The University of Mississippi Athletics
Sunday, February 12
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico | Grand Reserve Golf Club
Ole Miss
vs
Puerto Rico Classic
Men’s Golf Opens Spring Season with Puerto Rico Classic
2/11/2023 | Men's Golf
Rebels to Compete in Three-Day Tournament Featuring 13 Teams
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – Ole Miss men's golf returns to action for its spring 2023 season at the annual Puerto Rico Classic, which is set to run Feb. 12-14 at the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
This marks the fourth time Ole Miss will make the flight down to the Puerto Rico Classic. In last year's competition, the Rebels finished in 6th place with a 36-under overall score. The team score of 826 is tied for 10th in the 54-hole scoring record for the event.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, Feb. 12 – 18 holes of stroke play
Tuesday, Feb. 13 – 18 holes of stroke play
Wednesday, Feb. 14 – 18 holes of stroke play
LINEUP
Hugo Townsend (Gr.)
-- Earned two top-20 finishes in the fall season
-- Highlighted his first season as a Rebel with a hole-in-one in the first round of the Blessings Collegiate
-- Shot a season-low 18-hole score of 67 during SEC Match Play
-- Heads into the spring season with a 71.09 stroke average
-- Has started in every tournament this season for the Rebels
Cameron Tankersley (Fr.)
-- Leads the team with a 70.18 stroke average
-- Opened his freshman season with three top-15 finishes
-- Made 50 birdies in his first four tournaments
-- Earned a tied for 3rd finish in his career debut at the Badger Invitational
-- Has started in every tournament this season for the Rebels
Sarut Vongchaisit (Sr.)
-- Tied the Blessings Collegiate tournament's men's single-round record with a 65 (-7) score in the final round
-- Earned a new career-best finish and tied his career-best 18-hole score (65) with his 2nd-place finish at the Blessings
-- Ended the fall season with a 70.50 stroke average
-- Competed in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Thailand during the off-season
Brett Schell (Jr.)
-- Shot a 71 in the first round of the Ka'anapali Classic
-- Finished the 2022 Puerto Rico Classic with career-best marks across the board, earning a personal-best finish (T4th), 18-hole score (65) and 54-hole score (201)
-- Both 18 and 54-hole totals for the tournament marked team bests on the 2021-22 season
-- His 201 54-hole score is tied for 5th in the tournament's individual records
Patton Samuels (Fr.)
-- Earned a starting lineup in two fall tournaments during his first semester as a Rebel
-- Had a standout first round at the Ka'anapali Classic, shooting a low-18 score of 66
-- Finished tied for 22nd overall with a score of 208 (-5) to earn his best finish of the season
-- Ended the fall season with a 71.4 stroke average
Kye Meeks (So.) (Individual)
-- Opened his sophomore debut with a tied-for 10th finish in the Badger Individual Invitational
-- Competed as an individual at the Ka'anapali Classic and shot a career-low round of 67 in the final round
-- Competed in 11 tournaments for the Rebels during the 2021-22 season
-- Logged a 72.68 stroke average for the Rebels
THE FIELD
College of Charleston
East Tennessee State
Georgia
Iowa
Marquette University
Maryland
Oklahoma
Ohio State University
Ole Miss
Purdue
South Carolina
Tennessee
Wisconsin
THE COURSE
Designed by PGA Tour professional, Tom Kite, the unique 18-hole course brings a dynamic golfing experience. Offering four diverse nines, players will experience challenging play that excites and inspires. Each nine caters for golfers of all abilities with four different tee boxes ranging from 5,300 to 7,587 yards. The immaculate course features seashore paspalum grass, white silica sand bunkers and challenging water hazards for truly world-class play.
Started in 2008, hundreds of professional golfers and thousands of attendees have enjoyed the Puerto Rico Open, which has served as a springboard to great success for many PGA TOUR players. Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, Bryson DeChambeau, and Chesson Hadley have all played the Championship Course at Grand Reserve.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH MALLOY
"We are extremely excited to kick off our spring season. These guys have worked incredibly hard over the past few weeks to get ready. I know that they are ready to see a new course and other competition. The good news is that we will know exactly where our team stands after this event as there are some very good programs that we will compete against right out of the gate."
SCHELL RETURNS TO GRAND RESERVE
During the 2022 Puerto Rico Classic competition, Brett Schell had a career-round during the final round of play, firing a career-low 18-hole round 65 (-7) to ride to a career-best finish tied for fourth on the individual leaderboard. Schell recorded a total of eight birdies, to pace the Rebels on the final day. Through the three days in Puerto Rico, Schell shot a career-low 54-hole score of 208 (-8).
FRESHMAN TANKERSLEY WITH SUCCESSFUL FALL
In his debut season with the Rebels, freshman Cameron Tankersley had a successful fall season, earning top-15 finishes in three out of four tournaments. In his first tournament in the Red and Blue, Tankersley finished tied for 3rd at the Badger Invitational. He didn't stop there as he competed in SEC Match Play in Birmingham, Ala. where he sank eight birdies in the second round to rise 43 spots on the leaderboard and to shoot his career-low 18 holes score of 63 (-7). The freshman ended stroke play tied for 12th place with a score of 203 (-7). When competing in the Ka'anapali Classic, he shot an 8-under overall score including a third-round score of 66 to give him a tied-for 10th finish.
VETERAN VONGCHAISIT ON THE TEE
Senior Sarut Vongchaisit will compete in his final spring season at Ole Miss. Vongchaisit has played a crucial role for the Rebels since he stepped foot on campus in 2018. This will be the senior's 39th tournament to compete in the Red and Blue. During the 2022 fall season, Vongchaisit put up a 70.5 stroke average and earned his career-best finish at the Blessings Collegiate where he finished in 2nd place.
