The University of Mississippi Athletics

Men’s Golf Responds With 3-Under Second Round
10/16/2023 | Men's Golf
La Sasso Leads Tournament at 8-Under Overall
BILOXI, Miss. - A 5-under 67 by Cameron Tankersley and a 3-under 69 by Michael La Sasso paced the Ole Miss men's golf team in round two of the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational.
The Rebels made up ground on Monday but remain nine strokes back of leader Auburn and two back of Mississippi State. La Sasso leads the field with a four-stroke gain in 1st place at 136 (-8) overall.
The Rebels are 2-under par as a team with rounds of 289 and 285 for a 574 (-2) total through two days. The Southeastern Conference trio is well ahead of the remainder of the 12-team field.
"I thought we did a really good job," head coach Chris Malloy said. We got off to a slow start but really got it going in the middle part of the round. Cam [Tankersley's] two eagles in a row certainly helped with momentum. I thought we did a very poor job of holding onto that, especially on a couple of momentum-swinging holes down the stretch. We let it get away from us. We really should have had the low round of the day. Just let it get out of control there at the end. Still an overall solid day, a step in the right direction from yesterday. We still have one more day to go."
Tankersley was a model of consistency throughout the round, his lone birdie coming at the 18th. However, back-to-back eagles on the par-5 sixth hole and the par-4 seventh lifted the sophomore to a 4-under 32 on the front nine. Tankersely launched himself up 38 spots on the leaderboard and sits tied for 6th.
"Felt pretty good," said Tankersley. "Never had back to back eagles before, so that's something I've never felt before. After that I just tried to keep it going."
La Sasso continued his stellar play from day one, shooting a 69 to go along with Sunday's 67 to take the overall tournament lead at 8-under. The sophomore leads the field on par 4s at 2-under, while his 6-under on par 5s is tied for the lead.
"Today was good" said La Sasso. "A lot of consistency, I felt like. There was a lot of consistent ball striking off the tee. Just helps with how demanding this course really is."
Patton Samuels, competing individually for the Rebels, is in a tie for sixth place overall with rounds of 70 on Sunday and 72 on Tuesday.
Rounding out the field for the Rebels in round two were Tim Tillmans with a 73 (+1), who had four birdies in a row on the front nine, Tom Fischer with a 76 (+4), and Kye Meeks with a 77 (+5).
The Rebels will tee off at beginning at 9 a.m. on Hole 1 Tuesday for the final round.
La Sasso said consistency is again the key for the Rebels and for himself in round three.
"I think it's the same thing, just going over the game plan, keeping it consistent and just believing in myself and knowing I'm good enough to compete out here," he said. "I've shown it the past two days, and I think just keep it rolling."
For updates throughout the season, 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
1. Michael La Sasso: 67-69--136 (-8)
*T6. Patton Samuels: 70-72--142 (-2)
T6. Cameron Tankersley: 75-67--142 (-2)
T24. Tim Tillmanns: 74-73--147 (+3)
T34. Tom Fischer: 74-76--150 (+6)
T42. Kye Meeks: 74-77--151 (+7)
*competing individually
THE LEADERBOARD
1. Auburn: 282-283--565 (-11)
2. Mississippi State: 276-295--571 (-5)
3. Ole Miss: 289-285--574 (-2)
4. Colorado: 293-291--584 (+8)
5. SMU: 290-295--585 (+9)
6. Kansas: 293-293--586 (+10)
7. Louisiana Tech: 291-298--589 (+13)
8. Southern Miss: 290-301--591 (+15)
9. Wisconsin: 302-294--596 (+20)
10. UNLV: 292-305--597 (+21)
11. Iowa: 298-306--604 (+28)
12. UCF: 296-311--607 (31)
The Rebels made up ground on Monday but remain nine strokes back of leader Auburn and two back of Mississippi State. La Sasso leads the field with a four-stroke gain in 1st place at 136 (-8) overall.
The Rebels are 2-under par as a team with rounds of 289 and 285 for a 574 (-2) total through two days. The Southeastern Conference trio is well ahead of the remainder of the 12-team field.
"I thought we did a really good job," head coach Chris Malloy said. We got off to a slow start but really got it going in the middle part of the round. Cam [Tankersley's] two eagles in a row certainly helped with momentum. I thought we did a very poor job of holding onto that, especially on a couple of momentum-swinging holes down the stretch. We let it get away from us. We really should have had the low round of the day. Just let it get out of control there at the end. Still an overall solid day, a step in the right direction from yesterday. We still have one more day to go."
Tankersley was a model of consistency throughout the round, his lone birdie coming at the 18th. However, back-to-back eagles on the par-5 sixth hole and the par-4 seventh lifted the sophomore to a 4-under 32 on the front nine. Tankersely launched himself up 38 spots on the leaderboard and sits tied for 6th.
"Felt pretty good," said Tankersley. "Never had back to back eagles before, so that's something I've never felt before. After that I just tried to keep it going."
La Sasso continued his stellar play from day one, shooting a 69 to go along with Sunday's 67 to take the overall tournament lead at 8-under. The sophomore leads the field on par 4s at 2-under, while his 6-under on par 5s is tied for the lead.
"Today was good" said La Sasso. "A lot of consistency, I felt like. There was a lot of consistent ball striking off the tee. Just helps with how demanding this course really is."
Patton Samuels, competing individually for the Rebels, is in a tie for sixth place overall with rounds of 70 on Sunday and 72 on Tuesday.
Rounding out the field for the Rebels in round two were Tim Tillmans with a 73 (+1), who had four birdies in a row on the front nine, Tom Fischer with a 76 (+4), and Kye Meeks with a 77 (+5).
The Rebels will tee off at beginning at 9 a.m. on Hole 1 Tuesday for the final round.
La Sasso said consistency is again the key for the Rebels and for himself in round three.
"I think it's the same thing, just going over the game plan, keeping it consistent and just believing in myself and knowing I'm good enough to compete out here," he said. "I've shown it the past two days, and I think just keep it rolling."
For updates throughout the season, 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
1. Michael La Sasso: 67-69--136 (-8)
*T6. Patton Samuels: 70-72--142 (-2)
T6. Cameron Tankersley: 75-67--142 (-2)
T24. Tim Tillmanns: 74-73--147 (+3)
T34. Tom Fischer: 74-76--150 (+6)
T42. Kye Meeks: 74-77--151 (+7)
*competing individually
THE LEADERBOARD
1. Auburn: 282-283--565 (-11)
2. Mississippi State: 276-295--571 (-5)
3. Ole Miss: 289-285--574 (-2)
4. Colorado: 293-291--584 (+8)
5. SMU: 290-295--585 (+9)
6. Kansas: 293-293--586 (+10)
7. Louisiana Tech: 291-298--589 (+13)
8. Southern Miss: 290-301--591 (+15)
9. Wisconsin: 302-294--596 (+20)
10. UNLV: 292-305--597 (+21)
11. Iowa: 298-306--604 (+28)
12. UCF: 296-311--607 (31)
Players Mentioned
Chris Malloy - 2025 Visit Knoxville Collegiate Preview
Wednesday, September 03
Chris Malloy - NCAA Championships Match Play Presser
Tuesday, May 27
Michael La Sasso - NCAA Championships Round Three Presser
Sunday, May 25
Chris Malloy - NCAA Championships Round Three Presser
Sunday, May 25