a third place match play finish at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup with a 3-2 win over Arkansas Wednesday.
Andrea Lignell and Chiara Tamburlini both won their individual matches on the day, and clutch ties from Julia Johnson and McKinley Cunningham helped secure Ole Miss a 3-2 victory.
"Today was a big day for our team as we beat a fantastic team in match play," head coach Kory Henkes said. "Arkansas is a top-notch program and we grinded until the very last hole to pull off the win."
Helping the Rebels jump out to an early lead was junior Andrea Lignell, who was able to capture her matchup against Arkansas' Ela Anacona by a score of 3&2 to give Ole Miss an early 1-0 advantage.
Lignell made quick work of Anacona, holding at least a one-hole lead for the entirety of her match, and having as much of a lead as five during her round.
Arkansas was then able to earn a point back for themselves, with Ole Miss freshman Natacha Host Husted falling in her match 4&3. With the score leveled at one apiece, it would be the final three matches of the week that would decide third place.
Trailing by one heading to Hole 17, Chiara Tamburlini needed a big comeback in order to keep the Rebels third place hopes alive.
Tamburlini delivered for the Rebels, winning back-to-back holes over her opponent to clinch a 1 up victory that would give Ole Miss a 2-1 lead over the Razorbacks.
Senior Julia Johnson then followed this result up by closing out her match with Arkansas's Julia Gregg in a tie, making the score 2.5-1.5 in favor of the Rebels. This result guaranteed that the Rebels would at least finish with a share of third place dependent on the final result of the day.
Redshirt-freshman McKinley Cunningham trailed her opponent by two with just two holes remaining in her round, needing a tie to clinch sole possession of third place for her team.
Cunningham, who was matched up against Cory Lopez, Golfweek's No. 5 ranked golfer in the nation, sunk a birdie putt on No. 17 that reduced Lopez's lead to one.
On No. 18, Cunningham was able to register a par, which was good enough not only for her to win the hole, but to clinch Ole Miss' spot alone as third place finishers at the inaugural Stephens Cup.
For all Ole Miss women's golf latest news and information, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWGolf, on Instagram at OleMissWGolf and on Facebook at Ole Miss Women's Golf. General athletic news can also be found at @OleMissSports on Twitter, Ole Miss Sports on Facebook, and OleMissAthletics on Instagram.
THIRD PLACE MATCH RESULTS VS. ARKANSAS
1. Andrea Lignell (Ole Miss) defeated Ela Anacona (Arkansas) – 3&2
2. Kajal Mistry (Arkansas) defeated Natacha Host Husted (Ole Miss) – 4&3
3. Chiara Tamburlini (Ole Miss) defeated Miriam Ayora (Arkansas) – 1 UP
4. Julia Johnson (Ole Miss) tied Julia Gregg (Arkansas)
5. McKinley Cunningham (Ole Miss) tied Cory Lopez (Arkansas)
Players Mentioned
