Two Rebels Set to Tee it Up in Oxford’s Web.com Tour Event

The Ole Miss men’s golf program will have a major presence in the first ever professional sporting event to take place in the city of Oxford, Mississippi. Rebel junior Braden Thornberry and Ole Miss Golf alum Ben Wolcott will tee it up in this week’s North Mississippi Classic held at the Country Club of Oxford (April 19-22).
Not only will the two Rebels compete on the local course, but they’ll also be paired together for the first two rounds. Thornberry and Wolcott will join Alex Higgs at 2:12 p.m. CT Thursday afternoon before playing a morning round on Friday (8:52 a.m.). The 156-player field will then be cut to the top 65 and ties following the first two rounds. Those golfers will then play the weekend with one round Saturday and a final round Sunday.
Thornberry, the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world (Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com) and reigning NCAA national champion, earned a sponsor’s exemption into the event. Meanwhile, Wolcott worked his way into the tournament via a Monday qualifier. He fired a 5-under 67 at Tunica National to become one of 12 qualifiers to earn a spot in the field.
“We are extremely excited to have the Web.com Tour event in Oxford,” said Ole Miss Head Golf Coach Chris Malloy. “To be able to showcase our hometown to the golf world is an amazing opportunity for our program. Additionally, to have two of our own players in the event makes it that much better.”
“Anytime you get to play in a pro event as an amateur, it is a huge honor,” said Thornberry. “I am excited to not only compete, but also to learn everything I can from some of the best players in the world. Obviously, I want to play well, but it will be a great learning experience either way. I’m really looking forward to playing on such a big stage right at home in Oxford. Having the support of the Ole Miss family will be really special!”
Thornberry is no stranger to competing as an amateur at the professional level, playing in three PGA Tour tournaments within the past year. Last June, he made his PGA Tour debut by finishing fourth at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis, the highest amateur finisher at the FedEx St. Jude since 1965 and the best amateur finish on the PGA Tour since 2016. As the winner of the Haskins Award, he earned a spot in the 2017 Greenbrier Classic before teeing it up at the RSM Classic in November.
Wolcott will be playing in the second Web.com Tour event of his career. Just one year removed from college, he made his professional debut at the tour’s News Sentinel Open (Aug. 17-20, 2017). Last spring, Wolcott joined Thornberry in leading the Rebels to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2001. The Dickson, Tennessee, native was an All-SEC honoree as a senior, picking up two individual victories during the season.
Thornberry is in a midst of a busy week of golf. He began the week by leading Ole Miss to a third-place finish at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship (April 16-17), capturing medalist honors along the way with a 12-under 204 (71-67-66). The five-shot victory gave Thornberry his fourth win of the season and his school-record 11th for his career. For his dominating performance, he earned SEC Golfer of the Week accolades for the second time this spring. The first Ben Hogan Award semifinalist in program history holds a 69.63 stroke average in collegiate events, ranking second in the conference.
To get updates on the two Rebels throughout the tournament, follow Ole Miss Golf on Twitter at @OleMissMGolf. For all Ole Miss Men’s Golf news and information, follow the Rebels on Twitter, on Instagram at OleMissMGolf and on Facebook at Ole Miss Men’s Golf.

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Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
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