Men’s Golf Begins Spring Season at LSU Invitational

BATON ROUGE, La. – The spring season is finally here for the Ole Miss men's golf team. Hitting the links for the first time since November, the Rebels begin their championship season at the LSU Invitational (Feb. 26-28). The 54-hole tournament, hosted by the Tigers, features 15 teams.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 26 – 18 Holes (Tee times beginning at 8:30 a.m. CT)
Saturday, Feb. 27 – 18 Holes (Tee times beginning at 8:30 a.m. CT)
Sunday, Feb. 28 – 18 Holes (Tee times beginning at 8:30 a.m. CT)

THE LINEUP
Jackson Suber (Jr.) – 10:50 a.m. CT off No. 10

Captured medalist honors at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate to end the fall, the first individual win of his Ole Miss career
His 198 (-12) tied Braden Thornberry for the lowest 54-hole total in school history
Posted a 71.11 stroke average during the fall
Making his 24th start, playing in every tournament since arriving on campus
2019-20 PING Southeast All-Region
71.04 stroke average (team-best), ranking ninth in the SEC, with three top-five finishes during the 2019-20 campaign
Qualified for match play at the 2020 U.S. Amateur

Sarut Vongchaisit (Jr.) – 10:40 a.m. CT off No. 10

Played in all three fall tournaments, holding a 72.89 stroke average
Fired a 66 (-4) in his final round of the fall to lead the Rebels to the fifth-lowest team round in school history (274)
Making his 18th career start
Made a team-high nine birdies at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational
Posted a career-low 72.00 stroke average after playing in all eight tournaments last season
Recorded 16 rounds of par-or-better last season, including a career-low 65

Veeti Mahonen (So.) – 10:30 a.m. CT off No. 10

Played in all three fall tournaments, recording a 72.89 stroke average
Making his 12th start, appearing in each event since arriving on campus
Tied for eighth at the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate, leading the field with 19 birdies and shooting in the 60s all three rounds
Ranked seventh among SEC freshman with a 72.58 stroke average a season ago
Tied for sixth, leading the Rebels to a runner-up finish at last season's Hoakalei Country Club Invitational in Hawaii

Brett Schell (R-Fr.) – 10:20 a.m. CT off No. 10

Played in all three fall tournaments, recording a 72.67 stroke average
Shot a career-low 213 (73-71-69) at the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate, which included his first round in the 60s as a Rebel
Led Ole Miss in his collegiate debut, tying for 34th at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational
2019-20 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
Named the 2019 National Senior Boys' Golfer of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association

Cecil Wegener (Jr.) – 10:10 a.m. CT off No. 10

Played in one tournament during the fall, the season-opening Blessings Collegiate Invitational, his first tournament in 17 months
Missed the entire 2019-20 season due to injury
Competed in the 2020 U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes
As a sophomore, played in all 12 tournaments (72.76 stroke average) which included capturing medalist honors at the All-American Collegiate
SEC All-Freshman in 2018

INDIVIDUAL
Jack Gnam (Jr.) – 8:30 a.m. CT off No. 10

Played in two tournaments during the fall, posting a team-low 70.33 stroke average
Appearing in his 19th tournament as a Rebel
Made his season debut for Ole Miss at the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate, tying for 11th with a career-low 205 (65-70-70); his opening round 65 (-6) was a career best
Won the prestigious Cotton States Invitational last summer
Recorded a 72.75 stroke average last season

THE FIELD (Rankings: Golfstat)
No. 6 Illinois
No. 11 Florida
No. 12 Georgia
No. 17 Auburn
No. 19 Vanderbilt
No. 22 Tennessee
Alabama
Arkansas State
Kentucky
Louisiana Tech
LSU
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Missouri
South Carolina

THE COURSE
The University Club in Baton Rouge is a par 72 that measures 7,227 yards. Designed by alumni David Toms and Jim Lipe, the course is the home of the LSU Tigers. Located in the Louisiana Wetlands, the layout opened in 1998.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH MALLOY
"We're excited to get our spring season started. Our guys finished strong to end the fall, and we have been itching to get back in action ever since. Competing against this field will be an early test for us. I am looking forward to seeing how we play coming off the extended break."

THE VOYAGE TO SEA ISLAND
The LSU Invitational is the first of four tournaments that the Rebels will compete in prior to the SEC Championship at Sea Island. After a week off, Ole Miss heads to Myrtle Beach for the General Hackler Championship (March 14-16). In back-to-back weeks, the Rebels play two familiar courses. Remaining in state, Ole Miss returns to the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship in West Point, Mississippi (March 26-28). Beginning the month of April and rounding out play before the conference championship, the Rebels head back to Birmingham for the Shoal Creek Invitational (April 5-7). Then, Ole Miss has two weeks to prepare for the SEC Championship (April 21-25).

HOME MATCHES POSTPONED
While the LSU Invitational was always the first tournament on the fall schedule, it wasn't supposed to be the Rebels' first event of the spring. Ole Miss scheduled matches versus Louisiana Tech (Feb. 20) and No. 5 UAB (Feb. 21) at the Country Club of Oxford, one of the Rebels' home courses. However, inclement weather forced the postponement of both matches.

CONFERENCE COMPETITION
In all three tournaments during the fall, the Rebels faced the other 13 SEC schools. Ole Miss improved as the season went on, going from a disappointing 14th-place finish at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational to the middle of the pack (eighth) at the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate. Closing out 2020, the Rebels took fifth at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate.

STRONG FINISH TO THE FALL
Ole Miss saved its best fall performance for last, leapfrogging SEC opponents for a top-five showing at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. A final round 274 put the Rebels at 6-under for the tournament (279-281-274—834). Both 18-hole and 54-hole team totals marked the fifth-best in program history. Jackson Suber and Veeti Mahonen led the way, both firing 66 on the last day. Suber's low round propelled him to the top of the leaderboard for his first individual victory as a Rebel.

SUBER GOES LOW
Jackson Suber tied a school record on his way to medalist honors at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate. Securing his first victory at Ole Miss, the junior fired a final round 66 (-4) to erase a three-shot deficit and finish in a tie atop the leaderboard at 12-under. Suber's three-round total of 198 (67-65-66) tied Braden Thornberry for the lowest 54-hole score in school history.

FOLLOW THE REBELS
For updates throughout the tournament, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMGolf. Additional updates and information on the team can be found on Instagram at OleMissMGolf , on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Golf and on OleMissSports.com.

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Players Mentioned

Jack Gnam

Veeti Mahonen

Brett Schell

Jackson Suber

Sarut Vongchaisit

Cecil Wegener

The University of Mississippi Athletics