The University of Mississippi Athletics
Sunday, February 11
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico | Grand Reserve Golf Club
Ole Miss
vs
Puerto Rico Classic
Men’s Golf Opens Spring Season at Puerto Rico Classic
2/10/2024 | Men's Golf
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – After a three-month break from the fall, the No. 4 Ole Miss men's golf team will debut its 2024 spring season in paradise at the Puerto Rico Classic hosted by Purdue.
The three-day event will be held Sunday through Tuesday, Feb. 11-13, at the par-72, 7,506-yard Grand Reserve Golf Club. The Rebels look to carry their momentum from the fall season into the spring, where they finished inside the top-five for all three fall tournaments, giving them their best start to a season since 2021-22.
The individual medalist of the Puerto Rico Classic will receive an invite to the PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open hosted at the Grand Reserve from March 2 to 5.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Sunday, Feb. 11 – 18 holes (shotgun start to begin at 6:30 a.m. CT)
Monday, Feb. 12 – 18 holes
Tuesday, Feb. 13 – 18 holes
THE LINEUP
1. Michael La Sasso (So.)
• Leads the team with a 68.44 stroke average
• Paced the Rebels as the top finisher in every tournament in the fall
• Registered two 2nd place finishes from the fall season
• Counted all nine rounds from the fall slate toward team score
• Named on the 2024 Ben Hogan Award Watch List
2. Cameron Tankersley (So.)
• Holds a 69.89 stroke average
• Carded an impressive four eagles in three tournaments
• Finished inside the top-15 in all three appearances
• Made 31 birdies, averaging 4.11 birdies per round
• Shot six rounds even/below par in the fall
3. Tom Fischer (So.)
• Competing with a 70.56 stroke average
• Made the lineup in all three fall tournaments
• Finished inside the top-20 in two out of three appearances
• Counted towards eight out of nine total rounds for the Rebels
• Earned career-best marks at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate with a tied for 8th finish, his first top-10 finish of his career, a 65 first round score and a 206 overall score
4. Patton Samuels (So.)
• Holds a 71.22 stroke average
• Competed in all three fall tournaments, making the lineup in two
• Made 30 birdies, averaging 3.33 birdies per round
• Shot four rounds even/below par
• Earned a season-best finish of tied for 5th, his second top-5 finish of his career, and overall score of 211 (-5) at the Fallen Oak Collegiate
5. Tim Tillmanns (Sr.)
• Competing with a 71.33 stroke average
• Competed in all three fall tournaments to begin his Rebel career
• Contributed to seven out of nine rounds towards the team score
• Shot four rounds in the 60s
• Made 28 birdies, averaging 3.11 birdies per round
Individual. Collins Trolio (Fr.)
• Made his collegiate debut at the Thomas Sharkey Individual, where he finished tied for 18th
• Came in as Mississippi's No. 1 recruit of 2023 based on the Junior Golf Scoreboard
• West Point, Mississippi native where he earned All-State honors for three consecutive years
• Came to Ole Miss with a 69.4 stroke average
• Led Oak Hill Academy to four straight state championship titles
THE FIELD
College of Charleston
#9 East Tennessee State
#43 Georgia
Marquette
Minnesota
#30 North Florida
#25 Ohio State
#15 Oklahoma
#4 Ole Miss
#55 South Carolina
#6 Tennessee
#13 Virginia
Wisconsin
THE COURSE
The Grand Reserve Golf Club has hosted the Puerto Rico Open – the only PGA Tour event ever held on the island – annually since 2008. Stretching along the Grand Reserve beachfront peninsula, with El Yunque rainforest as a backdrop, fans experience an epic 18 holes of championship golf. The Grand Reserve is one of only two championship courses in the Caribbean.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH MALLOY
"We are looking forward to kicking off our spring season. Although we had a great fall season, we need to continue to build momentum and get better week to week. I look forward to seeing our guys compete."
SOPHOMORE STRONG
The class of 2026 showed out in the fall with all four sophomores making appearances in every fall tournament. Between Tom Fischer, Michael La Sasso, Patton Samuels and Cameron Tankersley, the four put up nine top-20 and six top-10 finishes to result in a 35-under versus par showing for the group. The four look to continue their momentum heading into the spring season.
REBS IN THE RANKINGS
The Rebels are set to enter their spring campaign coming in at No. 4 in the most recent Scoreboard rankings powered by Clippd. The team is led by La Sasso who sits in the No. 6 slot for individual rankings. Tankersley is the other Rebel to crack the top 100 as he ranks 67th in the nation.
LA SASSO NAMED TO BEN HOGAN AWARD WATCH LIST
Michael La Sasso is on the prowl as one of forty of the nation's most accomplished collegiate golfers as he has been named to the watch list for the 2024 Ben Hogan Ward presented by PNC Bank. La Sasso, a sophomore transfer from NC State, has proven himself well during the fall season where he competed in all three tournaments and paced the team as Ole Miss' top finisher in every event to begin his Rebel career. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native placed inside the top-12 in all three events, holding a 68.44 stroke average. The Ben Hogan Award presented by PNC Bank annually awards the top men's NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer based on all collegiate, amateur and professional events over the previous 12 months.
NEXT ON THE TEE
Ole Miss will continue its spring slate at the Cabo Collegiate from March 3-5 in Cabo San Lucas where the Rebels will compete at the Twin Dolphin Club.
