Southern Miss opens Jim Rivers Intercollegiate tied for 2nd place after opening 18 holes

Published 9:40 am Monday, September 13, 2021

Hunter Atkins shot a three-under par 69, while Thongpipat Rattanayanon added a one-under 71 to lead the Southern Miss men’s golf team to a second-place tie after the first 18 holes of the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate Sunday.

Atkins, a senior from West Point, Miss., sits in a four-way tie for fourth place on the strength of six birdies at the par 72, 7,205-yard Squire Creek Country Club course in Choudrant, La. Rattanayanon, a sophomore from Bangkok, Thailand, also posted six birdies with Atkins to tie for 17th in the individual standings.

As for the team competition, the Golden Eagles shot a three-under par 285, tying Little Rock and LSU for second place, trailing Houston by just one stroke for the event’s lead.

“I am very proud of our team for the way we played today,” said Southern Miss coach Eddie Brescher. “Day one is always a position day. We put ourselves in a good position to make a move tomorrow.”

Freshman Ryan Dupuy (Baton Rouge, La.) added an even-par 72 in his first collegiate round, while sophomore Robbie Latter (Mississauga, Ontario) collected a 73 for a 41st-place tie. 

Sophomore Warren Purchase (Pretoria, South Africa), who played as an individual shot a 74 for a tied for 54th-place, while senior Brice Wilkinson (Madison, Miss.) collected an 82 for a 112th-place tie.

The Golden Eagles will look to continue their solid start with 18 holes on Monday in the 54-hole tournament. For Brescher, his team will rely on the team’s motto.

“Our motto is two things,” said Brescher. “One, playing with zero expectations. And two, take it one shot at a time. It is a simple concept, but it allows our guys to free up their mind before shots and swing without fear of consequence. We will continue this mindset each time we tee it up.”

Tee times start at 7:30 a.m., Monday and live scoring can be followed by clicking here.