Men’s Golf Set for NCAA Regional in Stillwater

STILLWATER, Okla. – After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Championships, the Ole Miss men's golf team returns to postseason play beginning Monday, May 17. The Rebels join 12 other teams at Karsten Creek Golf Club for the NCAA Stillwater Regional (May 17-19) with five NCAA Championship spots on the line.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, May 17 – 18 Holes (Tee times beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT)
Tuesday, May 18 – 18 Holes (Tee times beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT)
Wednesday, May 19 – 18 Holes (Tee times beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT)

THE LINEUP
Jackson Suber (Jr.) – 9:39 a.m. CT off No. 10

First Team All-SEC
Ranked No. 28 in the country (Golfstat rankings)
Leads the team with a 71.17 stroke average, ranked 12th in the SEC
Has finished in the top 20 in each of the past six tournaments, including two wins and four top 10s
Shot 65 (-5) in the final round of the SEC Championship (April 21-23), becoming the first golfer in school history to record two SEC Championship rounds of 65-or-better
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 29th start, playing in every tournament since arriving on campus

Sarut Vongchaisit (Jr.) – 9:28 a.m. CT off No. 10

Has played in all eight tournaments this season, holding a 73.96 stroke average
Making his 23rd 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

Jack Gnam (Jr.) – 9:17 a.m. CT off No. 10

Ranks second on the team in stroke average (73.05)
Appearing in his 24th 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

Brett Schell (R-Fr.) – 9:06 a.m. CT off No. 10

Has played in all eight tournaments this season, recording a 74.29 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.) – 8:55 a.m. CT off No. 10

Has played in all eight tournaments this season, recording a 74.33 stroke average
Making his 17th 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 (Seeds followed by Golfstat national ranking)
1. No. 4 Oklahoma State
2. No. 9 Illinois
3. No. 15 Auburn
4. No. 21 SMU
5. Notre Dame
6. Alabama
7. Baylor
8. Sam Houston
9. Little Rock
10. Ole Miss
11. Northwestern
12. College of Charleston
13. Middle Tennessee

THE COURSE
Karsten Creek was designed by Tom Fazio and honored as the Best New Public Course for 1994 by Golf Digest Magazine. It stretches over 7,400 yards with SR1020 bent-grass greens and zoysia fairways. All of the holes were carved from the native oak trees surrounding Lake Louise. Karsten Creek played host to the NCAA Central Regional in May of 2001 before hosting the NCAA Men's Golf Championships in 2011 and 2018, where thousands of spectators gathered to watch the best collegiate golfers in the country.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH MALLOY
"We are looking forward to getting started in our quest for an NCAA Championship. These guys have had a good couple weeks of practice and are ready for the first round."

FOUR IN A ROW
Ole Miss has earned an NCAA Regional berth for the fourth straight championship season and the 13th time in program history. Having six opportunities to advance to postseason play under the guidance of head coach Chris Malloy, the Rebels have secured five regional bids. Ole Miss is seeking a top-five finish at Karsten Creek to advance to its sixth NCAA Championships in school history.

FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC
Jackson Suber was named First Team All-SEC by the conference coaches, the league office announced (May 14). The junior from Tampa, Florida became one of nine golfers to earn first team accolades, collecting the honor for the first time in his career. Ranked No. 28 in the country according to Golfstat, Suber has had a stellar season leading the Rebels. With the help of his team-best 71.17 stroke average, 12th in the SEC, Suber has placed in the top 20 in six of the eight tournaments. Four of those were top-10 finishes, and he won two individual titles as well. Suber ended the fall with co-medalist honors at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate (Nov. 8-10). His three-round total of 198 (67-65-66) tied Braden Thornberry for the lowest 54-hole score in school history. 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. While at Old Waverly (March 26-28), he fired a career-low 63 (-9) to set a new tournament record. At the SEC Championship (April 21-23), he finished strong with a final round 65 (-5). It was Suber's seventh round in the 60s this season, including his third round of 65-or-better.

LAST ROUND
While the SEC Championship didn't go the way the Rebels wanted, placing 12th over 54 holes of stroke play, a strong final round could be used a momentum going into the NCAA Regional. Ole Miss fired a 3-under 277 during the final round of stroke play, the best round of the day. Jackson Suber led the way with a 65 (-5), becoming the first golfer in school history to shoot 65-or-better multiple times in the conference tournament. Jack Gnam and Veeti Mahonen added even-par 70s, while Sarut Vongchaisit fired a 72 (+2) to round out the Rebels' team score.

KARSTEN CREEK CONNECTIONS
Ole Miss has a couple of connections to Karsten Creek. Defending his 2017 national title, Braden Thornberry advanced to the 2018 national championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma after qualifying from regional play. In terms of the current team, first year assistant coach Austin Cody is familiar with the course. Cody and the Duke Blue Devils competed in the 2011 NCAA Championships at Karsten Creek, advancing all the way to the semifinals of match play.

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 eight 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 fifth consecutive tournament, Ole Miss features the same starting five (Suber, Gnam, Schell, Vongchaisit, Mahonen).

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