Tag: East Lake Cup

North Carolina men, Wake Forest women claim 2023 East Lake Cup titles

What a fall the defending national champions have had. 

What a fall the defending national champions have had.

In a matchup of the past two NCAA champs, Wake Forest continued its stellar start to the 2023-24 season, capturing the 2023 East Lake Cup title Wednesday at Atlanta Athletic Club in Georgia. The Demon Deacons topped Stanford 3-2 in match play for the crown, with the event coming down to the final hole.

Junior Carolina Lopez-Chacarra made par on the closing hole to top Stanford sophomore Megha Ganne 1 up, clinching the match. Freshman Macy Pate also had a 1-up victory while graduate student Rachel Kuehn, a four-time All-American, had a 5-and-4 win over stroke-play winner Sadie Englemann.

“It’s always wonderful to be victorious,” Wake Forest coach Kim Lewellen said. “You know, we played against just two really tough competitors, USC and then Stanford, and then to compete with them, to make the matches come down to the last holes… you can’t simulate that. So it’s just wonderful, wonderful practice for them. Again, you can’t simulate it for postseason play.”

In five events this fall, Wake Forest has three victories, a third and a T-4.

Meanwhile, in the men’s competition, it was a matchup of two teams who fell in the NCAA semifinals this spring with North Carolina taking on Florida State. Grad student Austin Greaser made birdie on the par-3 17th hole to win his match, 2 and 1, to clinch the 3-1-1 victory for the Tar Heels.

The North Carolina men’s golf team won the 2023 East Lake Cup at Atlanta Athletic Club. (Photo: NBC Universal)

North Carolina junior David Ford and senior Peter Fountain each won their matches 4 and 3. Junior Maxwell Ford had a 5-up lead at one point, but Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton fought back to force a tie.

Similar to Wake Forest, the Tar Heels have three victories this fall in five tournaments. They also have a second at the Ben Hogan Collegiate and fell to Vanderbilt in the match-play final at the St. Andrews Links Collegiate.

Because of ongoing construction at East Lake Golf Club, the tournament was moved to Atlanta Athletic Club for this year’s rendition.

Vanderbilt men’s golf outlasts Arizona State in East Lake Cup final

The championship match of the East Lake Cup came down to the last hole.

It seems only fitting that the championship match of the East Lake Cup between the nation’s top two teams in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings would come down to the last hole.

With the title match between top-ranked Vanderbilt and No. 2 Arizona State tied at 2-2, William Moll delivered the deciding point for the Commodores with a birdie on the par-5 18th hole for a 1-up win over Jose Ballester.

Both players hit errant tee shots, but they managed to escape trouble to set up birdie putts on the final hole. After Ballester’s 15-footer missed his mark, Moll rolled in a four-footer to deliver the title to the Commodores.

The win capped off a comeback victory for Moll, who was 4 down through 10 holes against the Spaniard.

“It’s a big confidence boost,” said Moll. “I was pretty nervous over that putt but I was able to knock it in and it feels awesome for the team.”

Matthew Riedel put the first point on the board for the Commodores, scoring a lopsided win over ASU’s Ryggs Johnston, 7 and 6.

In the most exciting match of the championship, Sun Devil freshman Luke Potter rolled in a 15-foot, left-to-right breaking putt on the par-5 18th hole for a birdie and a 1-up win over Cole Sherwood. Potter enjoyed a 4-up lead through five holes but lost the lead when Sherwood tied the match with a birdie on the par-4 12th hole.

Potter bent, but he didn’t break, as regained the lead on the 13th with a birdie and again on the difficult par-3 15th with a par. Sherwood evened the match again with a birdie on 16 and after the players halved the 17th with par, they went to 18 all squared, with Potter eventually prevailing with a birdie on the last.

Vanderbilt went back in front after Reid Davenport rallied from a two-hole deficit to beat Michael Mjaaseth, 2 and 1.

