Ole Miss' Brodd feels at home for SEC

LOUDON - For Ole Miss freshman Jillian Brodd, this weekend is homecoming.

As one of the participants in the SEC women's golf championships at Tennessee National today through Sunday, the Farragut High School graduate is competing just a few minutes from her home.

"It's an awesome feeling," said Brodd, who will be playing as the No. 3 golfer forOle Miss. "It is good to come home and see my family and have a sense of knowing my surroundings."

The surroundings are definitely familiar, as her parents, Mark and Jocelyn Brodd, are hosting the entire Ole Miss team for four nights.

"I got to sleep on my own bed last night and I am hanging out with my family and playing with my dog," she said.

Brodd also would love to hang near the top of the leader board. Brodd, a member of the Farragut state championship teams in 2004 and 2006, enjoyed two top+25 finishes this past fall and another strong finish recently in a tournament at the University of Florida.

She said she ended up at Ole Miss following a recruiting trip to Oxford.

"I fell in love with the campus," she said. "It is one of my favorite places. And the team was pretty awesome."

One reason she felt at home was that two of her teammates also hail from Tennessee. Junior Rachel Ingram is from Jonesborough and attended University High in Johnson City, and sophomore Sara Grantham played at perennial state golf power Chattanooga Baylor.

Mississippi, under first-year coach Michele Drinkard, is not expected to compete for the title, based on its results so far this year.

However, the championship does not have a clear team frontrunner. Five schools - Georgia, Florida, Auburn, Arkansas and Alabama - are ranked in the top 15 nationally, with Tennessee at No. 16.

"The SEC is the best conference," said Brodd. "I feel very privileged to be in a great conference like the SEC."

While the tournament will likely be wide open, the course is not.

Brodd, who played the 2-year-old course for fun over Christmas break, considers it challenging.

"It is a great course," the business major said. "(Designer) Greg Norman did a good job with it. There are a lot of bunkers. It should be fun."

Golfers will tee off today beginning at 9 a.m. Tennessee's team members - who will be playing with golfers from Georgia and Florida - will start between 9:50 and 10:30 a.m. on No. 1.