Mack GordonHead coach Chris Malloy and the Ole Miss Men’s Golf team will kick off their season this weekend at the Ocean Course Invitational hosted by the College of Charleston. Coach Malloy is entering his fifth season at the helm and believes this year’s squad should be his best yet, as they look to build off of an impressive 2017-18 season.
The Rebels have three returning seniors who helped lead the 2017-18 squad to one of the most successful seasons in Ole Miss Men’s Golf history. Braden Thornberry, Beau Briggs and Josh Seiple are the seniors that will lead this year’s team. The Rebels had one overall win and seven top-five finishes as a team last season as well as producing four individual wins.
“From a talent standpoint, this is without a doubt the deepest team that I have ever coached,” Malloy said.
Braden Thornberry returns for his senior season as the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the world. The Olive Branch native is first all-time in Ole Miss Men’s Golf history with 11 wins, including the 2017 Individual NCAA National Championship. Thornberry has already qualified for the 2019 U.S. Open and the 2019 Open Championship by winning the 2018 McCormack Medal, which goes to the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the world. Earlier this summer, he helped Team USA capture the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup in France.
Sophomore Cecil Wegener is coming off of a successful freshman season during which he became the first Rebel since 2010 to earn SEC All-Freshman accolades. The Ridgeland native earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors three times, which led the conference.
Coach Malloy added four new freshmen this off-season: Sarut Vongchaisit, Jackson Suber, Thomas Hogan and Jack Gnam. Other returnees for the 2018-19 roster include redshirt sophomore Charlie Miller and juniors Chip Getz and Brody Blackmon.
Malloy feels that this team can lean on its returning experience, and adding in the new talent could lead to a special 2018-19 season.
“With the mix of young talent to the experience we have with our three seniors, I expect big things from this group,” Malloy said.
Ole Miss continues to build on the resurgence of its golf program and will aim to improve its late-season performances. The Rebels tied for seventh in the 2018 SEC Championship and finished sixth in their designated regional of the NCAA Tournament, but they failed to advance to the NCAA Championship.
Coach Malloy said he’s confident that fans will see this year’s team competing at a championship level by the season’s end.
“I really believe you will see this team evolve into a championship-caliber squad by season’s end,” Malloy said.