After ASU’s Preston Summerhays defeated reigning NCAA individual champion and East Lake Cup medalist Gordon Sargent, 3 and 1, in the final pairing to even the match, all eyes turned to Moll, who was lining up his short birdie putt on 18.

The ball found the back of the hole, giving the Dores their second East Lake Cup title and first since 2017.

“For me, the word that comes to mind is grit,” Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “I’m super proud of how the boys battled all day long, seeing the hole a couple of them were in early and how they were able to find a way to get the job done was an awesome way to end the fall season.”

The win is Vanderbilt’s third team title of the fall after victories at The Frederica Cup and SEC Preview. But after being upset in the finals of the SEC Match Play by Tennessee, the winter break will be that much nicer for the nation’s top-ranked team after their performance in Atlanta.

“We’re certainly excited to finish the fall this way, but also to see if we can improve,” said Limbaugh. “We’re going to get some rest and then work on some areas we need to get better in to be the best team we can be.”

Go to amateurgolf.com for more coverage of college and amateur golf.

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Top two in Golfweek/Sagarin rankings Vanderbilt, Arizona State set to meet in men’s final at East Lake Cup

On the women’s side, Hailee Cooper’s walk-off eagle on the 18th hole in her match led Texas A&M into Wednesday’s championship.

The top two teams in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings presented by StrackaLine will go head-to-head on Wednesday in the championship match of the East Lake Cup being held in Atlanta, Georgia.

Top-ranked Vanderbilt rolled over Texas, 3-1-1 to advance to the final against second-ranked Arizona State, which prevailed over Pepperdine, 3 and 2 to earn a spot in the championship match alongside the Commodores.

After freshman Christiaan Maas put the first point on the board for the Longhorns with a 4 and 2 win over Reid Davenport, the middle of Vanderbilt’s powerful lineup took control of the match, as Matthew Riedel, William Moll and Cole Sherwood all rolled to easy 5 and 4 victories, rendering the marquis anchor match between Texas’ Travis Vick and Vandy’s Gordon Sargent mute.

“I’m extremely proud of the way the guys came out and played today,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “We talked last night about being excited to play and competing with pride in performance. Every day you get a chance to play is a learning and growing opportunity. I thought each guy did a great job locking in from the start. I’m proud of Matthew and William, who got our first two points, and Cole and Gordon both played really well on the back.”

Meanwhile, the retooled Sun Devils, down four players from last year’s team that advanced to the national final at Grayhawk, continued their strong play in the fall by defeating Pepperdine, 3 and 2 to advance to the title match.

Freshman Luke Potter got the Sun Devils rolling with a 4 and 3 win over Ian Maspat. Preston Summerhays then downed Pepperdine’s Sam Choi, 1 up with a birdie on 18 to give the Sun Devils a 2-0 lead.

On the women’s side, Hailee Cooper’s walk-off eagle on the 18th hole in her match against UCLA’s Emilie Paltrinieri sent third-ranked (Golfweek/Sagarin) Texas A&M into Wednesday’s championship against SEC foe Auburn, which shocked Oregon, thanks to a stunning comeback by redshirt freshman Casey Weidenfeld.

Texas A&M had its hands full with UCLA, a team that struggled to an 18-over finish in stroke play to land the fourth seed.

With East Lake Cup medalist Blanca Fernández García-Poggio and Zoe Slaughter winning their respective matches handily, Zoe Campos and Caroline Canales put two points on the board for the Bruins, leaving Cooper and Paltrinieri to decide things.

The two players were never separated by more than a hole and the match was all square heading into the par-5 18th.

A fortuitous bounce left Cooper’s second shot in front of the green which set up her chip shot that went the length of the green and trickled broke right into the hole to send the Tigers into Wednesday’s title match.

