Sarah HendersonThe Ocean Course Invitational was cut short early on Monday as Hurricane Florence caused mandatory evacuations along the South Carolina coast. Ole Miss Men’s Golf shot a second round 287 (-1) after shooting an opening round 299 (+11). The two-day total of 586 (+10) earned the Rebs a fourth-place finish in the season’s opening tournament.
The Rebels’ first lineup of the season consisted of Braden Thornberry, Jackson Suber, Charlie Miller, Josh Seiple and Chip Gets, with Cecil Wegener competing as an individual.
True freshman Jackson Suber, who shot a second round 67 to earn a solo second-place finish in the 81-player field, led Ole Miss with a two-day total of 142 (-2). Senior Braden Thornberry finished tied for seventh place, with a two day total of 145 (+1). Redshirt freshman Charlie Miller earned a top-20 finish with a two-day total of 147 (+3), which was good enough to tie for 17th.
“It was awesome for Jackson (Suber) to get a good round under his belt. I’m sure that he will use this as a confidence-booster, going forward,” head coach Chris Malloy said in an interview with Ole Miss Athletics after Suber’s final round 67.
Sophomore Cecil Wegener shot a two-day total of 148 (+4) to finish tied for 24th as an individual. Chip Gets finished with a total of 154 (+10) finishing tied for 50th in the tournament. Redshirt senior Josh Seiple finished the tourney with a total of 156 (+12) to finish tied for 56th.
Ole Miss was one of the only three teams in the 14-team field to have all team members finish above the top 60 of the 81-player field.
The Rebels finished 12 shots better on day two, moving up three spots to grab a fourth-place finish. The host, College of Charleston, won the event after posting a two-day total of 577 (+1) and beating SMU in the playoff.
“I’m very proud of the way we hung in and fought on the back nine today,” Malloy told Ole Miss Athletics following the tourney.
Ole Miss will be back in action on Monday, Sept. 24, when the team travels to Birmingham, Alabama, to play in the Shoal Creek Invitational at Shoal Creek Club. The Rebels placed fourth in this event last year, with Braden Thornberry earning the individual win with an impressive three-day total of 209 (-9).
The Shoal Creek Invitational will mark the start of a three-week road trip for the Rebels. Ole Miss’ time on the road will continue the following week with a trip to historic Erin Hills in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to play in the Erin Hills Intercollegiate and will end with a trip to Nashville, where the team will play in the Franklin American Mortgage Intercollegiate.
