Sept. 23, 2012

FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Ole Miss fired a round-best score of 278 on Sunday to catapult into third in the final round of the Mason Rudolph Championship hosted by Vanderbilt. Sophomore Blake Morris carded a 2-under 69 on Sunday to finish in a tie for third with a three-day total of 5-under 208.

After posting a 69 in Saturday’s second round, Morris followed with another 2-under par round on Sunday to pick up his second top-three finish of the season. Junior Tom Brown fired a team-low 3-under 68 in the final round to jump into sixth place with a 3-under total of 210 after entering the day in a tie for 11th. It marked Brown’s lowest round of his career and his best finish since placing seventh at the Squire Creek Intercollegiate as a freshman.

"We had a good day," said Ole Miss head coach Ernest Ross. "It was tough when we starter - cool and breezy - but our guys got hot on the back nine with two eagles and a birdie on No. 14 and two strong birdies on No. 18. We are a young team, but we are getting better each tournament."

The Rebels’ round of 278 tied the host Commodores, who won the tournament, for the lowest round of the three-day event. Ole Miss finished the three-day event with a team score of 6-over par 858, while Vanderbilt won the tournament with a 7-under 845. Oklahoma took second place with a 2-over 845 and Mississippi State place fourth with a 10-over 862.

Sophomore Joe Lewis fired a 1-under 70 in Sunday’s final round, while freshman Conner Davis carded an even-par 71. Fellow freshman Forrest Gamble finished the day with a 3-over 74.

Next up, the Rebels will travel to Baton Rouge, La. on Oct. 6 for the David Toms Intercollegiate. Fans can follow live scoring by going to OleMissSports.com and clicking on the link in the calendar. Follow the Rebels all season on twitter at @OleMissMGolf and on facebook at www.facebook.com/OleMissMGolf.

Ole Miss Scores

T3. Blake Morris – 70-69-69

6. Tom Brown – 71-71-68

T36. Connor Davis – 72-78-71

T47. Forrest Gamble – 72-77-74

83. Joe Lewis – 74-0-70

Team Scores

1. Vanderbilt – 286-278-281

2. Oklahoma – 280-285-289

3. Ole Miss – 285-295-278

4. Mississippi State – 293-282-287