FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 28th, 2020
OLE MISS (WOMEN), PEPPERDINE (MEN) WIN 2020 EAST LAKE CUP
ATLANTA, (Oct. 28, 2020) – Ole Miss (women) and Pepperdine (men) won the sixth annual East Lake Cup on Wednesday afternoon, closing out their fall seasons with a victory in hopes of carrying momentum into next spring. The Rebels (No. 1 seed) defeated (No. 2) South Carolina, 3-2 in the championship match, while (No. 2) Pepperdine took down (No. 1) Oklahoma, 4-1.
Despite dropping its opening two matches, Ole Miss rallied to secure points in each of the final three contests, thanks to wins from Ellen Hume (7&6), Julia Johnson (1up) and Andrea Lignell (3&2). The Rebels captured the East Lake Cup in their inaugural appearance in the event.
“To see them in pressure situations and for them to be able to pull it off is really impressive,” said Ole Miss head coach Kory Henkes, whose team outlasted Henkes’ alma mater: South Carolina. “I think they are a great team and they have a good chance at winning the national championship if they just keep working hard in the offseason.”
In the men’s final, Pepperdine topped an Oklahoma squad that had been rolling, picking up match victories from Derek Hitchner (3&2), Joe Highsmith (5&4), RJ Manke (2&1) and Dylan Menante (5&4). Pepperdine closed out its fall campaign in dominant fashion, and will look to continue its momentum when kicking off its spring schedule in January as host of the Southwestern Invitational, an event that – as announced earlier today – will air live on GOLF Channel (Jan. 25-27).
“To be able to come here all the way across the country and play against three of the best teams around, [it’s] really impressive and [I’m] so proud of our guys,” said Pepperdine head coach Michael Beard. “To know that we can win in match play I think is going to go a long way not only for our team, but for the individual guys.”
*Transcripts of post-round interviews with players and coaches at the 2020 East Lake Cup are available here.*
CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS:
- WOMEN: (1) Ole Miss def. (2) South Carolina, 3-2
- MEN: (2) Pepperdine def. (1) Oklahoma, 4-1
(1) Ole Miss vs. (2) South Carolina
Chiara Tamburlini Mathilde Claisse (3&2)
Kennedy Swann Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (3&2)
Ellen Hume (7&6) Pimnipa Panthong
Julia Johnson (1up) Lois Kaye Go
Andrea Lignell (3&2) Paula Kirner
(1) Oklahoma vs. (2) Pepperdine
Logan McAllister Derek Hitchner (3&2)
Patrick Welch Joe Highsmith (5&4)
Jonathan Brightwell (2&1) William Mouw
Quade Cummins RJ Manke (2&1)
Garett Reband Dylan Menante (5&4)
CONSOLATION RESULTS:
- WOMEN: (3) Florida def. (4) Texas, 4-0-1
- MEN: (4) Texas def. (3) Texas Tech, 5-0
Florida overcame its disappointing showing on Tuesday with an emphatic 4-0-1 victory over Texas in the consolation match. The Gators’ points came in quick fashion, as none of the four matches made it past the par-4 16th hole, earning victories from Annabell Fuller, Marina Escobar Domingo, Maisie Filler and Addie Baggarly.
“There was obviously a little mental letdown after yesterday, but I felt like when they got ready to go this morning, they were refocused,” said Florida head coach Emily Bastel Glaser. “My hope for this week is that we can take this experience and use it to our advantage to be a little tougher next time and just be more prepared and know what to expect.”
Similar to the women’s consolation match, Texas put forth a lopsided showing on the men’s side, sweeping fellow Big 12 conference foe Texas Tech, 5-0. While the defending East Lake Cup champions ultimately fell short of defending their title, the Longhorns were able to salvage some positive momentum to close out their fall season.
“The guys came out firing and playing really well,” said Texas head coach John Fields. “There’s five top-10 teams in the Big 12 [conference] right now, and we’re one of them. This was an outstanding, incredible golf tournament. East Lake is a formidable golf course, and it definitely will make our team better.”
(3) Florida vs. (4) Texas
Annabell Fuller (4&3) Kaitlyn Papp
Marina Escobar Domingo (3&2) Sophie Guo
Maisie Filler (5&4) Bentley Cotton
Addie Baggarly (4&3) Ashleigh Park
Clara Manzalini Tie Hailee Cooper
(3) Texas Tech vs. (4) Texas
Andy Lopez Travis Vick (1up)
JP Roller Cole Hammer (4&2)
Markus Braadlie Pierceson Coody (2&1)
Baard Skogen Parker Coody (4&3)
Garrett Martin Chris Bring (6&5)
The East Lake Cup was contested over three days, following the format of the final three days of the NCAA men’s and women’s golf national championships.
Teams for the East Lake Cup competed on the championship golf course at East Lake Golf Club, home of the TOUR Championship, the season-ending event of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs. The East Lake Cup benefits the East Lake Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to helping families build better lives and help children reach their highest potential through its holistic approach to community revitalization incorporating mixed-income housing, cradle-to-college education and community wellness. The East Lake Cup is one of the largest contributors to the East Lake Foundation, having raised more than $1.5 million for the East Lake Foundation since the tournament’s inception in 2015. ZipRecuriter and Uber Eats are the co-presenting sponsors of the East Lake Cup, with Bridgestone Golf, Mercedes-Benz and Topgolf serving as additional sponsors.
-NBC Sports Group-
