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NBC Sports
24-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Michael La Sasso has seen it all – stomach bug, flu, sea urchin – but making most of normal golf at NCAAs
CARLSBAD, Calif. – Ole Miss head coach Chris Malloy was preparing for dinner with some coaching friends and their wives ahead of the Cabo Collegiate last March when his phone rang. It was Malloy's assistant, Emerson Newsome, who was with the Rebels' players at a nearby beach. 'Hey, we've got a problem,' Newsome said to Malloy. Malloy responded: 'Of course we do.' Malloy has seen everything over the years, dating to 2019 when one of his players lost a ball after hitting a bird late in the final round of the NCAA Stanford Regional, were Ole Miss missed by a shot. Last spring, Malloy's star player Michael La Sasso was among several guys to contract a stomach virus during the SEC Championship. La Sasso didn't play that week and didn't count the next event at regionals, as Ole Miss again finished a shot shy of advancing at Stanford Golf Course. And then there was the Puerto Rico Classic to kick off this spring; not only did all five players battle through the flu, but Newsome ended up in the emergency room after taking a driver to the forehead. So, when Newsome informed Malloy that La Sasso had stepped on a sea urchin and had dozens of black spines stuck in his right foot, Malloy already had a doctor on speed dial. For the next four hours, La Sasso sat there as each spine was surgically – and painfully – removed from his foot. Luckily, the tournament permits carts, and La Sasso powered through for a T-13 finish despite the urging of Malloy to sit out. 'I've personally fought a s--- ton of stuff these last two years since I've been at Ole Miss,' La Sasso said, 'and I feel like I'm a pretty gritty guy.' La Sasso has avoided adversity through two days of the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship. He's carded 12 birdies and an eagle while shooting 68-67 and joining Arizona State's Connor Williams, a local kid, atop the individual leaderboard at Omni La Costa. As a team, the Rebels, No. 1 for much of the season and ranked third entering this week, overcame a slow start (5 over in Friday's opening round) to shoot 1 under on Saturday. At 4 over, Ole Miss is firmly in contention to make the final eight after Monday's final round of stroke play. 'Compared to last year, anything is smooth sailing,' Malloy said. 'This team is pretty good when we just have normal things happening.' La Sasso wasn't a big-name recruit when he initially signed with North Carolina State out of high school. He transferred to Ole Miss prior to last season and has since developed into not only a flashy player with the ability to pile up birdies, but also a consistent scorer who prides himself on hitting fairways and isn't afraid to carry a 3-hybrid, which he's used a ton around La Costa. He's not just in great position to win an NCAA individual title, but he'll make his PGA Tour debut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July and he's nearing lock territory to make the 10-man U.S. Walker Cup team that will compete at Cypress Point in September. Regardless of what happens, this summer should be much better than last. La Sasso lost 22 pounds after his bout with that stomach illness, which also 'screwed up' his mechanics. He competed in the Arnold Palmer Cup at Lahinch, and it wasn't pretty. 'Like every hole is dogleg left, wind off the left,' La Sasso said, 'and I started seeing these major slices and kind of started to freak out a little bit. I was fighting it for a while.' La Sasso didn't crack the top 50 in limited action that summer. He also tweaked his back in the gym right before the U.S. Amateur, and he missed that cut by a mile, tying for 191st. When La Sasso arrived back in Oxford, his confidence was shot. 'It was like a week before school started, and I'm just sitting there on the putting green,' La Sasso said. 'My assistant coach comes up to me and he's like, 'Dude, you have got to snap out of it.' I had this victim mindset. I had missed first-team All-American; I was the only kid on the Palmer Cup team who wasn't. I was wondering to myself, like, am I not meant to be here? Am I a fluke? 'Emerson's like, 'You're plenty good enough. You have to be more optimistic.'' With some guidance from Ole Miss alum Braden Thornberry, the former Haskins Award winner and Walker Cupper who finally earned his PGA Tour card this season after years of grinding on the developmental tours. Thornberry's main advice to La Sasso was don't worry about the accolades; only your play will get you to the PGA Tour. 'He just has to be him,' Malloy said of La Sasso. In La Sasso's case, be where your feet are – just watch out for sea urchins.
