CARLSBAD, Calif. — Ole Miss junior Michael La Sasso captured the NCAA men’s individual title Monday with an even-par 72, overcoming a pair of double bogeys with clutch birdies on his back nine at La Costa Resort.
La Sasso finished at 11-under 277, two shots clear of Texas A&M’s Phichaksn Miachon, becoming just the second Ole Miss player to win an NCAA championship after Braden Thornberry in 2017.
The victory comes with some serious perks for the 21-year-old — he’s now headed to Oakmont in two weeks for the U.S. Open and has earned an invitation to the Masters next April.
But La Sasso seemed equally thrilled about helping Ole Miss secure the eighth and final spot in the team match play competition. The Rebels edged Florida State by a single shot, ending the college career of world No. 1 amateur Luke Clanton.
“I had a little rough patch in the middle of the round, and being able to bounce back from that is something truly special,” La Sasso said.
La Sasso started the day with a two-shot advantage and immediately strengthened his position, birdieing his first two holes (starting on No. 10) to create separation from Miachon. Then came trouble — double bogeys at 15 and 17 threatened to derail his championship bid. But he steadied himself, playing bogey-free golf the rest of the way while Miachon couldn’t find another birdie after his hot start.
For Clanton, it was a heartbreaking finish. The Florida State star, who’s already earned a PGA Tour card through the PGA Tour University Accelerated ranking and has two runner-up finishes in Tour events, struggled down the stretch with two costly bogeys. He closed with a 76 and missed a critical birdie chance on his final hole that would have pushed the Seminoles into match play.
Clanton won’t have much time to dwell on the disappointment. He’s set to make his professional debut next week at the RBC Canadian Open.
Arizona State claimed the No. 1 seed over defending champion Auburn and will face La Sasso’s Ole Miss squad Tuesday in the match play quarterfinals. The semifinals follow Tuesday afternoon, with the championship match scheduled for Wednesday.
The other teams advancing to match play include Florida, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia. It’s worth noting that six of the eight remaining teams hail from the Southeastern Conference, showing the conference’s dominance in college golf.
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