CARLSBAD, Calif. — Ole Miss junior Michael La Sasso captured the 2025 NCAA men’s golf individual championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.
LaSasso finished at 11-under-par 277 and becoming only the second player in school history to claim the title.
It was a personal milestone but also propelled the Rebels into the team match play portion of the championship, securing the eighth and final spot by a single stroke.
La Sasso entered the final round with a two-shot lead, starting on the back nine. He birdied his opening two holes, restoring his cushion over Texas A&M’s Phichaksn Maichon.
He did have double bogeys on holes 15 and 17 but steadied himself, playing his last 10 holes without a bogey and finishing with an even-par 72.
His 22 birdies over four rounds, including seven in the opening round, underscored his aggressive and consistent play.
“There was a little rough patch there in the middle of the round, but being able to bounce back from that is something really special,” La Sasso said. “Just being able to persevere to this point is something I’ll remember forever.”
La Sasso joins Branden Thornberry (2017) as the only Ole Miss golfers to win an NCAA individual title.
The achievement also earns him invitations to the U.S. Open at Oakmont in two weeks and the 2026 Masters, further cementing his status as one of college golf’s rising stars.
La Sasso’s steady finish was pivotal for Ole Miss’s team hopes.
The Rebels edged out Florida State by a single shot to claim the last match play berth, ending the collegiate career of Florida State’s Luke Clanton, the world’s top-ranked amateur.
Clanton, who will debut as a professional at the RBC Canadian Open, faltered late with two bogeys, missing a crucial birdie on his final hole.
“I was talking with coach before I hit the putt kind of knowing where we stood,” LaSasso said. “Luke’s putt looked really good so I thought I would have to make, but I played it a little softer after his didn’t fall. The goal was just to get the ball down in two.”
Ole Miss’s qualification for match play set up a quarterfinal clash with top-seeded Arizona State, while other advancing teams included Auburn, Florida, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia, with six of the eight hailing from the SEC.
With his NCAA title, La Sasso will test his game against the world’s best at the U.S. Open and the Masters