NEXT ON THE TEE
Following play in Rio Grande, the Rebels will have a break before getting ready for the Cabo Collegiate (Mar. 5-7) in Los Cabos, Mexico. The event will be a three-day tournament played at the Twin Dolphin Club.
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.
This marks the fourth time Ole Miss will make the flight down to the Puerto Rico Classic. In last year's competition, the Rebels finished in 6th place with a 36-under overall score. The team score of 826 is tied for 10th in the 54-hole scoring record for the event.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, Feb. 12 – 18 holes of stroke play
Tuesday, Feb. 13 – 18 holes of stroke play
Wednesday, Feb. 14 – 18 holes of stroke play
LINEUP
Hugo Townsend (Gr.)
-- Earned two top-20 finishes in the fall season
-- Highlighted his first season as a Rebel with a hole-in-one in the first round of the Blessings Collegiate
-- Shot a season-low 18-hole score of 67 during SEC Match Play
-- Heads into the spring season with a 71.09 stroke average
-- Has started in every tournament this season for the Rebels
Cameron Tankersley (Fr.)
-- Leads the team with a 70.18 stroke average
-- Opened his freshman season with three top-15 finishes
-- Made 50 birdies in his first four tournaments
-- Earned a tied for 3rd finish in his career debut at the Badger Invitational
-- Has started in every tournament this season for the Rebels
Sarut Vongchaisit (Sr.)
-- Tied the Blessings Collegiate tournament's men's single-round record with a 65 (-7) score in the final round
-- Earned a new career-best finish and tied his career-best 18-hole score (65) with his 2nd-place finish at the Blessings
-- Ended the fall season with a 70.50 stroke average
-- Competed in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Thailand during the off-season
Brett Schell (Jr.)
-- Shot a 71 in the first round of the Ka'anapali Classic
-- Finished the 2022 Puerto Rico Classic with career-best marks across the board, earning a personal-best finish (T4th), 18-hole score (65) and 54-hole score (201)
-- Both 18 and 54-hole totals for the tournament marked team bests on the 2021-22 season
-- His 201 54-hole score is tied for 5th in the tournament's individual records
Patton Samuels (Fr.)
-- Earned a starting lineup in two fall tournaments during his first semester as a Rebel
-- Had a standout first round at the Ka'anapali Classic, shooting a low-18 score of 66
-- Finished tied for 22nd overall with a score of 208 (-5) to earn his best finish of the season
-- Ended the fall season with a 71.4 stroke average
Kye Meeks (So.) (Individual)
-- Opened his sophomore debut with a tied-for 10th finish in the Badger Individual Invitational
-- Competed as an individual at the Ka'anapali Classic and shot a career-low round of 67 in the final round
-- Competed in 11 tournaments for the Rebels during the 2021-22 season
-- Logged a 72.68 stroke average for the Rebels
THE FIELD
College of Charleston
East Tennessee State
Georgia
Iowa
Marquette University
Maryland
Oklahoma
Ohio State University
Ole Miss
Purdue
South Carolina
Tennessee
Wisconsin
THE COURSE
Designed by PGA Tour professional, Tom Kite, the unique 18-hole course brings a dynamic golfing experience. Offering four diverse nines, players will experience challenging play that excites and inspires. Each nine caters for golfers of all abilities with four different tee boxes ranging from 5,300 to 7,587 yards. The immaculate course features seashore paspalum grass, white silica sand bunkers and challenging water hazards for truly world-class play.
Started in 2008, hundreds of professional golfers and thousands of attendees have enjoyed the Puerto Rico Open, which has served as a springboard to great success for many PGA TOUR players. Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, Bryson DeChambeau, and Chesson Hadley have all played the Championship Course at Grand Reserve.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH MALLOY
"We are extremely excited to kick off our spring season. These guys have worked incredibly hard over the past few weeks to get ready. I know that they are ready to see a new course and other competition. The good news is that we will know exactly where our team stands after this event as there are some very good programs that we will compete against right out of the gate."
SCHELL RETURNS TO GRAND RESERVE
During the 2022 Puerto Rico Classic competition, Brett Schell had a career-round during the final round of play, firing a career-low 18-hole round 65 (-7) to ride to a career-best finish tied for fourth on the individual leaderboard. Schell recorded a total of eight birdies, to pace the Rebels on the final day. Through the three days in Puerto Rico, Schell shot a career-low 54-hole score of 208 (-8).
FRESHMAN TANKERSLEY WITH SUCCESSFUL FALL
In his debut season with the Rebels, freshman Cameron Tankersley had a successful fall season, earning top-15 finishes in three out of four tournaments. In his first tournament in the Red and Blue, Tankersley finished tied for 3rd at the Badger Invitational. He didn't stop there as he competed in SEC Match Play in Birmingham, Ala. where he sank eight birdies in the second round to rise 43 spots on the leaderboard and to shoot his career-low 18 holes score of 63 (-7). The freshman ended stroke play tied for 12th place with a score of 203 (-7). When competing in the Ka'anapali Classic, he shot an 8-under overall score including a third-round score of 66 to give him a tied-for 10th finish.
VETERAN VONGCHAISIT ON THE TEE
Senior Sarut Vongchaisit will compete in his final spring season at Ole Miss. Vongchaisit has played a crucial role for the Rebels since he stepped foot on campus in 2018. This will be the senior's 39th tournament to compete in the Red and Blue. During the 2022 fall season, Vongchaisit put up a 70.5 stroke average and earned his career-best finish at the Blessings Collegiate where he finished in 2nd place.
NEXT ON THE TEE
Following play in Rio Grande, the Rebels will have a break before getting ready for the Cabo Collegiate (Mar. 5-7) in Los Cabos, Mexico. The event will be a three-day tournament played at the Twin Dolphin Club.
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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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