Diversity on the Ole Miss Golf Team

Laura Fraley

Journalism 102

Final Project- Diversity

May 11, 2011

The men of the Ole Miss Golf team earned their fifth consecutive NCAA Regional bid and will head to Blacksburg, Va. on May 19-21. The 13-team regional will be played at the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech.

The Rebels earned the No.8 seed in the Virginia Tech Regional which also features the ACC Champion Georgia Tech as the top seed, and second-seeded LSU.

The 2011 Ole Miss men's golf team roster is composed of players from several southern states, but one diverse player, sophomore Tom Brown, comes from Hertfordshire, England. Brown was raised in England and lived in the suburbs of London until he decided to attend college and play golf at Ole Miss.

"Tom came to us through a connection from another overseas player I met and continued a relationship with over the years. Tom was recommended, came for a visit and liked it," said Ole Miss Men's Head Coach Ernest Ross.

"I wasn't really recruited as such because of me being on the other side of the Atlantic, but after Coach Ross and I became acquainted we talked regularly discussing my options. In the end I was lucky enough to recieve some scholarship," said sophomore Tom Brown of the Ole Miss golf team.

Brown visited five schools in the United States before deciding on Ole Miss. "Ole Miss was superior in almost every way. The three things that made Ole Miss stand out was the campus, how nice the people were, and the fact that it was an SEC school," said Brown.

Brown is currently the only foreign player on the men's golf team, but in the past the team has had players from Sweden, England, Scotland, and Australia.

"We do try to recruit worldwide, but our overseas recruiting has been through the internet and phones. I haven't traveled overseas yet. Many times international players come to America to some of our high school aged golf academies, and I have recruited a good bit there," said Ross.

Assistant Coach, Jack O'Keefe played golf at the Universit of Arkansas with several South African players. Coach O'Keefe is using his contacts in South Africa to recruit that area.

Coach Ross believes that players from foreign countries are an asset to the golf team and bring diversity and tenacity to the team. "Most of the international players come with a real sense of purpose and have strong work ethic. It is sometimes tough being so far away from home, but Ole Miss is known for its hospitality and friendly students and faculty. It is fun to get to know and appreciate the things they have at their homes. I admire their courage for sacrificing being away from their family and friends to pursue their golf career," said Ross.

Brown enjoys the small town life in Oxford, but it has been a major lifestyle adjustment for him. "It took a while for me to get used to, but the guys on the team made me feel very welcome and now that I have settled in a I harly notice that I'm a foreigner anymore," Brown said.

Brown's greatest accomplishment so far is the spot he earned on the All SEC freshman team last year, and although he plans to return to England after his graduation, he believes that he made the right choice by coming to Ole Miss.