Thornberry Readies For PGA Tour FedEx St. Jude Classic

HottyToddy.com provides readers a roundup of the commentary and information about the Ole Miss Rebels from various publications around the Web.
Readers can check out the latest information in a single post each day throughout the year. Here at HottyToddy.com, we are doing all the leg work to find the information that people want about Ole Miss sports.
Today’s stories come from Ole Miss Sports

---

Ole Miss Volleyball Announces 2017 Schedule

H

eading back to the newly-renovated Gillom Center this year, Ole Miss volleyball head coach Steven McRoberts announced the team’s 2017 schedule, which includes two home tournaments, nine home Southeastern Conference matches and eight matches against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams.
Schedule at a glance…
• Ole Miss will face six teams who made the NCAA Tournament last year, including SEC Champion Missouri and Texas A&M twice.
• Ole Miss will open the season hosting the Rebel Invitational Aug. 25-27. Teams include Louisiana Tech, North Dakota (2016 NCAA participant), Chattanooga and Florida A&M.
• Prior to the football team’s home game against UT Martin, the Rebels will host the Rebel Classic Sept. 7-8 with Austin Peay, Northwestern State and Mercer coming to Oxford.
• Other non-conference tournaments include a short drive to Jonesboro, Arkansas for the Arkansas State Tournament Sept. 1-2 featuring 2016 NCAA Tournament team SMU. The Rebels will round out the non-conference schedule with a trip to the most magical place on earth, Orlando, Florida for the UCF Tournament Sept. 16-17.
• In between the final two tournaments, the Rebels will travel to Greely, Colorado for a mid-week match at Northern Colorado on Sept. 12.
• SEC home matches include Auburn (Sept. 22), Alabama (Sept. 24), Georgia (Oct. 1), Florida (Oct. 13), Missouri (Oct. 25), Arkansas (Oct. 29), Mississippi State (Nov. 5), Texas A&M (Nov. 12) and South Carolina (Nov. 22).
• The Rebels will play six conference foes twice, traveling to Mississippi State (Sept. 27), Arkansas (Oct. 6), Missouri (Oct. 8), South Carolina (Oct. 15), Texas A&M (Oct. 22) and Georgia (Nov. 10). Other road matches include LSU (Oct. 18), Tennessee (Nov. 17) and Kentucky (Nov. 19).
The Rebels return four starters from 2016, including outside hitters Kate Gibson and Lexi Thompson, who are poised to become the first Ole Miss members of the 1,000/1,000 club in the rally scoring era. Thompson and Gibson need 82 and 46 digs, respectively, to become the newest members of the exclusive club. Both players surpassed 1,000 kills last year, and battled it out until the end for the single-season kills record.
The full TV schedule will be released later this summer to include game times and TV designations. All home games not on TV will be available on SEC Network + via WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
For more information on Ole Miss Volleyball, follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissVB, on Facebook at OleMissVolleyball and on Instagram at OleMissVB. Also follow Coach McRoberts on Twitter, @CoachMcRoberts.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

---

Thornberry Readies For PGA Tour FedEx St. Jude Classic

Ole Miss sophomore golfer Braden Thornberry will compete in his first PGA Tour event this week at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis.
Thornberry, the 2017 NCAA Individual Champion, earned entry into the field thanks to a sponsor’s exemption earlier this spring. He tees off in round one Thursday at 9 a.m. in a group that includes Julian Etulain and Zack Sucher at the 7,244 yard, par-70 TPC at Southwind. Thornberry will play in the same group Friday with a 2 p.m. tee time.
The Southaven, Mississippi native is very familiar with the course at Southwind, tying the course record with a 61 at the 2012 Memphis Golf Association Junior Invitational when he was just 15 years old.
“It is going to be an awesome experience,” Thornberry said. “I will have a bunch of friends and family here to support me, because it is just 20 minutes from home. I have played the course 30 to 40 times, but never under tournament conditions. I’ve seen the pros play the course before, so I don’t think anything will surprise me.”
Ole Miss head coach Chris Malloy believes Thornberry’s knowledge of the course will help him during his first PGA Tour event.
“Anytime you get to play in a PGA Tour event it’s special and to be able to play in his hometown is a big deal,” Malloy said. “Familiarity will play a big part for him this week with all the new things being thrown at him, but he is very level-headed and I think he will be able to handle everything. He has had a few good days of prep and will be primed and ready to go.”
Ole Miss All-American and PGA Tour pro Jonathan Randolph will also be competing at the FedEx St. Jude this week. Randolph tees off at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
Daniel Berger won last year’s FedEx St. Jude Classic with a 13-under 267. This year’s event features a $6.4 million purse with $1.152 million awarded to the champion.
For all Ole Miss Men’s golf news and information, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMGolf, on Instagram at OleMissMGolf and on Facebook at facebook.com/OleMissMGolf. Fans can also follow head coach Chris Malloy on Twitter @CoachMalloy12.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

