What to Watch For: Ole Miss men’s golf looks to clinch NCAA championship berth at Norman Regional

Ole Miss golf notes provided by Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations

NORMAN, Okla. – Postseason play rolls on with the Ole Miss men’s golf team opening up its journey to the NCAA Championships at the Norman Regional at Jimmie Austin Golf Club beginning Monday, with play running May 16-18.

The regional will feature three, 18-hole rounds of stroke play featuring 13 total teams including the Rebels, as well as 10 individuals all vying to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, May 27-June 1.

The top five teams at the conclusion of stroke play will advance out of the Norman Regional to compete at Grayhawk, as well as the top individual from a non-advancing team.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, May 16 – 18 holes
Tuesday, May 17 – 18 holes
Wednesday, May 18 – 18 holes

THE LINEUP
Jackson Suber (Sr.)
— Currently posting a team-high stroke average of 69.46 on the year
— First Team All-SEC Selection for the second consecutive season
— Entered spring season ranked as No. 1 golfer in the nation by Golfstat
— Made PGA TOUR debut at the 2022 Valspar Championship, where he finished with a two-day score of 144 (+2)
— Named to the 2022 Ben Hogan Award Watch List
— Captured third career individual tournament victory at the White Sands Bahamas with a 205 (-11)
— Earned fourth career tournament win at the Irish Creek Intercollegiate, finishing with a season-low 202 (-11) on the weekend
— Also ranked No. 32 and No. 38 in the Golfweek NCAA Player Rankings and the Golfstat Rankings
— Named 2020-21 PING All-American Honorable Mention, becoming the 11th All-American in school history

Evan Brown (Gr.)
— Holding a 71.67 stroke average heading into regional play
— 2020-21 PING All-American Honorable Mention
— Earned season-best finishes of 11th at White Sands Bahamas and Hootie and Bulls Bay tournaments
— Finished in the top 20 for the second time with the Rebels at the Louisiana Classics, finishing 12th
— Capped off his 2021-22 regular season by earning a 20th place finish at the Mossy Oak Collegiate Invitational, marking his fourth top 20 finish of the year
— Logged season-low round of 67 (-5) at the first round one of the Louisiana Classics, which he later matched at the Hootie at Bulls Bay
— Played in 28 tournaments and posted a school-record 71.85 stroke average over his career at Loyola (Md.)

Sarut Vongchaisit (Sr.)
— 71.25 stroke average on the 2021-22 season
— Tallied a new career-low 54-hole score of 206 (-7) at the Cabo Collegiate
— Earned his first top 20 finish of 2021-22 in Cabo, finishing tied for 12th
— Followed up with his second-consecutive top 20 finished at the Louisiana Classics, finishing tied for 13th
— Ended the Hootie at Bulls Bay in a tie for 18th, earning his third-consecutive top 20 finish
— Finished in the top 20 for his fourth-consecutive tournament after finishing 15th at the Irish Creek Intercollegiate
— A perfect 4-0 record individually at the SEC Match Play Championship
— Totaled a season-low round of 67 (-5) on his final day at the Louisiana Classics

Brett Schell (So.)
— Holds stroke average of 72.11 on the year
— Finished with a career-best finish at the Puerto Rico Classic, tying for fourth overall
— Also logged career-low 18-hole (65) and 54-hole (201) scores in his performance at Puerto Rico
— Earned first collegiate top 20 finish at Blessings Collegiate Invitational (T-12th)
— Capped off the fall season with his first ever top 10 finish at the White Sands Bahamas (T-7th)
— Ended his Cabo Collegiate by firing a round of 69 (-2), sinking six birdies in the process
— Finished in the top 20 once again at the Irish Creek Intercollegiate, finishing 15th overall

Kye Meeks (R-Fr.)
— Posting 72.33 stroke average on the 2021-22 season
— Selected to the 2022 SEC All-Freshman team, the first Rebel selected since 2019
— Named SEC Men’s Freshman Golfer of the Week (Week of March 3, 2022)
— Made collegiate debut for the Rebels at the Blessings Collegiate, where he also recorded his first collegiate birdie on Hole 15
— Finished the SEC Match Play Championship with a 3-1 record individually, including a victory over then-No. 11 ranked Tyler Johnson of Tennessee
— Earned new 18-hole (68) and 54-hole (210) career-lows at the Cabo Collegiate
— Capped off his regular season with a career-best finishing of 12th at the Mossy Oak Collegiate Invitational

