CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Ole Miss women’s golf team’s fall season is set to kick off Sept. 12-13 in South Carolina with the playing of the Cougar Classic, hosted by the College of Charleston.

The two-day, 54-hole event features a total of 18 teams competing at Yeamans Hall Club in Charleston, 12 of which ended the 2021-22 season ranked within Golfstat’s Top 50 NCAA Team Rankings.

Tournament Schedule

Monday, Sept. 12 – 36 holes (Shotgun start scheduled for 7:30 a.m. CT)
Tuesday, Sept. 13 – 18 holes (Shotgun start scheduled for 7:45 a.m. CT)

The Lineup

Andrea Lignell (Sr.*)
— Ended the 2021-22 season with a stroke average of 73.88
— Earned a trio of top 5 finishes last season, including a runner-up finish at the East Lake Cup
— Finished in the top 20 of seven out of 12 tournament appearances in 2021-22
— Represented Team Sweden at the 2021 Spirit International Golf Championship
— Three-time WGCA All-American Scholar (2022, 2021, 2020)

Ellen Hume (Sr.*)
— Finished 2021-22 season with a 74.50 stroke average after competing in three tournaments for the Rebels
— Earned an eighth place finish at the 2021 East Lake Cup after carding a season-low round of 71 (-1)
— Four career top 20 finishes for the Rebels since joining the team for the 2020-21 season
— Co-Champion of the 2020 East Lake Cup after shooting a round of 69 (-3)
— Two-time WGCA All-American Scholar (2021, 2020)

Natacha Host Husted (So.)
— 2021-22 SEC All-Freshman Team selection
— Ended her rookie season with a season stroke average of 75.57
— Claimed her first collegiate top 10 finish at the East Lake Cup, tying for eighth
— Finished her freshman season with three top 20 finishes
— WGCA All-American Scholar (2022)

Elle Johnson (Sr.*)
— Earned a new personal-best season stroke average for 2021-22 (75.40)
— Left Florida State having the 19th-best career stroke average (75.61) in program history
— 2022 Florida Women’s Amateur Stroke Play Champion
— Shot a course record round of 65 (-6) at Coral Creek Club in Placida, Florida to help claim the Florida Am title
— Two-time WGCA All-American Scholar (2022, 2021)

Ellen Hutchinson-Kay (Sr.)
— Posted 78.00 stroke average across four tournaments in 2021-22
— Earned pair of top 20 finishes last year, including taking home a 13th place finish at the Auburn Individual
— Shot her best round of the 2021-22 season (72) at the Lady Bulldog Invitational en route to a 17th place finish
— 2021-22 SEC Community Service Team honoree
— Two-time WGCA All-American Scholar (2020, 2019)

The Field

Charleston
Clemson
East Carolina
Florida State
Furman
Georgia
Illinois
Kentucky
Louisville
Miami
Michigan State
North Carolina
NC State
Ole Miss
Penn State
Tennessee
UCF
Wisconsin

The Course

Spanning 6,269 yards and playing as a par 71, the Seth Raynor-designed Yeamans Hall Club stands as one of South Carolina’s best courses, ranking No. 2 course in the state and No. 53 ranked course in the world according to Top100GolfCourses.com. Established in 1925, Yeamans Hall Club stands as a traditionalist’s course with its old-style design. The course enjoys just about the firmest playing conditions of any course on the eastern seaboard of the United States, with the course featuring wide, tree-lined fairways and greens which are a trademark of Raynor. Additionally, the club received a much-needed restoration in the late 1980s courtesy of Tom Doak and his then-associate Jim Urbina.

Running it back with an All-American

A key returner for the Rebels for the 2022-23 season is reigning WGCA First-Team All-American Chiara Tamburlini, who is coming off of a historic year for the Rebels. After posting a stroke average of 72.60 in 2021-22, the sixth-best season stroke average in program history, Tamburlini went on to claim top 20 finishes in all 11 of her tournament appearances for the team on the year before eventually capping her season off with an eighth place finish at the NCAA Championships. The accolades would then roll in for Tamburlini, with her being named the fourth All-American in program history, along with collecting First-Team All-SEC honors as well as the 2022 Edith Cummings Munson Golf Award winner.

New faces on the course

While the Rebels’ 2022-23 roster features plenty of familiar faces, three new faces will make their way to Oxford to round out the Ole Miss women’s golf squad for the year. Amongst the group of newcomers is senior transfer Elle Johnson, who joins the Rebels after spending three seasons at Florida State, where she finished her time with a career stroke average of 75.61, the 19th-best career stroke average in FSU history. Along with Johnson come the freshmen duo of Nicole Gal and Molly Hardwick, who each bring stacked resumes of their own regard. The Rebels’ coaching staff also features a new face, with the team welcoming new assistant coach Zack Siefert as he continues a now nine-year coaching career within college golf.

Rebels present at the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup

Ole Miss saw itself well represented this summer at the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup in Vandœuvres, Switzerland, as both Chiara Tamburlini and head coach Kory Henkes traveled abroad to represent both sides of the annual golf spectacle, this year taking place at the iconic Golf Club De Genève. Tamburlini found herself as a late addition to the International Team’s roster, while Henkes served as co-head coach for Team USA. Ultimately it was Tamburlini’s side that would prevail, as the International Team would claim a tightly contested 33-27 victory over Team USA to take the Palmer Cup. This marks the second consecutive year in which a Rebel has hoisted the Palmer Cup, with Ole Miss alum Julia Johnson helping lead Team USA to a 33-27 win in 2021.

Fall Slate

The Cougar Classic marks the first of four fall tournaments that the Rebels will be traveling to in 2022. Following the team’s trip to Charleston, the Rebels head to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the annual Blessings Collegiate Invitational, which will air on Golf Channel Oct. 3-5. The team will then travel to an in-state clash at The Ally from Oct. 17-18, which will take place at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi. The fall schedule then wraps up with the Rebels going abroad to Cabo San Lucas for the Battle at the Beach, set to run Oct. 28-30.