Ole Miss golfer wins national championship with individual title
Published 7:28 am Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Ole Miss’ Michael La Sasso etched his name in the annals of Mississippi sports history Monday, winning the NCAA Division I Individual National Championship at Omni La Costa’s North Course. La Sasso shot 277 (-11), claiming the title by two strokes to become just the second individual national champion in Ole Miss golf history.
His victory helped propel No. 3 Ole Miss into match play for the first time ever. The Rebels posted a four-round team total of 1,163 (+11), edging out Florida State by one stroke to clinch the final spot in the top eight. Ole Miss will face No. 5 Arizona State in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
MICHAEL LA SASSO IS YOUR 2025 DIVISION I INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL CHAMPION #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/nv3p3slOrr
— Ole Miss Men’s Golf (@OleMissMGolf) May 27, 2025
The Rebels’ comeback came down to the wire. Starting the final round off the 10th tee, they trailed the cut line by four strokes at the turn. A clutch four-under 68 from Tom Fischer helped turn the tide, highlighted by birdies on holes two, three, and six.
La Sasso, trailing Texas A&M’s Phichaksn Maichon at the turn, stormed back with key birdies on four and six, the latter set up by a lucky bounce off the cart path. He sealed the win with steady pars over the closing holes, including a difficult save on 16.
A missed birdie attempt by FSU’s Luke Clanton on the 18th green secured Ole Miss’s spot in match play and cemented La Sasso’s title.
La Sasso, a First Team All-SEC selection from Raleigh, N.C., now holds the program’s single-season scoring record (69.48) and is a finalist for the Haskins and Jack Nicklaus Awards.
