Men’s Golf Competes for SEC Championship This Week

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – After competing in seven tournaments throughout the fall and spring, it's finally championship week for the Ole Miss men's golf team. The Rebels are at Sea Island Golf Club for the 2021 SEC Championship (April 21-25). All 14 teams compete in 54 holes of stroke play over the first three days before the field it whittled down to eight for match play to determine the conference champion.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, April 21 – 18 Holes (Tee times beginning at 6:30 a.m. CT)
Thursday, April 22 – 18 Holes (Tee times beginning at 6:30 a.m. CT)
Friday, April 23 – 18 Holes (Tee times beginning at 6:30 a.m. CT)
Saturday, April 24 – Match Play (Quarterfinals – 6:30 a.m. CT, Semifinals – 12 p.m. CT)
Sunday, April 25 – Match Play (Finals – 6:30 a.m. CT)

TV BROADCAST
Saturday's semifinals will be streamed live on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app beginning at 3:30 p.m. CT. SEC Network will broadcast Sunday's championship match in its entirety, starting with the first group off at 6:30 a.m. CT.

THE LINEUP
Jackson Suber (Jr.) – 8:30 a.m. CT off No. 10

Ranked No. 24 in the country (Golfstat rankings)
Leads the team with a 71.14 stroke average, ranked 14th in the SEC
Has finished in the top 15 in each of the past five tournaments, including two wins and four top 10s
Set the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship record with a career-low 63 (-9) in the second round (March 27)
Earned medalist honors at the LSU Invitational (Feb. 26-28) and the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate (Nov. 8-10); named SEC Golfer of the Week accolades following his win at LSU
His 198 (-12) at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate (Nov. 8-10) tied Braden Thornberry for the lowest 54-hole total in school history
Making his 28th start, playing in every tournament since arriving on campus
2019-20 PING Southeast All-Region
Qualified for match play at the 2020 U.S. Amateur

Jack Gnam (Jr.) – 8:20 a.m. CT off No. 10

Ranks second on the team in stroke average (72.39)
Appearing in his 23rd tournament as a Rebel
Tied for 22nd at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship (72-69-75—216) before placing 25th at the Collegiate Invitational at the Country Club of Birmingham (76-70-73—219)
Made his season debut for Ole Miss at the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate (Oct. 25-27), 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

Sarut Vongchaisit (Jr.) – 8:10 a.m. CT off No. 10

Has played in all seven tournaments this season, holding a 74.10 stroke average
Making his 22nd career start
Finished a season-best 22nd at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship (72-69-75—216)
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)
Made a team-high nine birdies at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational (Oct. 5-7)
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

Brett Schell (R-Fr.) – 8:00 a.m. CT off No. 10

Has played in all seven tournaments this season, recording a 74.05 stroke average
Led Ole Miss through the first two rounds of the Collegiate Invitational at the Country Club of Birmingham (April 5-7)
Recorded his first eagle as a Rebel during the second round of the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship (March 27)
Shot a career-low 213 (73-71-69) at the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate (Oct. 25-27), 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 (Oct. 5-7)
2019-20 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

Veeti Mahonen (So.) – 7:50 a.m. CT off No. 10

Has played in all seven tournaments this season, recording a 74.24 stroke average
Making his 16th start, appearing in each event since arriving on campus
Ended the General Hackler Championship (March 14-16) with a hole-in-one
Tied for eighth at the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate (Oct. 25-27), 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

THE FIELD (Rankings: Golfstat)
Alabama
#22 Arkansas
#14 Auburn
#17 Florida
#10 Georgia
Kentucky
#23 LSU
Mississippi State
Missouri
Ole Miss
South Carolina
#19 Tennessee
#11 Texas A&M
#15 Vanderbilt

THE COURSE
The SEC Men's Golf Championship has been played at Sea Island since 2001. Rated No. 1 in the U.S. among the "World's 50 Best Golf Hotels" by Golf Digest Index, Sea Island Golf Club offers three exceptional 18-hole championship courses. The Seaside Course, home to the PGA TOUR's McGladrey Classic and where the conference championship will be contested, is a links course graced by majestic ocean vistas in the tradition of St. Andrews. The course will play a par 70 at 7,005 yards. The Seaside Course was totally reconfigured by Tom Fazio and reopened in October 1999. It is the brilliant blending of Colt & Allison's original nine-hole Seaside and Joe Lee's Marshside nine into one seamless, contemporary 18-hole golf course. Tidal creeks, dunes, saltmarshes and St. Simons Sound frame the course which plays fast, firm and fun in the tradition of legendary Scottish links.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH MALLOY
"We're excited to finally begin playing for an SEC Championship. The pandemic prevented that from happening last year, so our guys are eager to get out there and compete in the best conference in all of college golf. We'll have to be ready to go from the first shot of the first round until the final putt is holed on Friday, and I think the guys are focused on doing that."

