No. 1 Ole Miss, not at 100%, leads in Puerto Rico as virus makes its way through field
At least one virus is rearing its ugly head at arguably the week's top college golf tournament.
Several players on multiple teams battled through illness during Monday's opening round of the Puerto Rico Classic at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. There was just one withdrawal, LSU's Nicholas Arcement, but according to a few coaches, there were more than a few players who were so sick that they vomited during the round.
'All kinds of folks sick down here right now,' one coach said. 'At least six kids throwing up today.'
Another coach estimated that number to be north of 10 players.
Ole Miss, the top-ranked team in the country, leads the way at 16 under, two shots clear of Purdue and three ahead of fourth-ranked Oklahoma, despite not being at 100%, per coach Chris Malloy. No. 7 LSU and No. 8 Virginia are also in the field and sit T-6 and solo fifth, respectively. The Tigers, of course, did not have the luxury of a drop score with Arcement's WD, but Amos was hopeful to have all five players for Tuesday's second round.
'Great effort and finish from the team today under difficult circumstances,' said Amos, whose other four guys combined to shoot 7 under on their final three holes.
Tied with LSU is North Florida, another team battling both flu and other bugs. The Ospreys, however, boast the individual leader, Ole Miss transfer Brett Schell, who shot 7-under 65 and is a shot ahead of Ole Miss teammates Cam Tankersley and Cohen Trolio, and Purdue's Kent Hsiao.
• Click here for current team, individual scores
For the Rebels, twice winners last fall, it feels like déjà vu. It was at last spring's SEC Championship where several players, including star Michael La Sasso, came down with a stomach virus. Ole Miss ended up finishing ninth that week, missing match play, before the illness lingered into the NCAA Stanford Regional, where the Rebels missed advancing to the NCAA Championship by one place.
The flu and other viruses have been rampant across the country, with several reported cases at the PGA Tour's Farmers Insurance Open a few weeks ago. Ludvig Åberg was among the players affected at Torrey Pines before withdrawing due to illness during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am the following week.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Naples' Noah Kent gets another shot to compete against golf's best at 2025 U.S. Open
It's been an unforgettable three months for Naples amateur golfer Noah Kent, a span that's seen him play in three PGA Tour events, including the Masters. The 20-year-old has gained invaluable experience about the physical and mental tools necessary to play professional golf, a career path he's eager to pursue. Advertisement His next step in that journey starts at the 2025 U.S. Open Golf Championship, which tees off June 12 at the notoriously challenging Oakmont Country Club just outside of Pittsburgh. Noah Kent plays from the bunker on the second green during a practice round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. "The goal is the same, just taking in everything that I can learn," said Kent of his approach to his U.S. Open opportunity. "But I think this time it's also about competing." That's something the University of Florida junior hasn't been able to do at his three previous pro tournament starts, missing the cut by a combined average of more than nine strokes. Rough opening rounds have been the primary culprit, including at Kent's last event, The CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May, where a quadruple-bogey on his third hole torpedoed his chances at qualifying for the weekend. Advertisement "Looking back on it, if I can not make that one big number, I think it's a different outcome," Kent said. "But that's just golf. It's about managing yourself and managing your expectations and not making every shot life or death in the first round." Kent will have a sage and familiar face in his corner at the U.S. Open with Dudley Hart, UF's assistant golf coach, and a two-time PGA Tour winner, serving as his caddie. "He knows my game really well and he knows what it takes to compete at the highest level," Kent said of Hart. "We'll take our chances where we need to take our chances and just make pars." The US Open will likely be the final PGA event Kent plays in this year before hitting the Elite Amateur Series. He'll be at the Northeast Amateur in Rhode Island the day after the U.S. Open concludes. Advertisement No matter how Kent fares at the Open, he said the experience of competing against the greats of professional golf has been amazing. The highlight of course was his time at Augusta, where he played a practice round with eventual 2025 Masters champion Rory McIlroy and competed in a group with World Golf Hall of Famer Bernhard Langer. Apr 8, 2025; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Noah Kent and Rory McIlroy walk the no. 12 fairway during a practice round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images "That was probably the coolest thing ever," Kent said of his Masters start. "I always believed that I was going to play in it one day but to do it as a 20-year-old and check that box off is pretty special. "Being able to do something I want to do for a living a little bit earlier, while I'm still in college, is something I'm very grateful and thankful for. Hopefully, I can use these experiences to lead to a better outcome at Oakmont." This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: U.S. Open 2025: Naples native, UF golfer Noah Kent set for Oakmont