FOLLOW THE REBELS
Get all the latest information on the team by following @OleMissMGolf on X and OleMissMGolf on Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at OleMissSports on X and Facebook and OleMissAthletics on Instagram.
The three-day event will be held Sunday through Tuesday, Feb. 11-13, at the par-72, 7,506-yard Grand Reserve Golf Club. The Rebels look to carry their momentum from the fall season into the spring, where they finished inside the top-five for all three fall tournaments, giving them their best start to a season since 2021-22.
The individual medalist of the Puerto Rico Classic will receive an invite to the PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open hosted at the Grand Reserve from March 2 to 5.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Sunday, Feb. 11 – 18 holes (shotgun start to begin at 6:30 a.m. CT)
Monday, Feb. 12 – 18 holes
Tuesday, Feb. 13 – 18 holes
THE LINEUP
1. Michael La Sasso (So.)
• Leads the team with a 68.44 stroke average
• Paced the Rebels as the top finisher in every tournament in the fall
• Registered two 2nd place finishes from the fall season
• Counted all nine rounds from the fall slate toward team score
• Named on the 2024 Ben Hogan Award Watch List
2. Cameron Tankersley (So.)
• Holds a 69.89 stroke average
• Carded an impressive four eagles in three tournaments
• Finished inside the top-15 in all three appearances
• Made 31 birdies, averaging 4.11 birdies per round
• Shot six rounds even/below par in the fall
3. Tom Fischer (So.)
• Competing with a 70.56 stroke average
• Made the lineup in all three fall tournaments
• Finished inside the top-20 in two out of three appearances
• Counted towards eight out of nine total rounds for the Rebels
• Earned career-best marks at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate with a tied for 8th finish, his first top-10 finish of his career, a 65 first round score and a 206 overall score
4. Patton Samuels (So.)
• Holds a 71.22 stroke average
• Competed in all three fall tournaments, making the lineup in two
• Made 30 birdies, averaging 3.33 birdies per round
• Shot four rounds even/below par
• Earned a season-best finish of tied for 5th, his second top-5 finish of his career, and overall score of 211 (-5) at the Fallen Oak Collegiate
5. Tim Tillmanns (Sr.)
• Competing with a 71.33 stroke average
• Competed in all three fall tournaments to begin his Rebel career
• Contributed to seven out of nine rounds towards the team score
• Shot four rounds in the 60s
• Made 28 birdies, averaging 3.11 birdies per round
Individual. Collins Trolio (Fr.)
• Made his collegiate debut at the Thomas Sharkey Individual, where he finished tied for 18th
• Came in as Mississippi's No. 1 recruit of 2023 based on the Junior Golf Scoreboard
• West Point, Mississippi native where he earned All-State honors for three consecutive years
• Came to Ole Miss with a 69.4 stroke average
• Led Oak Hill Academy to four straight state championship titles
THE FIELD
College of Charleston
#9 East Tennessee State
#43 Georgia
Marquette
Minnesota
#30 North Florida
#25 Ohio State
#15 Oklahoma
#4 Ole Miss
#55 South Carolina
#6 Tennessee
#13 Virginia
Wisconsin
THE COURSE
The Grand Reserve Golf Club has hosted the Puerto Rico Open – the only PGA Tour event ever held on the island – annually since 2008. Stretching along the Grand Reserve beachfront peninsula, with El Yunque rainforest as a backdrop, fans experience an epic 18 holes of championship golf. The Grand Reserve is one of only two championship courses in the Caribbean.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH MALLOY
"We are looking forward to kicking off our spring season. Although we had a great fall season, we need to continue to build momentum and get better week to week. I look forward to seeing our guys compete."
SOPHOMORE STRONG
The class of 2026 showed out in the fall with all four sophomores making appearances in every fall tournament. Between Tom Fischer, Michael La Sasso, Patton Samuels and Cameron Tankersley, the four put up nine top-20 and six top-10 finishes to result in a 35-under versus par showing for the group. The four look to continue their momentum heading into the spring season.
REBS IN THE RANKINGS
The Rebels are set to enter their spring campaign coming in at No. 4 in the most recent Scoreboard rankings powered by Clippd. The team is led by La Sasso who sits in the No. 6 slot for individual rankings. Tankersley is the other Rebel to crack the top 100 as he ranks 67th in the nation.
LA SASSO NAMED TO BEN HOGAN AWARD WATCH LIST
Michael La Sasso is on the prowl as one of forty of the nation's most accomplished collegiate golfers as he has been named to the watch list for the 2024 Ben Hogan Ward presented by PNC Bank. La Sasso, a sophomore transfer from NC State, has proven himself well during the fall season where he competed in all three tournaments and paced the team as Ole Miss' top finisher in every event to begin his Rebel career. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native placed inside the top-12 in all three events, holding a 68.44 stroke average. The Ben Hogan Award presented by PNC Bank annually awards the top men's NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer based on all collegiate, amateur and professional events over the previous 12 months.
NEXT ON THE TEE
Ole Miss will continue its spring slate at the Cabo Collegiate from March 3-5 in Cabo San Lucas where the Rebels will compete at the Twin Dolphin Club.
FOLLOW THE REBELS
Get all the latest information on the team by following @OleMissMGolf on X and OleMissMGolf on Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at OleMissSports on X and Facebook and OleMissAthletics on Instagram.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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