When NCAA individual men\u2019s golf champion Michael La Sasso left Ole Miss for the riches of the Saudi-backed LIV golf tour in January, it put a humongous dent in the Rebels\u2019 championship hopes this spring season.<\/p>\n
But Sunday, the irrepressible Rebels defeated the defending champion Florida Gators for the SEC Championship at Sea Island, Georgia, marking the first time an Ole Miss team has won the conference title since 1984.<\/p>\n
Said Ole Miss coach Chris Malloy, a former Rebel golfer, of his team: \u201cThey\u2019re tough. Everybody counted us out, but they are built for this event.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleven of the top 25 ranked teams in college golf play in the SEC. To win the conference title, Ole Miss had to first qualify for match play, which they did by shooting 20-under-par over 54 holes to finish fourth in medal play and qualify for the eight-team match play championship.<\/p>\n
Then, to win the championship, the 12th-ranked Rebels defeated No. 27 Texas A&M 4.5-0.5 in the quarterfinals Saturday morning, No. 1 Auburn 3-2 in the semifinals Saturday afternoon, and No. 3 Florida 3-0 in the Sunday morning finals televised on the SEC Network.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really sweet,\u201d said Malloy, who is in his 12th season as Ole Miss men\u2019s golf coach. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen this program show it can do a lot of things like this. This group has seemed like a team of destiny.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ole Miss had been one of the favorites to win both the SEC and NCAA championships this spring before La Sasso decided to turn pro and join Phil Mickelson\u2019s LIV team.<\/p>\n
Said Malloy at the time: \u201cIt\u2019s a blow and we\u2019d be kidding ourselves if we said it wasn\u2019t. I mean, we\u2019re losing an NCAA champion and a first team All-American, but we\u2019ve got three other All-Americans sitting in that locker room. We\u2019ve still got firepower. We\u2019ve still got a damned good team, and we\u2019ve got some other guys in that locker room who will have a chance to step up and make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Sea Island, every Rebel did step up, especially West Point junior Collins Trolio, who didn\u2019t always make the traveling squad before La Sasso\u2019s departure. Collins Trolio, younger brother of Ole Miss senior Cohen Trolio, won all three of his matches in the SEC Championship, most notably defeating Auburn\u2019s Jackson Koivun in the semifinals. Collins Trolio chipped in for birdie on the 17th hole, to defeat Koivun, the world\u2019s No. 1 ranked amateur golfer.<\/p>\n
Ole Miss got strong performances all around: from seniors Cameron Tankersley, Cohen Trolio and Tom Fisher and from Swedish freshman Daniel Tolf.<\/p>\n
Said Florida coach J.C. Deacon, \u201cOle Miss just played better. They lost a superstar in the fall, and what coach Chris Malloy has done with that program this year to keep them going and for them to beat us today, they had to play really well, so hats off. You can\u2019t take a day off in this conference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Malloy said of his players, \u201cThey\u2019ve had me on their butts. They haven\u2019t been my biggest fans, but it\u2019s for moments like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ole Miss now turns its sights to the NCAA Tournament, which will begin May 18 at regional sites to be determined.<\/p>\n
Said Malloy,\u201dDon\u2019t let the Rebels get hot.\u201d<\/p>\n
As if they aren\u2019t already.<\/p>\n
Rick Cleveland has been Mississippi Today\u2019s sports editor since 2016.<\/p>\n
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