THE FIELD
1. #1 Oklahoma
2. #7 Texas
3. #18 Auburn
4. #24 South Carolina
5. #25 Ole Miss
6. #36 Louisville
7. #37 Missouri
8. #48 San Diego State
9. #50 Utah
10. Kent State
11. Kansas State
12. UT Martin
13. Rider

THE COURSE
Set to play at 7,452 yards as a par 72 on the week, the Jimmie Austin Golf Club serves as the home course for regional host and No. 1 ranked Oklahoma. Bishop Creek, a major artery running through the middle of the golf course, and the South Canadian River have helped form the course’s terrain, with its rolling hills, native grasses and majestic Bur Oaks. However beautiful and serene it feels, the course can play difficult with its new 77.9-course rating (Championship/Team tees). Serving as a replacement host site for Tuscaloosa, Alabama this year, this marks the first time Oklahoma has hosted a regional in Norman since 2018.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH MALLOY
“We are now at the most fun time of the year. This group has worked extremely hard to get to this point and I know that they feel that their best golf is ahead of them these next couple of weeks. The main thing we need to keep in mind is that these next couple of weeks will come down to the same thing: execution of shots and finding a way to get the ball in the hole. I can’t wait to watch this group do just that this week.”

REBELS IN THE POLLS
The Rebels enter the Norman Regional ranked as the No. 25 team in the country according to Golfstat. Ole Miss also holds a ranking of No. 28 in the nation by Golfweek/Sagarin. Jackson Suber enters as the lone Rebel to be ranked by both Golfstat and Golfweek/Sagarin, with Suber holding down the No. 33 and No. 34 positions entering the week. Suber also has maintained his position at No. 11 in the latest PGA TOUR University Velocity Global Rankings, while teammate Evan Brown has moved up to No. 55 in the NCAA.

DIFFICULT FIELD AWAITS REBELS IN NORMAN
A total of nine teams, including the Rebels, enter the Norman Regional with a spot in the Golfstat Top 50 Team Rankings, as well as five total conference champions. This ranks as the most Golfstat Top 50 teams at a single regional this year, setting up a difficult field for the Rebels to navigate in order to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championships in Scottsdale later this May. The region’s host, Oklahoma, also ranks as the No. 1 overall team in the country according to both Golfstat and Golfweek/Sagarin. Additionally, a total of 17 golfers set to be in attendance at Jimmie Austin Golf Club in Norman hold Top 100 positions in the country according to Golfstat.

SUBER AND MEEKS CLAIM ALL-SEC NODS
A pair of Rebels came away with All-SEC recognition on Friday with the conference announcing that Jackson Suber had been named to the First Team All-SEC, while rookie Kye Meeks found his way onto the SEC All-Freshman team. This marks the second consecutive year in which Suber has earned First Team All-SEC honors, as he now stands as just the seventh Ole Miss men’s golfer in program history to claim First Team All-Conference honors in back-to-back seasons. Meeks, who concluded the regular season with a stroke average of 72.33, snagged SEC All-Freshman team honors, marking the first Rebel to do so since Suber was named to the All-Freshman team in 2019.

GNAM NAMED TO SEC COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM
Senior Jack Gnam came away with SEC Community Service team recognition for the second consecutive season, with the Ridgeland, Mississippi, native taking home the same honor in 2021. Gnam currently serves as a member of the Ole Miss Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which serves to promote student-athlete welfare and foster a positive student-athlete image on campus and in the local area. Additionally, Gnam has been an active member of the Oxford community, volunteering for the Feed the ‘Sip, Adopt-A-Basket, Reading with Rebels and A Night to Shine programs. A member of the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll in 2021, Gnam is preparing to earn his degree in accountancy from Ole Miss.