The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
NCAA Regional
Mid-Round Push Helps Men’s Golf Stay Within Striking Distance at Norman Regional
5/16/2022 | Men's Golf
70s by Suber, Gnam Keep Rebels Five Strokes Back from Championship Spot
NORMAN, Okla. – On the opening day of regional competition Ole Miss men's golf team kicked off the NCAA Norman Regional on Monday with the team shooting a 287 (-1) par collectively to help the Rebels end the day in sixth place.
The Rebels end day one tallying the third-highest amounts of pars at 57 along with 15 total birdies. They also stand as one of just six teams to have a player make an eagle, with Evan Brown doing so on Hole 5.
Only the top five finishing teams will clinch spots in the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, along with the top individual from a non-advancing team.
"We got off to a bit of a slow start but really got it going there in the middle of our round," said head coach Chris Malloy. "Unfortunately, a couple of mental mistakes really kept us from finishing off our round the way that we would have liked. We will be ready to bounce back tomorrow and move up the leaderboard."
Ole Miss opened up its round slowly out of the gates, with the team netting a combined three birdies across the opening eight holes of play, leaving the Rebels in a rut down the leaderboard. Needing a spark, the Rebels looked to the golfers in their No. 1 and No. 5 positions to make an impact, and they delivered.
Jackson Suber and Jack Gnam delivered massive rounds for the Rebels, with each senior logging a 70 (-2) on their scorecard to help Ole Miss creep back up the leaderboard into sixth place as a team.
Suber continued to do what he's done all season for the Rebels, finishing below par for the 20th time this season. Finishing one-under on his front and his back nine, Suber is aiming to make his first career trip out to Scottsdale for the NCAA Championships as a Rebel.
Entering his back nine on the day at one-over, Gnam lit up the back nine of the course, delivering birdies on four of the first seven holes after the turn to ultimately earn himself a 70. Gnam, currently ranks first in the field in par-4 scoring (-4), tallied a team-best four birdies, now will also enter day two tied for 11th with Suber.
Senior Sarut Vongchaisit's first day in Norman concluded with the Bangkok, Thailand, native finishing one-over par with a 73 (+1). Vongchaisit's scorecard hovered around even for the entirety of his round, with the senior either sitting at one-over or even par the duration of his round.
Evan Brown tallied the last counting score for the Rebels on the day, shooting a 74 (+2) that places the graduate transfer in a tie for 39th. Brown's opening round ended with three total birdies, as well as the team's only eagle of the day on the par-5 No. 5. Redshirt-freshman Kye Meeks rounded out play for Ole Miss with a 77 (+5) on the day, putting him in 61st.
Regional host and No. 1 ranked Oklahoma currently leads the way in Norman, finishing its day with a 11-under round of 277. South Carolina (278), Auburn (280), Utah (280) and Texas (282) currently hold the remaining four NCAA qualifying positions on the team leaderboard.
Round two from Jimmie Austin Golf Club is set to start back up on Tuesday with the Rebels teeing off of No. 10 at 8:30 a.m. CT.
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.
THE REBELS
T11: Jackson Suber: 70 (-2)
T11: Jack Gnam: 70 (-2)
T30: Sarut Vongchaisit: 73 (+1)
T39: Evan Brown: 74 (+2)
T61: Kye Meeks: 77 (+5)
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. Oklahoma: 277 (-11)
2. South Carolina: 278 (-10)
T3. Auburn: 280 (-8)
T3. Utah: 280 (-8)
5. Texas: 282 (-6)
6. Ole Miss: 287 (-1)
7. San Diego State: 290 (+2)
8. Missouri: 294 (+6)
9. UT Martin: 296 (+8)
10. Louisville: 297 (+9)
11. Kansas State: 302 (+14)
12. Rider: 304 (+16)
13. Kent State: 307 (+19)
Players Mentioned
