Ole Miss golfer Michael La Sasso has earned an individual national championship.
La Sasso, a North Carolina native, posted a score of (277, -11) at Omni La Costa’s North Course, scoring him the title crown by two strokes. The junior is the first Rebel to ride out on top since Braden Thornberry won it all at the individual level in 2017.
After going into the fourth round of stroke play with a lead, La Sasso found himself two over par when he reached the halfway point of his day, trailing Texas A&M’s Phichaksn Maichon by two strokes. La Sasso went on to par the first three holes on his back nine before getting back into red figures on four. Maichon dropped two strokes on five and six, putting La Sasso back in front at 10-under.
The Ole Miss golfer caught a major break on hole six when his drive hit the cart path twice and bounced back into the fairway. He proceeded to birdie the hole to stretch his lead to two with three holes to play. He made a par save on 16 after his approach flew the green. He parred hole 17 and walked into the final tee box with a two-stroke lead.
Meanwhile, Florida State needed a birdie at the last to force a playoff with the Rebels for the eighth and final spot for match play. Seminole golfer Luke Clanton parred his final hole, opening the door for La Sasso, who needed a two-putt finish. LaSasso delivered, earning himself an individual crown and sending his team to match play for the first time in program history.
The moment Mike became a National Champ! 🏆#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/q9GAjAEHOe
— Ole Miss Men’s Golf (@OleMissMGolf) May 27, 2025
The title victory sends La Sasso to Oakmont in Texas in two weeks for the U.S. Open and to the Masters next April. He was also selected to represent Team USA in the 2025 Arnold Palmer Cup. On May 22, the Rocket Classic announced that La Sasso received a sponsor exemption to compete in its 2025 tournament, scheduled for June 25-29 at Detroit Golf Club. It will be La Sasso’s PGA Tour debut after receiving a surprise invitation from tournament representatives.
As a team, Ole Miss finished just inside the cut line as a team in the NCAA Championships. Ole Miss finished at (1,163, +11) and shot (287, -1) in the final round of stroke play to edge past Florida State by one stroke. The Rebels will face No. 5 Arizona State in the match-play quarterfinals Tuesday morning. Ole Miss will tee off at 9:40 a.m. CT.
