Ole Miss golf 2018: Bunkie Perkins previews the GAME OF THORNBERRIES

Red Cup Rebellion is a golf blog now … at least it will be for the duration this spring as writer-crawlt-out-of-whatever-rock-he-was-under Bunkie Perkins loops for the Ole Miss Golf Team during their Spring 2018 season. This feature series will preview the tournaments, courses, Ole Miss golfers, and field each week, but more in-damn-portantly, this feature will chronicle the exploits of Ole Miss’ REIGNING, DEFENDING, NCDOUBLEA INDIVIDUAL LARGE ADULT GOLFING CHAMPION AND BY GAWD NUMBER ONE COLLEGE GOLFER IN THE SEVEN KINGDOMS ... BRADEN THORNBERRY, FROM CLUBHOUSE OXFORD, FIRST OF HIS NAME, KING OF THE 19th HOLE AND THE FIRST TEE, MAKER OF BIRDIES, THE BREAKER OF PARS, THE RULER AND PROTECTOR OF AN EXPEDITED PACE OF PLAY … LONG MAY HE DRIVE.

This Week’s Tournament: The All-American Intercollegiate — Humble, Texas.

The Course: The Golf Club of Houston — While technically in Humble, like all things Houston, the city just gobbles up the Golf Club and claims it as its own. The course is home to year-round humidity and also the Shell Houston Open on the PGA Tour. The Tournament Course, designed by Rees Jones and David Toms, a 7,425-yard par 72, is used on the pro tour as the last primer before The Masters, but for collegiate tournament play it will offer a somewhat flat but challenging layout that features water on nearly half the holes, including a damn lake running along the left side of the 18th finishing hole (so maybe don’t hit your draw there). The course record, set by a whole gaggle of people over the years, is 63. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, BRADEN.

The marksman Thornberry:

OUR HERO BRADEN THORNBERRY (Jr, Olive Branch, MS): 2017 NCAA Champion, No. 1 ranked golfer in 2017-2018 (currently ranked No. 19 in Golfweek.com rankings). 70.33 stroke average. Played in four tournaments in Fall 2017, placing top five in three of four and won the Shoal Creek Invitational and the Grove Intercollegiate. Hit this absolutely hilarious 2-iron from the rough, 226 yards out to about 18 feet in the US Amateur (about the :41 mark here:).

Oh yeah, he also placed fourth in the St. Jude Classic on the PGA Tour last summer. No big deal.

The squad:

Beau Briggs (Jr. , Covington, La): 72.58 stroke average. Played in all 4 Fall 2017 tournaments. Finished Top 5 in FAMC Intercollegiate.

Kerry Sweeney (Sr., Melbourne, FL): 74.11 stroke average. Played in 3 Fall 2017 Tournaments. Finished Top 10 in Princeville Warrior Invitational.

Chip Getz (So., Paradise Valley, AZ): 73.22 stroke average. Played in 3 Fall 2017 Tournaments. Finished Top 20 in 2 out of 3 tournaments played. Is a golfer named Chip.

Josh Seiple (RS Jr., Castle Rock, CO): 73.58 stroke average. Played in all 4 Fall 2017 Tournaments. Finished Top 20 in Shoal Creek Intercollegiate.

Brody Blackmon (So., Sulphur Springs, TX): 74.33 stroke average. Played in 3 of 4 Fall 2017 Tournaments. Best finish was T28.

The Field:

The tournament is hosted by the University of Houston and Rice University. Other teams include No. 8 Auburn, No. 13 Wake Forest, No. 34 South Carolina, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Georgia State, Lamar, McNeese, North Texas, Sam Houston State, SMU, South Alabama, Southeastern Louisiana and UTSA. A motley crew, to be sure.

Top individuals who are playing for second behind LORD THORNBERRY include: No. 32 Cameron Young (Wake Forest) No. 41 Brandon Mancheno Auburn), No. 66 Blake Elliott (McNeese) No. 76 Scott Stevens (South Carolina) No. 83 Wells Padgett (Auburn), and No. 99 Paul McBride (Wake Forest). These rankings are courtesy of GolfWeek.

LIVE LEADERBOARD FOR THE WEEKEND:

If you want to follow along as BRADEN VON BIRDIESALOT makes his way around the course, track it out with Golfstat all weekend. There unfortunately isn’t a live stream that we’re aware of. Sorry.

Ole Miss’ next tournament:

Querencia Cabo Collegiate — Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. SPRING BREAK BABY!!! See BEAUTIFUL BEACH-BODY BRADEN win the tournament while simultaneously competing in a wet t-shirt contest at Cabo Wabo!