WHAT A FIELD
The SEC continues to be the best conference in golf with eight of the 14 teams ranked in Golfstat's top 25. Thirteen teams crack the nation's top 50, which should lead to an exciting and competitive week at Sea Island.

REBELS' HISTORY IN THE SEC CHAMPIONSHIP
Ole Miss has one team title and four medalists throughout SEC Championship history. The Rebels captured the 1984 SEC Championship with a team score of 881 over 54 holes; medal play determined the conference champion through 2016 before going to the current format of 54 holes that narrows the field to eight for match play the rest of the way. Ole Miss had four of the 10 medalists during the 1980s. Randy Watkins, the second All-American in school history behind three-time major champion Cary Middlecoff, became the first Rebel to capture an SEC title with his victory in 1982. Ole Miss had back-to-back SEC Champions as Dave Peege claimed medalist honors one year later. Chip Sullivan won a conference title of his own in 1986 before Lan Gooch stood atop the SEC with his victory in 1988.

LAST TIME OUT
Facing a 14-team field that feature seven ranked in the top 25, Ole Miss placed sixth in The Collegiate Invitational at the Country Club of Birmingham (April 5-7). Playing a difficult golf course and going up against elite competition, the Rebels were the leaders in par 4 scoring throughout the tournament (+13). The Rebels finished at 20-over par (289-290-293—872) for the 54-hole event, ahead of ranked teams such as No. 23 LSU (+22) and No. 21 Arkansas (+23). Jackson Suber led the way, tying for 15th at 3-over (71-74-71—216) for his fifth straight top-15 performance. The Tampa, Florida, native dominated the par 5s throughout the week, pacing the 81-man field in par 5 scoring (-6). Jack Gnam also cracked the top 25 that included a team-low 70 (-1) in the second round.

STELLAR SUBER
Jackson Suber has been playing some stellar golf over the past five tournaments, placing top 15 in all of them. He started the stretch by ending the fall with co-medalist honors at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate (Nov. 8-10). Getting the spring season underway, Suber won the LSU Invitational (Feb. 26-28) to secure back-to-back victories and SEC Golfer of the Week honors. An eighth-place finish at the General Hackler Championship (March 14-16) was followed by a fourth-place showing at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship (March 26-28), giving Suber his fourth consecutive top 10 and 11th of his career. Playing a tough course and against some of the top golfers in the country, Suber placed 15th in the Collegiate Invitational at the Country Club of Birmingham (April 5-7) and paced the field in par 5 scoring. The Tampa, Florida, native has shot par-or-better in 12 of his past 16 rounds heading into this week's conference championship.

BEST ROUNDS UNDER MALLOY'S LEADERSHIP
Ole Miss has produced a team score of 276 or better 27 times throughout program history, including four times this season. Fifteen of those have been under head coach Chris Malloy. During Malloy's seven seasons in charge, the Rebels have recorded seven of the top nine rounds in school history. That includes the program-best 269 that helped Ole Miss capture the 2018 Hootie at Bulls Bay. Two of top 10 rounds have occurred this season. The Rebels shot a 274 in the final round of the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate (Nov. 10) before firing a 273 at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship (March 27).

CONSISTENCY IN THE LINEUP
Chris Malloy has found consistency in his lineup with four Rebels playing in all seven events so far this season: Veeti Mahonen, Brett Schell, Jackson Suber and Sarut Vongchaisit. Jack Gnam and Cecil Wegener are the other two Rebels to crack the lineup. For the fourth consecutive tournament, Ole Miss features the same starting five (Suber, Gnam, Schell, Vongchaisit, Mahonen).

A LOOK TOWARD THE FUTURE
Evan Brown, who set Loyola University Maryland's school record for scoring average last season, signed a national letter of intent to join the Rebels as a graduate transfer for the 2021-22 season, head coach Chris Malloy announced earlier this week (April 19). Brown is still competing for the Greyhounds this season, leading the team with a 71.07 stroke average. The Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, native is coming off a victory this past weekend at the Rutherford Intercollegiate hosted by Penn State (April 17-18). His 11-under 202 (71-65-66) set a tournament record as he cruised to a six-shot win and led Loyola to a runner-up finish. Brown's second round 65 (-6) was a career low, and he ran away from the field with a 66 (-5) in the final round.

SELECTION SHOW
After wrapping up play at the SEC Championship, the Rebels will await to hear where they will be heading for the NCAA Championships. Ole Miss will look to play at one of six regional sites across the country, May 16-19.

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

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