Ole Miss head coach Chris Malloy announced the signing of two talented players Wednesday, as Braden Thornberry and Beau Briggs signed national letters of intent to join the Rebels for the 2015-16 academic year.
A Southaven, Mississippi native, Thornberry ranks No. 12 in the country for the 2015 class and won the RTC Evitt Junior All-Star American Junior Golf Association event in the summer of 2012. He was also named to the AJGA Junior All-Star team.
A two-time U.S. Junior Golf Tour player of the year, Thornberry has won 24 USJGT events and has also been named Tennessee Golf Association Player of the Year, twice. He was also named the 2012 Mississippi Junior Amateur Champion and fired a 10-under par 61 at the TPC Southwind on August 1, 2012, tying the course record.
“Braden has had as successful of a summer as any other junior golfer in the country,” Malloy said. “He will make an immediate contribution to the team. We love to see Mississippi players decide to stay in state and play for our university.
Briggs, a native of Covington, Louisiana, was one of 12 players in the nation named an HP Scholastic Junior All-American by the American Junior Golf Association. He won the 15-18-year-old age division at the Mizuno USSSA Junior National championships at the Tournament Players Club of Louisiana in Avondale. He boasts three top-10 finishes at AJGA Open events.
Briggs has a 4.45 grade-point average, scored 33 on the ACT and is a 2014 AP Scholar. He serves as a mentor on the Kelly Gibson Junior Golf Tour and raised $17,000 for the Covington Food Bank, The Kelly Gibson Foundation and the AJGA’s Achieving Competitive Excellence Grant Program.
“Beau has tremendous upside to be a great collegiate player,” Malloy said. “He is as smart of a young man as you will find. He will certainly bring a lot maturity to this squad.”
For all Ole Miss men’s golf news and information, follow the Rebels all season on Twitter at @OleMissMGolf, on Instagram at OleMissMGolf and on Facebook at OleMissMGolf. Fans can also follow head coach Chris Malloy on Twitter @coachmalloy12.
–Ole Miss Sports Information
Ole Miss Signs Talented Golf Duo