 

“Hailee’s match went back and forth all day long,” Texas A&M head coach Gerrod Chadwell said. “She stepped up and hit a great shot down the middle on 18 off the tee after going all square on 17. Then her eagle shot on 18 was incredible. We really felt like UCLA was going to hit that par putt, so to finish off that match was dramatic and fun.”

Wednesday’s East Lake Cup championship match will be televised live by Golf Channel beginning at 3 p.m. ET.

For the full lineups and more on the men’s event from our partners at AmateurGolf.com, click here.

For the full lineups and more on the women’s event from our partners at AmateurGolf.com, click here.

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After controversy, Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent takes East Lake Cup stroke play; Texas A&M’s Blanca Fernández García-Poggio also wins

The drama in deciding the men’s individual winner occurred not on the course, but in the scorer’s tent.

Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent and Texas A&M’s Blanca Fernández García-Poggio won the individual stroke play titles at the East Lake Cup which got underway on Bobby Jones’ home course in Atlanta on Monday.

Sargent claimed the men’s title with a 4-under 68 while Fernández García-Poggio’s 2-under 70 was good for a two-stroke win over seven others who finished at even par.

Behind a 3-under 69 by freshman Luke Potter, Arizona State earned the top seed in the match play competition which gets underway on Tuesday. In addition to Potter, Jose Luis Ballester (70), Preston Summerhays (71) and Michael Mjaaseth (71) contributed to the Sun Devils’ team score of 7-under 281, which was six strokes clear of second place Texas at 1 under.

The Sun Devils will draw fourth-seed Pepperdine (4 over) in one of Tuesday’s semifinal matches while the Longhorns will take on No. 3 seed Vanderbilt (E).

The drama in deciding the men’s individual winner occurred not on the course, but in the scorer’s tent.

Initially, it seemed as though Sargent had tied for the individual title with Potter and Derek Hitchner of Pepperdine at 3 under and it wasn’t until the players were going over their cards that it was discovered the walking scorer had entered a par for Sargent on the fifth hole, when in fact, he made a birdie.

The discrepancy wasn’t detected by Golf Channel until Sargent and his playing partners Summerhays of Arizona State, William Mouw of Pepperdine, Summerhays and Travis Vick of Texas emerged from the scorer’s tent.

Fernández García-Poggio was seemingly on cruise control after she chipped in for an eagle on the par-5 15th hole to go to 5-under on the day. It proved to be enough of a cushion to withstand a double bogey on the par-4 16th and a bogey on the 17th to earn the senior from Madrid, Spain, a two-stroke win over seven other golfers who finished at even par, a pack which included Aggie teammates Zoe Slaughter and Adela Cernousek.

Texas A&M’s Blanca Fernández García-Poggio won the individual women’s stroke play title at the East Lake Cup. (Contributed photo)

The win marked the second individual title of her collegiate career.

Texas A&M, ranked third in the most current Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, finished at 1 under to earn the top seed of the match play portion of the tournament and will meet fourth-seed UCLA (plus 18) in a semifinal match on Tuesday.

Golf Channel will provide live coverage of Tuesday’s semifinals along with Wednesday’s championship match beginning at 3 p.m. ET from historic East Lake.

For more on the East Lake Cup from our partners at AmateurGolf.com, click here.

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Oklahoma State Cowgirls, Oklahoma Sooner men take home respective East Lake Cup titles

They came in and played well over the summer and this fall, and us coaches pretty much just got out of their way.”

Many know East Lake Golf Club as the host venue for the Tour Championship, the final stage of the FedEx Cup playoffs on the PGA Tour. However, the East Lake Cup, since its inception in 2015, puts the best teams in college golf on full display over the three-day event.

Tuesday, both teams from Oklahoma State made their respected championship matches. On the ladies’ side, Duke defeated Ole Miss to advance to the finals against OSU. As for the men, Oklahoma, ranked No. 1 in Golfweek’s Collegiate rankings, took down Pepperdine to move on.

