Riley ComdenWhile the Ole Miss women’s golf team took home a victory at the East Lake Cup tournament in Atlanta, Ga., the men’s team finished in the middle of the pack at the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate Tournament in Nashville.
At the East Lake Cup, the Rebels finished the day in first place after senior Kennedy Swann and junior Ellen Hume both continued strong seasons, firing 3-under, 69 to each earn individual co-champion honors. Ole Miss shot a collective 5-under, 283 on the first day of play to claim the top seed. Hume led the team with birdies, and Ole Miss led the field with 18 birdies.
Ole Miss then went on to defeat Texas in the semifinals on day two of the tournament. Swann chipped in for an eagle on hole 18 to win her match over Texas Longhorn Sophie Guo. Hume went on to upset Texas’s Kaitlyn Papp, who ranked No. 18 in the latest Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings.
The Rebels defeated South Carolina in the final round of the tournament to secure the tournament title for the first time in program history. Senior Julia Johnson improved her match play record to 8-0 defeating South Carolina’s Lois Kaye Go to give Ole Miss the 3-2 victory over the Gamecocks.
The East Lake Cup wrapped up the women’s golf team’s fall season. The Rebels will be back in action in the spring.
Meanwhile, the Ole Miss men’s team traveled to the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate Tournament in Nashville where all 14 SEC schools teed off at the tournament.
The Rebels took home eighth place after a hard-fought three-days. Vanderbilt picked up the at-home course victory with a three-stroke victory over runner-up Georgia.
Sophomore Jack Gnam stole the show for the Rebels on day one after shooting a career-low 65 (-6). Overall, Ole Miss finished in fifth place with 8-under, 276 at the end of day one.
“Jack had a huge round for us and really put us on his back,” head coach Chris Malloy said. “He looked great from start to finish.”
Ole Miss finished the second day of the tournament with a total score of 557 (-11), tying for eighth place with Alabama. Freshman Veeti Mahonen once again led the Rebels by shooting in the 60s for the second day in a row with a three-under-par 68.
As a team, the Rebels shot under par for the second day straight with a 281 (-3). Mahonen recorded four more birdies, totaling 13 on the tournament. Freshman Brett Schell had a team-high five birdies in the second round. Sophomore Jackson Suber shot a one-over-par 72.
For the third and final day of play, all five of the Rebels posted scores under par. The Rebels fired a 276 (-8) to end the tournament in eighth place and recorded 65 birdies throughout the week. Sophomore Sarut Vongchaist led the team with a 68 (-3). Vongchaist also made par on the first hole and then followed with three consecutive birdies.
The men’s golf team will be back in action Nov. 9-10 at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.
