WEST POINT — Braden Thornberry is getting into a rhythm.
Last week, the Ole Miss freshman golfer earned co-medalist honors at the Florida Atlantic Autism Invite at Fountains Country Club North Course in Lake Worth, Florida. Thornberry’s first career top finish gave him confidence entering the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship at Old Waverly Golf Club, a place he has played more than 30 times.
Thornberry’s success continued Tuesday, as he fired a bogey-free 3-under-par 69 in the final round to finish 7-under and earn the first outright victory of his career.
“It makes it a little bit easier to know you can win and you don’t have to do anything special,” Thornberry said. “I was just trying to go out there and play my game, and I figured with the tough conditions that would be enough.”
Ole Miss finished second (8-over par) to McNeese State (2-over 866) in the team competition. Mississippi State finished in seventh at 27-over 891. Bulldog senior Ben Wood and freshman Ross Bell tied for eighth at 1-over.
Thornberry shot an 8-under 205 last week at the Florida Atlantic Autism Invite. His latest effort gives him three top-five finishes and four top-10 finishes.
On Tuesday, Thornberry entered the final round one shot behind South Alabama’s Peter Staalbo, but Staalbo shot a 3-over 75 and finished third. Thornberry kept his composure with three birdies and parred the last six holes on the back nine.
On the par-4 18th, Thornberry said he was trying to avoid the water on the left. He hit his approach shot over the green and faced a 30-foot chip down hill.
“I knew I had a lead (on the chip), but I was trying to make it or hit it close,” Thornberry said. “As long as I made good contact and hit it up there I had the win.”
Thornberry chipped to within a couple of inches and made the par putt to finish three shots ahead of McNeese State’s Duncan McNeill, who finished second at 4-under.
MSU coach Clay Homan said he recruited Thornberry out of DeSoto Central High School, so he wasn’t surprised by how Thornberry performed.
“He’s a heck of a player, a very, very solid player,” Homan said. “He’ll continue to get better, and he knows how to play.”
Homan was disappointed in how his team played in the first two rounds Monday and said his players probably were nervous playing on their home course. He liked the way his team got off to a hot start Tuesday playing the back nine first in tough conditions, but he said they ultimately made too many mistakes down the stretch and couldn’t take advantage of the easier front nine.
“We tried to play a little more loose (Tuesday) and it seemed to work early on,” Homan said. “You can have good thoughts all you want, but you’ve got to be able to execute the shots, and we just didn’t do that.”
After firing two even-par rounds Monday, Wood shot a 1-over 73. He birdied his first hole, but he bogeyed the next three holes. He started the front nine off with two birdies, but he bogeyed the fourth and eighth.
For the tournament, the Florence, Alabama, native made 16 birdies, 13 bogeys, and two double bogeys.
“The things that make Ben good are the same things that make him bad,” Homan said. “I like the fact he does make a lot of birdies because when you make birdies you have a chance to win. At the same time, we’ve got to eliminate the silly mistakes and maybe picking and choosing when he’s aggressive and when he needs to play a little more conservative.”
Bell was tied for ninth entering the final round and shot a 1-over 73 to climb one spot on the leaderboard. He made three birdies in the final round, but he double bogeyed the par-4 18th for the second-consecutive round. He shot 1-under on the front nine to close out his tournament on a high nine.
The tie for ninth is Bell’s best finish. His previous best finish was a tie for 12th at the Shoal Creek Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama, last September.
“His confidence just grows with every good thing he does,” Homan said. “He’s just so consistent. His best golf is ahead of him. I like the trajectory he’s headed at. That’s encouraging for somebody that’s a freshman.”
MSU and Ole Miss will compete in the Southeastern Conference championships next weekend at Sea Island, Georgia.
Thornberry was one of five players to shoot under par in the final round, so his confidence is growing, especially with the simple approach he is using.
“(I’m) just really keeping it in front of me and not making a lot of bogeys and when I do hit it in a bad spot I’m handling it well,” Thornberry said. “Then you take advantage of the birdie putts when you can. It’s just been going pretty smooth.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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