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rory McIlroy Shares Troubling Message Ahead of U.S. Open
Rory McIlroy Shares Troubling Message Ahead of U.S. Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After a two-week hiatus from the PGA Tour following the PGA Championship, Rory McIlroy returned to action this week at the RBC Canadian Open—but his time in the tournament was short-lived. Advertisement McIlroy struggled mightily over both rounds, never finding a consistent rhythm across the 36 holes he played. He ultimately missed the cut—and by a wide margin. The 2025 Masters champion shot a 71 on Thursday followed by a disappointing 78 on Friday, finishing at nine-over par. The cut line stood at two-under. Now, with a chance to regroup ahead of the third major of the year—the U.S. Open at Oakmont—McIlroy offered a concerning message about his performance in Canada. "Of course it concerns me," McIlroy said on Friday after his round. "You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't."He continued, "Obviously, going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways. Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee." Rory McIlroy lines up his tee shot on the 14th tee during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Doster-Imagn Images Rory McIlroy has had an outstanding year by any measure. His most significant achievement came at Augusta National, where he captured his first Masters title and completed the career Grand Slam. He also added victories at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship to round out an impressive season. Advertisement However, in comments this week, McIlroy admitted that maintaining motivation has been a challenge since his win at Augusta. After chasing the Masters for more than a decade, he said it's been difficult to find that extra edge and drive to compete at the same level. "I would certainly say that the last few weeks—I've had a couple of weeks off—and going and grinding on the range for three or four hours everyday is maybe a little tougher than it used to be," he told reporters. "You have this event in your life that you've worked towards and it happens, sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to get back on the horse and go again." Related: Fans Appalled By Rory McIlroy's Latest U.S. Open Blunders This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Justin Thomas Sends Strong Message About Scottie Scheffler Ahead of U.S. Open
Justin Thomas Sends Strong Message About Scottie Scheffler Ahead of U.S. Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The third major of the year is set to begin on Thursday, and with players already arriving at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, media duties have begun for many on the PGA Tour. Advertisement One player who spoke to the media was Justin Thomas, who has put together a solid 2025 campaign so far and will look to find success on the challenging Oakmont course. His best finish at the U.S. Open came in 2020, when he tied for eighth place. Thomas ended his winless drought since 2022 with a victory at the RBC Heritage in April. Despite that, he remains ranked No. 5 in the world. This week, he was asked a simple question about World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who has been dominant over the past two months on Tour and Thomas had a clear and in depth answer. Thomas was asked, 'What is Scottie Scheffler doing that is so special? What do you say?' Advertisement 'What is he doing?' Thomas replied. 'Well, everything.' Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas walk off the no. 5 tee during the first round of the Masters Tournament.© Kyle Terada-Imagn Images He continued: 'It's effortless. Every single aspect of his game is unbelievable. I think his mental game is better than anybody else's out here. To be able to play with those expectations and to stay present as often as he has—to me, that's maybe more impressive than even the golf he's playing. 'I just think it's so, so hard to do, and it's also hard to explain if you're in his shoes. He just doesn't make mistakes and almost lets himself be in contention rather than forcing it. He just seems to be playing better.' Scottie Scheffler has been the most dominant golfer in the world by a wide margin over the past two to three years. In a sport where consistency is notoriously difficult to maintain week to week, he has managed to do exactly that. Advertisement Scheffler has already recorded four PGA Tour wins this year, including a major victory at the PGA Championship. Remarkably, he has not missed a cut since 2022—his streak now stands at 56 consecutive events. He also enters the U.S. Open with seven straight top-10 finishes. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Scheffler is the clear favorite heading into the U.S. Open—a tournament he has yet to win. Trailing him on the odds board are defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Rory McIlroy. Related: Rory McIlroy Shares Troubling Message Ahead of U.S. Open This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