“We handled the wind very well,” Duke head coach Dan Brooks said after the Blue Devils’ win. “You know, I think I learned that they’re as good as I thought they were.”

Oklahoma State men’s head coach Alan Bratton was proud of how his team fought back after a tough start to their day.

“I think our guys showed a lot of toughness. We had guys fall behind in their matches. I think our first three matches our guys were behind early and they just kept plugging along,” Bratton said. “Eugenio Chacarra did a wonderful job of leading us out there. He lost the first hole and then after that, his opponent didn’t have another putt to win a hole the rest of the match.”

After much-needed rest, teams returned to East Lake Wednesday for the finals.

Battle of Bedlam

If you’re a college football fan, you’re aware of the incredible rivalry between Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Lucky for golf fans, we got our own version this week down in Atlanta.

The Sooners defended their No. 1 ranking by defeating the Cowboys 3-2. Chris Gotterup dunked this eagle chip to take control of his match late Wednesday afternoon.

“Golf is 18 holes, right? And our guys did a great job. Jaxon Dowell coming down the stretch, pulling it out, huge point.” Oklahoma head coach Ryan Hybl said after their victory. “Chris Gotterup did a fantastic job here on the back nine. Logan McAllister was nails all day long.”

Cowgirls get the W

Despite the Oklahoma State men’s loss, the ladies came in and took care of business against Duke, just like they’ve been doing all fall long. The Cowgirls beat the Blue Devils 3-2.

Hailey Jones buried a par putt on the 17th green to not only win her match but seal the deal for the Oklahoma State ladies’ first East Lake Cup win.

“These girls are competitive,” Cowgirl head coach Greg Robertson said just after their win. “They came in and played well over the summer and this fall, and us coaches pretty much just got out of their way.”

This strategy has paid off for the coaching staff, as their girls have yet to lose this fall season.

Rina Tatematsu (Oklahoma State) won the ladies’ individual title, while Preston Summerhays (Arizona State) and Chris Gotterup (Oklahoma) were co-medalists on the men’s side.

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Ole Miss women, Pepperdine men end fall season with statement East Lake Cup titles

The Ole Miss women and Pepperdine men earned statement wins at the East Lake Cup.

While both teams might not be explicitly saying it, the Ole Miss women and Pepperdine men each made a statement, loud and clear, to the college golf world.

“We’re here.”

Both teams claimed the title at the East Lake Cup on Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta, each in their school’s first appearance at the college event normally reserved for the semifinalists from the previous season’s NCAA Championship. Due to the pandemic, this year’s East Lake Cup field was built based on the final spring Golfstat ranking, with teams not playing because of COVID-19 weeded out.

The Rebels defeated South Carolina, 3-2, while the Waves crashed over Oklahoma, 4-1.

College golf: Check out Oklahoma’s impressive practice facility

Rebels revel in Atlanta

Early points went on the board, first for Ole Miss with stroke play co-medalist Ellen Hume blowing the doors off her match with senior transfer and former Kent State star Pimnipa Panthong, 7&6. South Carolina’s Mathilde Claisse then defeated Chiara Tamburlini, 3&2, earning a crucial early point for the Gamecocks.

“I didn’t really make any mistakes,” said Hume of her impressive final match. “One birdie and the rest pars. (Panthong) made a couple mistakes, and I kind of jumped on those. So I went up pretty early, which helped.”

Hume’s stroke play co-medalist and the Rebels’ fifth-year senior leader Kennedy Swann usually goes out first for Ole Miss, but her coaches sent her out second to set up an All-Star match against the third-ranked player in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, South Carolina’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard. The Gamecocks’ sophomore star held a 1 up lead through five holes and never looked back, consistently weathering Swann’s advances en route to a clean 3&2 win.

