Ole Miss head men’s golf coach Chris Malloy is receiving national recognition for his club’s historic campaign.
Malloy was named Golfweek’s Men’s College Golf Coach of the Year on Thursday after his team’s most prolific season in program history. In October 2024, the Rebels earned their first-ever No. 1 national ranking and later entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed for the first time.
Those were not the only “firsts” for the club, either. Malloy led Ole Miss to its first match play appearance in the NCAA Championships, where the Rebels ultimately ended their season with a third-place finish, their best ever, after narrowly falling to eventual national titleholder Oklahoma State.
“We preach toughness, and at the peak moment of the entire season, when everything was on the line, they were tough. They were nothing but tough,” Malloy said of his team’s 2024-25 season. “They didn’t back down, and that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”
Ole Miss finished second at the 2025 Tallahassee regional, marking the best finish in a regional in program history. Michael La Sasso finished tied for second, which marked the second-best finish in a regional by an individual. Additionally, La Sasso earned an individual national championship this year under Malloy’s tutelage.
La Sasso was selected to represent Team USA in the 2025 Arnold Palmer Cup, marking the second straight year he will compete for the red, white, and blue. With his national title victory, La Sasso will compete in the 125th U.S. Open, the 2025 Rocket Classic, and the 2026 Masters next April.
On top of La Sasso’s excellence, Malloy directed Tom Fischer to Second Team All-SEC honors, Golfweek All-American Honorable Mention, and SEC Community Service Team recognition. Fischer broke through for his first individual win in the team’s regular season finale at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship. He carded a career-low 54-hole score of 203 (-13), which tied the individual low-54 in tournament history.
Ole Miss will return a bulk of its roster for the upcoming campaign.