---

Engels, Erb Advance for Ole Miss on Day One of NCAA Championships

Seniors Craig Engels and MJ Erb advanced through their semifinals to lead the way for No. 17 Ole Miss Wednesday, the first day of the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships from Oregon’s Historic Hayward Field.
With Engels advancing in the 1500 meters and Erb in the steeplechase, Friday’s final day of the men’s championship will feature three Rebels with big scoring chances, including junior Brian Williams in the discus.
Engels sat in second place for nearly the entire heat one of the 1500 meters Wednesday before breaking it open over the final 200 meters to take the win in 3:40.07. He will be the top seed in Friday’s 12-man final, which is scheduled for 7:42 p.m. CT on ESPN.
This is the second straight year for Engels, the two-time defending SEC champion in the 1500, to make the final in Eugene. He was a semifinalist in the 800 back in 2015.
It’s also the second straight year for Erb to make the 3000-meter steeplechase final, which is set for Friday at 7:54 p.m. on ESPN, immediately after the 1500. The SEC champion ran second or third for most of his heat. With the top five automatically advancing to the final, the homestretch featured seven men racing for those five spots, and Erb sprinted up to ensure his spot in a blanket finish by the top five men.
Another senior, Dempsey McGuigan, was oh so close to scoring points for the Rebels in the hammer throw. After placing eighth at last year’s NCAA Championships, he was throwing even farther Wednesday, but was done in by an historic performance from the field. In the first NCAA championships ever with eight men to throw over 70 meters, McGuigan finished in 10th with a best throw of 69.14m/226-10. He will earn second team All-America status (finishers 9-16 in each event).
Thursday will feature the first day of competition for the women, including Rebels in the hammer throw (Janeah Stewart), 4×100-meter semifinals (Nicole Henderson, Shannon Ray, Deanna Tate, Breanna Tate), steeplechase semifinals (Shelby Brown) and shot put (Raven Saunders, Stewart).
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

---

Thornberry Named Haskins Award Winner As Top Collegiate Golfer

Ole Miss sophomore Braden Thornberry continued to add to his long list of accomplishments Wednesday after he was named the Fred Haskins Award winner, as the most outstanding men’s collegiate golfer.
The Fred Haskins Award is presented annually by the Haskins Commission to honor the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the United States. The award is named in memory of Fred Haskins, former golf teaching professional at the Country Club of Columbus. Votes are tabulated by the Haskins Commission from select writers, golf coaches and collegiate golfers.
Thornberry, who captured the 2017 NCAA Arnold Palmer Individual National Championship, led the nation in stroke average at 69.57 this season and posted five wins including the national title. The Southaven, Mississippi native is tied with Dave Peege for the Ole Miss record with seven career wins in just two seasons in Oxford.
“It is an honor to win the Haskins Award,” Thornberry said. “It validates all of the hard work that I have put in with my teammates. We are changing the culture of the Ole Miss Golf program and are headed in the right direction. I can’t thank Coach (Chris) Malloy and Coach (Kyle) Ellis enough for what they have done for me this year. It is an unbelievable feeling knowing my name will be alongside greats like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. This makes me even more excited for next season!”
“To be named the most outstanding player in college golf is an incredible honor,” said Ole Miss head coach Chris Malloy. “Braden has been so consistent and to cap the year off with an NCAA Championship makes this season one that we will never forget. I am so proud of Braden, not only for his development on the course, but the man that he has matured into off of it. He is a great representative of our program as well as this wonderful award.”
Past Haskins winners include Ben Crenshaw, Luke Donald, David Duval, Justin Leonard, Phil Mickelson and Tigers Woods. Winners have gone on to compete in 42 Ryder Cups, win 28 majors and over 250 PGA Tour events.
For all Ole Miss Men’s golf news and information, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMGolf, on Instagram at OleMissMGolf and on Facebook at facebook.com/OleMissMGolf. Fans can also follow head coach Chris Malloy on Twitter @CoachMalloy12.
Past Haskins Award Winners
2017    Ole Miss          Braden Thornberry
2016    Texas               Beau Hossler
2015    Stanford          Maverick McNealy
2014    Stanford          Patrick Rodgers
2013    California        Michael Kim
2012    Alabama         Justin Thomas
2011    UCLA               Patrick Cantlay
2010    Georgia           Russell Henley
2009    N.C. State        Matt Hill
2008    UCLA               Kevin Chappell
2007    So. California Jamie Lovemark
2006    Oklahoma St. Pablo Martín
2005    UNLV               Ryan Moore
2004    Wake Forest   Bill Haas
2003    Oklahoma St.  Hunter Mahan
2002    UAB                 Graeme McDowell
2001    Georgia Tech Bryce Molder
2000    Oklahoma St.  Charles Howell III
1999    Northwestern Luke Donald
1998    Georgia Tech  Matt Kuchar
1997    Texas               Brad Elder
1996    Stanford          Tiger Woods
1995    Georgia Tech  Stewart Cink
1994    Texas               Justin Leonard
1993    Georgia Tech  David Duval
1992    Arizona State Phil Mickelson
1991    Arizona State  Phil Mickelson
1990    Arizona State  Phil Mickelson
1989    Arizona            Robert Gamez
1988    Texas               Bob Estes
1987    Arizona State  Billy Mayfair
1986    Oklahoma St.  Scott Verplank
1985    So. California  Sam Randolph
1984    UNC                 John Inman
1983    Furman           Brad Faxon
1982    Oklahoma St.  Willie Wood
1981    Oklahoma St.  Bob Tway
1980    BYU                 Bobby Clampett
1979    BYU                 Bobby Clampett
1978    Oklahoma St.  Lindy Miller
1977    So. California  Scott Simpson
1976    Florida             Phil Hancock
1975    Wake Forest   Jay Haas
1974    Wake Forest   Curtis Strange
1973    Texas               Ben Crenshaw
1972    Texas               Ben Crenshaw
1971    Texas               Ben Crenshaw
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

---

For more questions or comments email us at hottytoddynews@gmail.com. 
Follow HottyToddy.com on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat @hottytoddynews. Like its Facebook page: If You Love Oxford and Ole Miss…