East Lake Cup: Women’s matches | Men’s matches

Ole Miss never trailed in the final two matches, with Andrea Lignell earning the second point thanks to a 3&2 win over Paula Kirner. In the final match on the course, South Carolina senior Lois Kaye Go tried to muster up some late-match heroics – like when she won her semifinal match after never leading until the final hole – but fell short by one in an 18-hole gem of a match to Julia Johnson.

Waves wash away any doubt

On paper, the men’s match between Pepperdine and Oklahoma could very well have been a preview for next spring’s NCAA Championship. If so, advantage Waves.

The Sooners came back in the semifinals to defeat their rival Texas Longhorns but didn’t have enough horse power to do so again on Wednesday, with Pepperdine rolling to a 4-1 win.

The Pepperdine men’s golf team poses with the trophy after winning the 2020 East Lake Cup. (Photo: East Lake Cup)

“It gives us a lot of momentum,” said Pepperdine’s Dylan Menante. “It proves to us that we can still be No. 1 or a top-5 school in the country and that we’re good enough and that we can compete with anyone no matter who’s on the team.”

Men’s stroke play medalist and Oklahoma junior Patrick Welch ran into a pair of 5&4 losses in match play, first on Tuesday to Texas’ Cole Hammer and again on Wednesday in the finals against Pepperdine’s Joe Highsmith. Derek Hitchner added a second point for the Waves, taking down Logan McAllister, 3&2. Jonathan Brightwell, a UNCG transfer, earned the sole point for the Sooners in a tight match with William Mouw, but shortly after Menante made it official for the Waves with a 5&4 win over Garett Reband.

“Coach has done a really good job helping us with an overall mentality of making sure that we’re kind of staying aggressive and committed and not being fearful on the golf course is kind of a big thing that we stand for at Pepperdine,” said Hitchner. “So that mindset out here has really worked well.”

In the other women’s match, Florida defeated Texas 4-0-1. On the men’s side, however, the Longhorns cruised 5-0 over Texas Tech.

Gators News: COVID-19 outbreak continues, Gators golf in action

6 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on the football team but are still expected to play, while the men’s and women’s golf teams played.

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Welcome to a Wednesday edition of Gators News! As we inch closer and closer to game day, the excitement continues to build in anticipation of the football team returning to the gridiron. Of course, there are a few other sports of note as well, but let us start with the hand-egg-ball news.

The biggest story is that Florida reported six new COVID-19 positives on Tuesday, though head coach Dan Mullen still expects to play Missouri on Saturday. Mullen did not reveal any information about the current COVID situation at Florida, other than saying the most recent positive test within the program was last Saturday.

Yesterday, both the men’s and women’s golf teams continued play in their respective competitions. The guys finished tied for fourth overall at the conclusion of the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate, serendipitously with the Vanderbilt Commodores, while the gals dropped a semifinal match to the South Carolina Gamecocks on the second day of the East Lake Cup.

The Lady Gators will compete in the third-place match tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. EDT on the final day of play after expected foul weather altered the schedule.

Around the Swamp

It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

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Ole Miss women continue to dominate East Lake Cup; Men’s side offers NCAA title preview

The Ole Miss women continued to dominate the East Lake Cup while the men’s bracket may be a preview for this year’s NCAA Championship.

There’s something special brewing in Oxford, Mississippi, and the Ole Miss women’s golf team brought the recipe to Atlanta.

The Rebels were one of the hottest teams in college golf before the pandemic canceled the 2019-20 season and they’ve come out swinging this fall.

The reigning SEC champions and this week’s No. 1 seed dominated the first round of match play at the East Lake Cup, making quick work of Texas with a 4-0-1 win to advance to the finals on Wednesday morning. In two events so far this year, Ole Miss has a pair of fourth-place finishes.

Veteran leader and stroke play co-medalist Kennedy Swann, who made a deep run to the quarterfinals at this summer’s U.S. Women’s Amateur, earned a 1 up victory over Texas’ Sophie Guo, followed by a trio of 2&1 wins from junior Ellen Hume, senior Julia Johnson and sophomore Chiara Tamburlini. Sophomore Andrea Lignell earned half a point with a tie against Texas freshman Ashley Park.

