CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Ole Miss women’s golf team came away with a tournament sweep in the team’s season-opening fixture, as the Rebels battled their way to earning the 2022 Cougar Classic team and individual titles on Tuesday.

Ending with a three-round team score of 839 (-13), just two strokes shy of the tournament record of 837, the Rebels were an unstoppable force at Yeamans Hall Club on the week with the team tallying 47 total birdies, along with a tournament-high 188 pars.

“It’s always a great feeling to start the season out with a win,” head coach Kory Henkes said. “We played against some tough competition this week and our team really brought the energy. We struck the ball really well this week, and we’re looking forward to taking a day to enjoy the win before getting back to work.”

Much of the Rebels’ momentum on the week can be credited to Andrea Lignell. Lignell blazed the course in all three rounds of play en route to earning her first career medalist finish at Ole Miss, finishing 9-under par.

“I am beyond proud of Andrea for winning her first collegiate event this week,” Henkes said. “She has been playing some amazing golf and this is well deserved. She puts a lot of time and energy into her game everyday and I have no doubt this will be the kickstart to much more success.”

Lignell capped off her week on Tuesday with her third-consecutive round in the 60s, shooting a 69 (-2) to claim a one-stroke victory over the field. Her three-day score of 204 ranks as the fourth-lowest in Cougar Classic history, as well as a new career-low 54-hole total for the Gothenburg, Sweden, native.

The double hardware finish for the Rebels marks the team’s first tournament sweep at an event since 2020 when Ole Miss won the East Lake Cup (Oct. 26-28, 2020), behind Rebel co-champions Ellen Hume and Kennedy Swann. It also marks just the ninth time in program history that the Rebels have accomplished the feat.

The Rebel duo of Ellen Hume and Natacha Host Husted also finished in the top 20 for the team. Hume and Host Husted each ended their tournament with scores of 210 (-3) to finish tied for 13th. For Hume, the finish marks her first return into the top 20 since earning an eighth place finish at the 2021 East Lake Cup last October.

Host Husted earns the fourth top-20 finish of her young career, with her three-round total of 210 standing as a new career-high 54-hole score as well, besting her previous mark of 218 from the 2022 Gators Invitational.

Elle Johnson and Ellen Hutchinson-Kay rounded out the championship rotation for the Rebels, with Johnson and Hutchinson-Kay each shooting 74 (+3) on day two to help the team clinch the Cougar Classic victory.

Johnson ends her Rebel debut with a 34th place finish individually with her final score of 215 (+2). Hutchinson-Kay’s three-day score of 217 (+4) earned the senior a share of 45th place, as well as her best 54-hole score since shooting 218 at the 2019 Golfweek Conference Challenge.

The Rebels will now have the remainder of the month of September off before heading to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the annual Blessings Collegiate Invitational, Oct. 3-5. All three days of the Blessings will have coverage available on Golf Channel.

THE REBELS

1. Andrea Lignell: 67-68-69–204 (-9)
T13. Ellen Hume: 71-68-71–210 (-3)
T13. Natacha Host Husted: 69-71-70–210 (-3)
T34. Elle Johnson: 70-71-74–215 (+2)
T45. Ellen Hutchinson-Kay: 72-71-74–217 (+4)

TEAM LEADERBOARD

1. Ole Miss: 277-278-284–839 (-13)
2. Clemson: 288-275-277–840 (-12)
3. College of Charleston: 281-288-280–849 (-3)
4. Florida State: 278-286-286–850 (-2)
T5. Miami: 282-284-286–852 (E)
T5. Michigan State: 281-283-288–852 (E)
7. Tennessee: 281-285-287–853 (+1)
8. UCF: 290-281-283–854 (+2)
9. Georgia: 289-277-290–856 (+4)
T10. NC State: 285-278-298–861 (+9)
T10. Wisconsin: 295-279-287–861 (+9)
T12. Penn State: 289-291-282–862 (+10)
T12. Illinois: 285-286-291–862 (+10)
14. Kentucky: 287-292-287–866 (+14)
15. Furman: 293-290-285–868 (+16)
16. North Carolina: 290-296-287–873 (+21)
17. Louisville: 298-290-292–880 (+28)
18. East Carolina: 297-302-305–904 (+52)