CARLSBAD, Calif. — Ole Miss junior Michael La Sasso overcame a pair of double bogeys with a pair of birdies on his back nine Monday that carried him to an even-par 72 and the NCAA men’s title and help send the Rebels into the team portion of the championship.
La Sasso finished at 11-under 277 for a two-shot victory over Phichaksn Miachon of Texas A&M, making him only the second Ole Miss golfer to win an NCAA title.
The victory sends the 21-year-old La Sasso to Oakmont in two weeks for the U.S. Open, and to the Masters next April.
He was equally excited for Ole Miss, which nabbed the eighth and final spot that advance to match play the next two days at La Costa Resort. The Rebels finished one shot ahead of Florida State, a tough ending for Luke Clanton’s college career.
Clanton, who has had two runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour and has earned a tour card through the PGA Tour University ranking for underclassmen, struggled down the stretch with two bogeys. He missed a birdie chance on his final hole and closed with a 76 as the Seminoles finished at No. 9.
La Sasso entered the final day with a two-shot lead and started on No. 10. He birdied the opening two holes to restore his lead over Miachon and then ran into trouble with double bogeys on Nos. 15 and 17.
But he kept a clean card the rest of the way and Miachon, who also birdied his opening two holes. Miachon didn’t make another birdie and finished with a 72.
“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.
Clanton, the No. 1 amateur in the world, is to make his pro debut next week in the RBC Canadian Open.
Arizona State took the No. 1 seed over defending champion Auburn and will face Ole Miss on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of match play. The semifinals are Tuesday afternoon, followed by the championship match on Wednesday.
The other five teams to advance were Florida, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia. Six of the eight teams are from the Southeastern Conference.
