Kye Meeks wins the Mississippi State Amateur

Kye Meeks won the 2023 Mississippi State Amateur Saturday at Canebrake Country Club in Hattiesburg. He posted a total of 16-under for the 72-hole tournament, edging Brett Patterson of Oxford by two shots. Meeks, who plays for Ole Miss, was ranked the No. 1 recruit in the state of Mississippi after his senior year in high school. His stellar high school and junior record included winning individual high school titles in both his sophomore and junior years. At Canebrake, it looked like he was poised to run away with the title at the tournament's midway point. After opening with a round of 66, he posted a tournament-low round of 64 in the second round and took a 6-shot lead into round three. But Meeks came back to earth a bit that third day, posting a 71, primarily due to some mistakes on the back nine -- particularly on the par 3 12th hole, where he made a double bogey. When Patterson (who plays for Middle Tennessee State) fired 65, the tournament went from a potential blowout to a close contest. Things remained tied through the front nine in the final round until Meeks closed the door with three birdies on the back, including a "seal the deal" birdie on No. 17, which gave him a two-shot cushion to play with on the 18th hole, which he parred. “I’m learning a little bit more about this place each time I play a round,” said Meeks, who had never played Canebrake before this week. Evidently, he liked what he saw on the Jerry Pate design.