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
After finishing last at 2024 NCAA Championships, revenge on mind for Purdue men's golf
After finishing last at 2024 NCAA Championships, revenge on mind for Purdue men's golf Show Caption Hide Caption Purdue golf coach Andrew Sapp on men's NCAA Championships Hear what Boilermakers men's golf coach Andrew Sapp said about Purdue returning to the NCAA Championships. WEST LAFAYETTE ― Avenging last season's final showing has been at the forefront all season long for Purdue men's golfers. It was no shock the Boilermakers got to last year's NCAA Championships. But it was when Purdue finished 30th ― dead last ― at the tournament in 2024, the first time Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California, hosted the NCAA Championships. Since then, Purdue lost its head coach to South Carolina, elevated its assistant to lead the program, added a transfer from East Tennessee State who played at last year's NCAA Championships, and won three tournaments throughout the 2024-25 season. They get their shot at redemption May 23-28. "I think we all want to get revenge on that course a little bit," said senior Nels Surtani, one of four current Boilers who played in the NCAA Championships a year ago. "We know what we're expecting and we know what to practice a little bit more this year. And we know what shots we have to hit, so everyone's going and practicing this week with the intention of playing well out there." It took climbing two spots on the leaderboard in the final day of last week's Auburn Regional, but the Boilermakers are right back where the expected to finish the season and ultimately have their shot at revenge against the course that got the better of them 12 months earlier. Prior experiences this year helped Purdue finish the regional comeback, not succumbing to a pressure-packed final round. They've won team titles in the 12-team Island Resort Intercollegiate in September, the 15-team Puerto Rico Classic in February and the 15-team Hootie Intercollegiate in March. More: A pipe burst nearly derailed Purdue women's golf's season. Unpredictable weather saved it "I think the experience we've had this year with winning and being under pressure helped us a lot," sophomore first-team All-Big Ten honoree Sam Easterbrook said. "Come the last day of regionals we were super comfortable and knew that if we just take care of business, we were going to get through." There remains no pressure. Purdue can do no worse than last season and the Boilermakers enter familiar territory. "Guys have been there before. It's unique," said first-year Boilermakers head coach Andrew Sapp. "We have four guys who played in this championship last year going to this tournament. That is the exciting part." It's that excitement that helped keep Sapp in West Lafayette during his second move to Purdue. Sapp was previously an assistant under Devon Brouse when he became Purdue's head coach in 1998. Sapp returned three seasons ago as an assistant under Rob Bradley, now at South Carolina. Sapp now leads his third different program to the NCAA Championships after as head coach at Michigan and North Carolina. In Sapp's first season as Purdue's head coach, Purdue broke the program record for 18-hole average in a season at 285.69. Among the 18 lowest rounds in Purdue men's golf history, five have come since Sapp took over as head coach. "When we've played well, we've all played really consistent and steady golf," Easterbrook said. "That's something that's great with this team is I think a lot of guys are really consistent and you can depend on your teammates. If you're having a bad day, they can kind of pick you up and have a good score themselves." Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@ and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Purdue gets first landmark win under new coach, beating No. 1 in process
Purdue gets first landmark win under new coach, beating No. 1 in process Purdue gets first landmark win under new coach, beating No. 1 in process Andrew Sapp's career has come full circle. Nearly three decades ago, he met his wife, Laura, at Purdue, where he spent five years as an assistant. They married, then bought their first house in West Lafayette, Indiana, about 25 years ago. After head-coaching stints at Michigan, North Carolina and East Carolina, plus an assistant role at Ball State, Sapp returned to Purdue in 2022, again as an assistant. 'So, we bought both our first and sixth homes here,' Sapp said. 