“We’ve been playing well in the last two tournaments, but we haven’t managed to win anything yet,” said Hume, who also earned stroke play medalist honors. “It would be a great way to end the semester despite the circumstances.”

A prestigious college event normally reserved for the semifinalists from the previous season’s NCAA Championship, this year’s East Lake Cup field was built based on the final spring Golfstat ranking, with teams not playing because of COVID-19 weeded out.

East Lake Cup: Women’s matches | Men’s matches

Joining the Rebels in the final match is South Carolina, who earned an impressive 3-1-1 victory over Florida thanks to some late-match heroics on the final green. Sophomores Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, the third-ranked player in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, and Mathilde Claisse put up early points while senior Lois Kaye Go sent the Gamecocks to the finals with a win in 19 holes, her only lead of the match. The lone match to avoid the 18th green was Florida senior Addie Baggarly’s 2&1 win against South Carolina senior Pimnipa Panthong.

“To be honest, I did feel some pressure, but it wasn’t as much as I used to like in the past,” said Kaye Go. “I just tried to keep myself calm, you know, breathe properly and yeah, it worked.”

Over on the men’s side, the struggles continued for Texas. The Longhorns led for most of the semifinals but a late push from rival Oklahoma, the top seed, propelled the Sooners 3-2 into the finals thanks to a 1 up win from senior leader Quade Cummins in the day’s final match. Oklahoma junior Logan McAllister and senior transfer Jonathan Brightwell both earned points with 19 hole victories while Texas sophomores Cole Hammer and Pierceson Coody both earned 5&4 wins.

Pepperdine, last year’s top-ranked team, continues to remind the college golf world just how good it is. The Waves crashed into the finals with a 3-2 win against Texas Tech behind a 6&4 win from junior Derek Hitchner and 4&3 win from junior Joe Highsmith. In fact, sophomore Dylan Menante’s 2 up win was the lone match to reach the 18th green.

“I think it’s easy to get wrapped up in the competition and tournaments, but really to stop and think like how fortunate are we to be able to play this fall. It’s something that we always have to remind ourselves,” said Pepperdine head coach Michael Beard.

With inclement weather in the forecast, Wednesday’s final matches will begin at 8:40 a.m. ET, with Golf Channel broadcasting from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Oklahoma claims top seed at East Lake Cup behind medalist Patrick Welch

Given Oklahoma’s deep roster, the team’s fall success hasn’t been surprising. It continued Monday with the top seed at the East Lake Cup.

Oklahoma’s roster got a big boost over the summer. In fact, you might say no other team came out on the other side of last spring’s COVID cancellations in quite as good shape as the Sooners.

Given that, it hasn’t been all that surprising that Oklahoma has collected a win, two other top-3 finishes and now the No. 1 seed at the East Lake Cup, a limited-field college match-play event at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

The Sooners went 10 under in 18 holes in Monday’s stroke-play qualifying round and finished seven shots ahead of Pepperdine. Now, Oklahoma will take on Big 12 rival Texas in the first round of match play. Pepperdine will face Texas Tech.

Oklahoma has three fifth-year seniors in the lineup this week. Quade Cummins and Garett Reband offer a big boost of familiarity, but head coach Ryan Hybl also brought another senior into the fold. After four years at North Carolina-Greensboro, All-American Jonathan Brightwell joined the roster.

Leaderboard: East Lake Cup

Cummins and Brightwell offered rounds of 69 and 70, respectively, on Monday, but junior Patrick Welch stole the show. The junior with the cross-handed grip threw out eight birdies, including one on the final hole, for a 67 that left him with medalist honors. He was two shots ahead of Cummins in that race.

As he stood on the 14th tee at 3 under, Welch learned where he fell on the leaderboard – and that Cummins was right up there with him.

