The University of Southern Mississippi men’s golf team finished second at the Hal Williams Collegiate held at RTJ Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama, according to a school release. The Golden Eagles posted a combined score of 16-under par, trailing only No. 13 Illinois.
Southern Miss coach Brescher credited familiarity with the course for the team’s strong performance. “Our team has been competing at this course for years. Which is an advantage for our returning players knowing the course well,” he said. “But you have to execute. Our guys did just that. I saw so much positive progress from our guys this week.”
Junior Benjamin Fernandez led the team, shooting a career-best 5-under 65 in the final round, with six birdies and 11 pars. He finished tied for third overall, just two strokes behind Illinois’ Ryan Voois and Nebraska’s Rudy Sautron, who shared the lead. Fernandez also posted 18 birdies through 56 rounds, matching Voois for the most in the tournament.
Freshman Jake Moffitt jumped 12 spots with a 3-under final round, tying for ninth place. Moffitt led the field on par 5s with an average score of 4.17 and recorded 14 birdies across the event. Senior Supakorn Amornchaichan and junior Matthew Javier contributed solid rounds, helping the team secure second place, just behind Illinois and ahead of UAB in third.
Junior Tommy Latter wrapped up his debut with a 2-under 68 in round one and finished tied for 39th. Javier tied for 57th overall. Head coach Brescher acknowledged areas for improvement but praised the team’s effort. “We still have some work to do to clean up some stuff and get prepared for postseason. But we have a very talented and deep roster filled with world-class players. This week was a testament of that, how good of a team effort it was.”
The Golden Eagles will compete next at the Dorado Beach Collegiate in Puerto Rico, February 22-24, at the TPC Dorado Beach East Golf Course. Fans can follow updates on Southern Miss golf via Instagram (@southernmissmg).