'Seemed like a good fit.' Advertisement It continues to be. Sapp is now in his first year as the Boilermakers head coach following the departure of Rob Bradley, Sapp's former college teammate at North Carolina, to South Carolina. Purdue kicked off the Sapp era with a win at the Island Resort Intercollegiate last September, but it was Wednesday when the Boilermakers scored Sapp his first landmark victory, a six-shot triumph over No. 1 Ole Miss at the Puerto Rico Classic. With a good chunk of the field battling the flu and other illnesses, Purdue luckily remained upright to shoot 39 under and sweep the top two positions on the individual leaderboard. Sophomore Sam Easterbrook picked up his first career title, capping a 15-under performance with a 7-under 65 to hold off teammate Kent Hsiao by a shot. Advertisement South Carolina, LSU and Oklahoma rounded out the top five teams followed by Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee – all teams who could factor this postseason. 'They had a lot to prove,' Sapp said. 'We had some good things in the fall but some stumbles as well. With everybody healthy, they were able to get the job done.' The win was vindication for Sapp personally, too. With his contract not renewed after leading North Carolina to an NCAA Championship berth in 2017, he settled at East Carolina, where he spent four seasons before resigning to move his family to Muncie, Indiana, to be closer to his wife's family following the tragic death of his wife's sister. It was there that he taught some private lessons while also helping Ball State's program. Then Bradley came calling. Advertisement Sapp had either recruited or coached – or both – every player on Purdue's roster, so there was no transition period needed. The Boilermakers had an up and down fall, lowlighted by a 14th-place finish at the 16-team Windon Memorial (as the defending champions). But it's worth noting that Hsiao, a senior, missed two events, including the Windon, to participate in the Asia-Pacific Amateur. Purdue rallied to finish second at Notre Dame's event, also without Hsiao, to cap its fall and enter the break just outside the top 50 in the national ranking. Over the winter, Sapp took his players on multiple warm-weather trips, including in Las Vegas and Naples, Florida. When they arrived in Puerto Rico last weekend, they were sharp, especially Easterbrook, who led Purdue with two top-10s among five top-25s in the fall. The Tomworth, England, native recorded 20 birdies in 54 holes, most in the field by two. Seven of those came on the final day as he sped away from a contending pack that also included Ole Miss' Cohen Trolio, LSU's Arni Sveinsson and Tennessee's Josh Hill. 'He pretty much had an A+ ball-striking week,' Sapp said of Easterbrook. 'It was really windy, and he was doing a great job flighting shots down. Just in total control.' Advertisement Walking the last few holes with Easterbrook was Purdue assistant Cole Bradley, a former Purdue standout and the son of Rob Bradley, who was walking in the same group with his guy, South Carolina's Brock Blais. When Easterbrook put the finishing touches on the sweep, the Bradleys embraced on the final green. After a brief celebration, Sapp and the younger Bradley headed inside to input scores into Scoreboard's website. Such are the duties of the host school, and Purdue's SID was away with the men's basketball team. But soon after, Rob Bradley rolled into the scoring room, offering to take over so the Purdue coaches could further enjoy the win, take some photos and do a few interviews before rushing off to the airport. As Rob Bradley told Sapp, this was an 'elite win.' Advertisement That it was – and that fact is not lost on Sapp. 'All these coaches I've known for decades, and I've been coming to Puerto Rico for 30 years. It's a hard one to win,' Sapp explained. 'It feels great personally, but I really owe it to the guys. They worked so hard this winter and came in with a great attitude and great desire to win this thing. It was a lot of fun to see them do that.'
NBC Sports
13-02-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Podcast: How Cohen Trolio became college golf's best comeback story
In this episode of College Golf Talk, Burko joins Brentley from the road ahead of a big A-10 women's hoops matchup to break down some of the top results in college golf, from Big Tom Morrison's win at the Amer Ari to the Stanford women staying dominant to a wild – and flu-filled – Puerto Rico Classic, where Purdue got its biggest win of the Andrew Sapp era. The episode is capped with an in-depth interview with Ole Miss junior Cohen Trolio, who transferred from LSU last summer and has returned to being a relevant name in elite amateur golf. Trolio talks about past struggles and expectations, what he's learned, and what it will take to not only win an NCAA title but for him to make the PGA Tour one day.
