SEC Golf Athletes of the Week: Oct. 18
Photo: SEC
Men's Golfer of the Week
| Matthew Cress |  Florida |
|---|---|
| So. | Saratoga, Calif. |
- Won first collegiate tournament at the Georgetown Intercollegiate
- Trailed by four strokes into the final round and won the field by four shots with a 3-under 69 round three
- Led the Gators to their first victory of the season and winning by 17 shots Shot a 54-hole score of 211 (-5)
- Made a tournament best 14 birdies Out of 54-holes, made 30 pars, 14 birdies and one eagle.
- Recorded all three rounds of even or under par; 72-70-69
- Averaged 3.97 on par-4s and 4.58 on par-5s
Men's Golfer of the Week
| Jackson Koivun |  Auburn |
|---|---|
| Fr. | Chapel Hill, N.C. |
- Led the Auburn lineup to its third win of the fall season, capturing the Fallen Oak Collegiate title by a whopping 19 strokes
- Shot 68-73-68 (-7) to finish second, individually
- Recorded fourth consecutive top 20 finish
- Highest-placing golfer from the SEC, beat nearest freshman from any conference by 14 shots
Men's Golfer of the Week
| Michael La Sasso |  Ole Miss |
|---|---|
| So. | Raleigh, N.C. |
- Ole Miss men's golfer Michael La Sasso secured his second top-5 finish of the season at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational, finishing tied for 3rd at 6-under overall. La Sasso made 13 birdies through his 54 holes. His time in Biloxi was highlighted by his first round where he went bogey-free and shot for 67 (-5), securing a 32 (-4) front nine.
- La Sasso's 210 (-6) score paced Ole Miss to a 2nd place finish at 862 (-2) overall. The sophomore has been the Rebels' top individual in all three fall tournaments. Overall, Ole Miss has finished in the top-5 the past three tournaments, giving Ole Miss its best start to a season since 2021.
Men's Freshman of the Week
| Josiah Gilbert | Auburn |
|---|---|
| Fr. | Queensland, Australia |
- Led Auburn's B-Team to a second-place finish at the MartinFed Invitational
- Shot 66-69-70 (-11) to record a new career low by eight strokes
- Opening round 66 (-6) also set a career low for 18 holes
- Earned first top-three finish of his collegiate career (third)
Men's Freshman of the Week
| Jay Mendell |  LSU |
|---|---|
| Fr. | Lafayette, La. |
- Led team to win at Everett Buick GMC Classic where he finished T4 at 7-under.
- Shot career low in Little Rock and last week at JTS Cup. (68)
Women's Golfer of the Week
| Manassanan Chotikabhukkana |  Tennessee |
|---|---|
| So. | Bankok, Thailand |
- Shot a career-low 206 at the Mercedes Benz Collegiate Championship in Knoxville, netting a second-place finish, also a career-best.
- Used five birdies to shoot a 67 in round two, tied for the lowest round in her collegiate career.
- Recorded 13 birdies over 54 holes, shooting 1-under (70), 4-under (67) and 2-under (69) in each respective round.
Women's Freshman of the Week
| Sophie Linder | Ole Miss |
|---|---|
| Fr. | Carthage, Tenn, |
- Tied for a career-high fourteenth place on the individual leaderboard
- Shot 72-72-70--214 (+1)
- Made first collegiate eagle along with 8 birdies and 34 pars
- Helped lead Ole Miss to second place finish at the Mercedes Benz Intercollegiate with a score of 847 (-5)
- Helped lead Ole Miss to third top 2 finish and fourth top 5 finish from the fall