“I’m always rooting for my teammates,” Welch told Golf Channel. “We’re all a team and we’re all trying to win individually. There’s no hard feelings if he won or I won or whoever. We’re just trying to beat each other but at the same time, we’re always going to be cool at the end of the day.”

The win was a confidence booster for Welch, who has never claimed an individual title in a college event.

As for the team component? Welch expects Hybl to tell his men this evening that today is done and it’s time to take care of business on the bracket.

“Match play is a totally different animal,” he said. “You can shoot 80 one day and then play match play and be 10 under. I think we’re going to reset from today. It was nice that we won but tomorrow, match play, you gotta beat the guy.”

Oklahoma already ran up against Texas earlier this month in Big 12 match play, and Welch’s halve against star Longhorn junior Cole Hammer sealed it. Welch didn’t lose at that event, winning his first three matches and halving his last two, and his 30 birdies led the field.

“They’re a great team,” Welch said of Texas, “and we’re going to have to play our best to beat them.”

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Ole Miss will get its match-play day at the East Lake Cup after claiming No. 1 seed

Ole Miss players brought the firepower in stroke-play qualifying at the East Lake Cup. Now they’ll try to ride the No. 1 seed to a title.

When the 2019-20 college golf season was canceled, Ole Miss’ women had just bagged a fourth team title for the season. The Rebels were ranked No. 13 in Golfweek’s rankings. They were a good bet for the NCAA match-play bracket.

The premature end of the spring season burned on many levels, and a missed opportunity for an Ole Miss team that was looking to defend its SEC title and make the bracket at the 2019 NCAA Women’s Championship is high on the list of COVID disappointments.

Instead, they’ll get their day on TV this week at the East Lake Cup. The four-team televised match normally is a fall perk for the semifinalists from the previous season’s NCAA Championship. This year, the field was built based on the final spring Golfstat ranking, with teams not playing because of COVID weeded out.

Leaderboard: East Lake Cup

Ole Miss, with an 18-hole score of 5-under 283 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, topped a field that also included South Carolina, Florida and Texas.

In addition to the No. 1 seed, two Ole Miss players also shared the individual title. Fifth-year senior Kennedy Swann and junior Ellen Hume, a transfer from Charleston Southern and the 2019 English Women’s Amateur champ, each got a share of it.

Hume did it on the strength of big closing birdies at Nos. 14, 15 and 17.

“There were definitely chances out there,” Hume told Golf Channel after the round. “Fourteen is a good par 5 that we can attack. Then we had a couple wedges going into 16, 17 and 18. So they were good chances for birdie. I think my up-and-down on 14 definitely gave me some momentum.”

Swann said she had visions of Rory McIlroy coming down the stretch at East Lake. She had to hole a putt for birdie at the last hole to catch her teammate for co-medalist honors.

“I really just tried to take the result out of it,” Swann said. “A lot of times I tend to put way too much pressure on myself in those situations. It definitely helped knowing that a teammate already had the title and that if I did miss it, Ole Miss was still going to hold it.”

Ole Miss head coach Kory Henkes spent the day walking with Hume while assistant coach Zack Byrd walked with Swann. Byrd told Swann she was a shot back coming down the stretch, but he didn’t tell her who she was chasing.

“Everyone on this team really pulls for each other so I know Ellen was just as excited for Kennedy as Kennedy was for her so just an all-around great day for our program,” Henkes said.

The highlights were plentiful for the Rebels. Four players landed inside the top eight. Julia Johnson dropped her approach on the front of the green at the par-4 17th and watched it roll in for eagle, the only one of those on the board for the day.

You never know what kind of firepower you might get out of Ole Miss, a team that claimed the 2019 SEC title in a big-energy match against South Carolina.

Ole Miss faces Texas in the first round of East Lake Cup match play while South Carolina, which just won The Ally last week, will play Florida. The two teams could meet again in Wednesday’s final.