NBC Sports
12-02-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Purdue gets first landmark win under new coach, beating No. 1 in process
Andrew Sapp's career has come full circle. Nearly three decades ago, he met his wife, Laura, at Purdue, where he spent five years as an assistant. They married, then bought their first house in West Lafayette, Indiana, about 25 years ago. After head-coaching stints at Michigan, North Carolina and East Carolina, plus an assistant role at Ball State, Sapp returned to Purdue in 2022, again as an assistant. 'So, we bought both our first and sixth homes here,' Sapp said. 'Seemed like a good fit.' It continues to be. Sapp is now in his first year as the Boilermakers head coach following the departure of Rob Bradley, Sapp's former college teammate at North Carolina, to South Carolina. Purdue kicked off the Sapp era with a win at the Island Resort Intercollegiate last September, but it was Wednesday when the Boilermakers scored Sapp his first landmark victory, a six-shot triumph over No. 1 Ole Miss at the Puerto Rico Classic. With a good chunk of the field battling the flu and other illnesses, Purdue luckily remained upright to shoot 39 under and sweep the top two positions on the individual leaderboard. Sophomore Sam Easterbrook picked up his first career title, capping a 15-under performance with a 7-under 65 to hold off teammate Kent Hsiao by a shot. South Carolina, LSU and Oklahoma rounded out the top five teams followed by Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee – all teams who could factor this postseason. 'They had a lot to prove,' Sapp said. 'We had some good things in the fall but some stumbles as well. With everybody healthy, they were able to get the job done.' The win was vindication for Sapp personally, too. With his contract not renewed after leading North Carolina to an NCAA Championship berth in 2017, he settled at East Carolina, where he spent four seasons before resigning to move his family to Muncie, Indiana, to be closer to his wife's family following the tragic death of his wife's sister. It was there that he taught some private lessons while also helping Ball State's program. Then Bradley came calling. Sapp had either recruited or coached – or both – every player on Purdue's roster, so there was no transition period needed. The Boilermakers had an up and down fall, lowlighted by a 14th-place finish at the 16-team Windon Memorial (as the defending champions). But it's worth noting that Hsiao, a senior, missed two events, including the Windon, to participate in the Asia-Pacific Amateur. Purdue rallied to finish second at Notre Dame's event, also without Hsiao, to cap its fall and enter the break just outside the top 50 in the national ranking. Over the winter, Sapp took his players on multiple warm-weather trips, including in Las Vegas and Naples, Florida. When they arrived in Puerto Rico last weekend, they were sharp, especially Easterbrook, who led Purdue with two top-10s among five top-25s in the fall. The Tomworth, England, native recorded 20 birdies in 54 holes, most in the field by two. Seven of those came on the final day as he sped away from a contending pack that also included Ole Miss' Cohen Trolio, LSU's Arni Sveinsson and Tennessee's Josh Hill. 'He pretty much had an A+ ball-striking week,' Sapp said of Easterbrook. 'It was really windy, and he was doing a great job flighting shots down. Just in total control.' Walking the last few holes with Easterbrook was Purdue assistant Cole Bradley, a former Purdue standout and the son of Rob Bradley, who was walking in the same group with his guy, South Carolina's Brock Blais. When Easterbrook put the finishing touches on the sweep, the Bradleys embraced on the final green. After a brief celebration, Sapp and the younger Bradley headed inside to input scores into Scoreboard's website. Such are the duties of the host school, and Purdue's SID was away with the men's basketball team. But soon after, Rob Bradley rolled into the scoring room, offering to take over so the Purdue coaches could further enjoy the win, take some photos and do a few interviews before rushing off to the airport. As Rob Bradley told Sapp, this was an 'elite win.' That it was – and that fact is not lost on Sapp. 'All these coaches I've known for decades, and I've been coming to Puerto Rico for 30 years. It's a hard one to win,' Sapp explained. 'It feels great personally, but I really owe it to the guys. They worked so hard this winter and came in with a great attitude and great desire to win this thing. It was a lot of fun to see them do that.'
