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The University of Mississippi Athletics
SEC Roots: The Kory Henkes Journey from SEC Player to National Champion Head Coach
2/27/2026 | Women's Golf
OXFORD, Miss. – For the past 11 seasons Kory Henkes has guided the Ole Miss women's golf program to heights one dreams of. It took her just six seasons to get the Rebels to the pinnacle of collegiate golf, claiming a national title in 2021.
This week checks a different box though, as Henkes prepares her team for a personal homecoming of sorts. The No. 15 Rebels will travel to Hilton Head, South Carolina, to compete in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, March 2-4, at Long Cove Club.
Henkes's alma mater, the University of South Carolina will host the 14th playing of the prestigious event set to be televised on Golf Channel. It will mark Ole Miss' first time competing at the event, a fitting tale with Henkes leading the charge.
Up until last season, the South Carolina women's golf team had captured just one SEC Championship. That title belonged to the 2002 group which Henkes was a member of.
A four-year letterwinner at South Carolina, Henkes was a two-time WGCA All-American Scholar and a two-time Southeastern Conference Honor Roll recipient.
Since being named head coach of the Rebels on June 22, 2015, Henkes has guided Ole Miss to national prominence year after year. In just under 11 years, Ole Miss has captured 22 team titles and 15 wins from individuals. Henkes has coached seven players to All-American honors and 11 to All-SEC accolades.
The first cornerstone came in 2019 when the Rebels captured the SEC Championship for the first time in program history, defeating none other than South Carolina 3-2 in match play. Henkes described that win six years ago as "putting Ole Miss on the map a little bit", as it laid the foundation for a standard of excellence that is strived towards to this day.
In 2020, Henkes became the first Ole Miss women's golf head coach to earn SEC Coach of the Year honors.
The following season was a monumental one for Henkes at the helm, as she helped lead the Rebels to the 2021 NCAA National Championship. The title marked the first ever Ole Miss women's team NCAA National Championship in school history, while also marking the university's first national championship since the football team's 1962 win. The team saw seniors Julia Johnson and Kennedy Swann both earn WGCA All-American honors at the conclusion of their title-winning season in 2020-21, with Johnson being named to the first team and Swann receiving honorable mention recognition.
With her national championship-winning team beside her, Kory Henkes became the first Rebel head coach to be named the WGCA National Coach of the Year, and just the seventh SEC coach to receive the award since its inception in 1984.
In 2024, Henkes delivered another milestone moment for Ole Miss as the team was crowned NCAA Regional Champions for the first time in program history at Bermuda Run. Entering the day in a tie for second place and six shots behind the lead, the Rebels rolled up their sleeves and shot their best round of the week and lowest 18-hole postseason score in program history of (279, -9) to secure the title.
The 2025-26 campaign has been no different as Ole Miss rattled off back-to-back victories to start the season. Four players have tallied at least one top 10 finish as the Rebels look to make it eight straight trips to the postseason and a fourth straight appearance at the NCAA Championships.
The road to California continues this coming Monday in what will be a special moment for Henkes to reflect on the joy the game can bring to what was once a player and now a leader in the game of golf.
For all Ole Miss women's golf latest news and information, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWGolf, on Instagram at OleMissWGolf and on Facebook at Ole Miss Women's Golf. General athletic news can also be found at @OleMissSports on Twitter, Ole Miss Sports on Facebook, and OleMissAthletics on Instagram.
This week checks a different box though, as Henkes prepares her team for a personal homecoming of sorts. The No. 15 Rebels will travel to Hilton Head, South Carolina, to compete in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, March 2-4, at Long Cove Club.
Henkes's alma mater, the University of South Carolina will host the 14th playing of the prestigious event set to be televised on Golf Channel. It will mark Ole Miss' first time competing at the event, a fitting tale with Henkes leading the charge.
Up until last season, the South Carolina women's golf team had captured just one SEC Championship. That title belonged to the 2002 group which Henkes was a member of.
A four-year letterwinner at South Carolina, Henkes was a two-time WGCA All-American Scholar and a two-time Southeastern Conference Honor Roll recipient.
Since being named head coach of the Rebels on June 22, 2015, Henkes has guided Ole Miss to national prominence year after year. In just under 11 years, Ole Miss has captured 22 team titles and 15 wins from individuals. Henkes has coached seven players to All-American honors and 11 to All-SEC accolades.
The first cornerstone came in 2019 when the Rebels captured the SEC Championship for the first time in program history, defeating none other than South Carolina 3-2 in match play. Henkes described that win six years ago as "putting Ole Miss on the map a little bit", as it laid the foundation for a standard of excellence that is strived towards to this day.
In 2020, Henkes became the first Ole Miss women's golf head coach to earn SEC Coach of the Year honors.
The following season was a monumental one for Henkes at the helm, as she helped lead the Rebels to the 2021 NCAA National Championship. The title marked the first ever Ole Miss women's team NCAA National Championship in school history, while also marking the university's first national championship since the football team's 1962 win. The team saw seniors Julia Johnson and Kennedy Swann both earn WGCA All-American honors at the conclusion of their title-winning season in 2020-21, with Johnson being named to the first team and Swann receiving honorable mention recognition.
With her national championship-winning team beside her, Kory Henkes became the first Rebel head coach to be named the WGCA National Coach of the Year, and just the seventh SEC coach to receive the award since its inception in 1984.
In 2024, Henkes delivered another milestone moment for Ole Miss as the team was crowned NCAA Regional Champions for the first time in program history at Bermuda Run. Entering the day in a tie for second place and six shots behind the lead, the Rebels rolled up their sleeves and shot their best round of the week and lowest 18-hole postseason score in program history of (279, -9) to secure the title.
The 2025-26 campaign has been no different as Ole Miss rattled off back-to-back victories to start the season. Four players have tallied at least one top 10 finish as the Rebels look to make it eight straight trips to the postseason and a fourth straight appearance at the NCAA Championships.
The road to California continues this coming Monday in what will be a special moment for Henkes to reflect on the joy the game can bring to what was once a player and now a leader in the game of golf.
For all Ole Miss women's golf latest news and information, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWGolf, on Instagram at OleMissWGolf and on Facebook at Ole Miss Women's Golf. General athletic news can also be found at @OleMissSports on Twitter, Ole Miss Sports on Facebook, and OleMissAthletics on Instagram.
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