Ole Miss and Mississippi State have punched tickets to the NCAA championship in men’s golf.
The Rebels will look to go the distance after making it to the finals and landing in third place a year ago, while the Bulldogs are championship bound for the second time in four years. Both teams advanced after strong showings in the Winston-Salem Regional, where Ole Miss finished third and Mississippi State finished fifth.
For the eighth time in school history, Ole Miss hit the 30-under-par mark at a three-round tournament as the SEC champions closed out their regional run, solidifying their fourth championship berth under head coach Chris Malloy.
Cameron Tankersley highlighted the final round of the regional with three birdies on the first five holes. On hole six featuring a par-five at 588 yards, he knocked in his third eagle of the season, helping to fuel a 6-under-par day that moved him to 16-under for the tournament and second place individually. His performance in relation to par gave him the second-best three-round tournament in Ole Miss history, trailing only Braden Thornberry’s 18-under showing in 2016.
Not to be outdone, Tom Fischer began his final day with a trio of birdies on the front nine. He went on to card a 3-under-par 68, setting him at 9-under for the tournament and placing him in a tie for fifth individually, marking his fourth top-five finish on the year.
Following his career-best round of 18 on Tuesday, Collins Trolio began the final round with birdies on two of his first three holes, eventually carding a 70 to set him at 6-under at the regional. He finished in a tie for 12th individually. Cohen Trolio knocked in five birdies in his final 18 holes to help fuel the Rebels, while Finn Meister carded a solid round of 74.
For Mississippi State, Garrett Endicott ended the week a third-place finish, one spot behind Tankersly for Ole Miss, marking the best regional showing by any Bulldog in program history. He carded a final round of 5-under 66 to complete a 14-under 199 for the event – Mississippi State’s lowest-ever individual score in the NCAA Tournament. This mark’s Endicott’s 42nd career round in the 60s, which ties Ford Clegg’s program record.
Dain Richie followed suit with his fourth-consecutive top 10, an eighth-place showing at 8-under overall. He carded three birdies and an eagle to fire a 1-under 70 in round three and shoot under-par rounds all three days. Jackson Skinner put together his second top 20 of the season, concluding his event with back-to-back rounds of 2-under 69 after an opening even-par 71. He carded rounds of par-or-better all three days in his NCAA Tournament debut. Jackson Cook finished his first NCAA Tournament in 62nd place overall.
Both Ole Miss and Mississippi State will continue their postseason runs in Carlsbad, Calif., at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa beginning Friday, May 29.
