DICKSON, Tenn. — Led by co-medalist honors from Beck Lewis, the No. 3 Oglethorpe men’s golf team raked in the awards after winning its third straight Southern Athletic Association Championship title Sunday at Greystone Golf Club.
Oglethorpe had a nine-stroke lead entering the final day and held steady to win the event by nine strokes. The Stormy Petrels were the only team under par, finishing 3 under with rounds of 284-285-292. They won the title despite only shooting the second best round each day, instead being the only team to post consistently low scores.
Five individuals earned all-conference recognition, led by Lewis who medaled for the second year in a row. Lewis and Michael O’Sullivan shared most outstanding player while Ryan Dunn and Jackson Hiller shared newcomer of the year.
Lewis, O’Sullivan and Sam Karman made the All-Conference first team, and Dunn and Hiller made the All-Conference second team.
“The season started at Greystone with a fall preview win, so it is fitting that we just ended our regular season recording our fifth win at Greystone,” said Jim Owen, now a 19-time conference coach of the year. “This team is on a historic pace as they recorded their fifth win of the season and third win of the spring. They have won two big conference tournaments, two majors and our home tournament at West Pines. This team is quietly going about their business.”
Lewis shot 71-71-73 for a 1 under effort, the top score matched only by Centre’s Harrison Akers. Lewis picked up four strokes on Akers on Sunday to grab a share of the lead. Lewis, who holds the SAA championship record at 9 under par, shot even with seven pars on his back nine.
O’Sullivan also finished in the top 10 at T7 signing cards of 70-71-77. Dunn followed next in T12 with 74-73-73. Hiller and Karman were also in the top 15, and Diego Passos was T31 overall.
“The first two days, the wind started slow and built; today, the wind was high from the get-go,” Owen added. “We thought today would be an even par-ish day so kudos to Sewanee for shooting 4 under. We just weren’t trying to cut corners or overpower the course.”
Postseason Award Honorees
- Beck Lewis – Co-Medalist, Co-Most Outstanding Player, All-Conference first team
- Michael O’Sullivan – Co-Most Outstanding Player, All-Conference first team
- Sam Karman – All-Conference first team
- Ryan Dunn – Co-Newcomer of the Year, All-Conference second team
- Jackson Hiller – Co-Newcomer of the Year, All-Conference second team
- Jim Owen – Coach of the Year
Stormy Petrels Scores/Ranks
- Beck Lewis 71-71-73 | T1
- Michael O’Sullivan 70-71-77 | T7
- Ryan Dunn 74-73-73 | T12
- Jackson Hiller 73-78-71 | T15
- Sam Karman 70-77-75 | T15
- Diego Passos 77-70-83 | T31
- Oglethorpe 284-285-292 | 1
Championship / Season Notes
- Oglethorpe continued its reign of domination in the SAA. This was its third straight team trophy and its sixth SAA title overall (2013, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024).
- In Oglethorpe’s back-to-back-to-back titles, the Petrels have combined to lead the field by 42 strokes. They posted a 21-stroke win in 2022, a 12-stroke win in 2023, and a nine-stroke win in 2024.
- The Petrels have finished in the top three every year since the SAA’s formation and have finished in the top two nine of the 11 times the championship has been held.
- Owen won coach of the year honors for the third straight year. He has won SAA coach of the year eight times in 11 seasons the award has been recognized, and he is an 19-time conference coach of the year overall.
- This also marked Oglethorpe’s fifth tournament win of the year, and the Petrels have won three of the last four with a runner-up as their only non-win since the first week of March.
- With five tournament wins, Oglethorpe’s season ranks second all-time in men’s golf history, trailing only the 2013 team which won seven tournaments.
Tournament Notes
- Oglethorpe led the field in par 4 and par 5 scoring, the latter at 16 under par which was eight strokes ahead of the rest of the field.
- Oglethorpe posted 191 pars and topped the field in birdies with 54.
- Dunn finished 7 under par on par 5 scoring, leading the field. Lewis was 5 under par in that category, finishing third.
- Hiller shot even par on the par 4’s. Lewis and O’Sullivan both were 1 over par.
- Twelve birdies came from Karman who ranked second in that category only one stroke off the lead. Lewis had 10 birdies, and Dunn and O’Sullivan both had nine.
- Hiller led the Petrels in total pars with 37.
Up Next
Oglethorpe has qualified automatically for the NCAA Men’s Golf National Championships, set to take place Tuesday-Friday, May 14-17, in Boulder City, Nevada. The 72-hole event will be hosted by University of Nevada Las Vegas and Las Vegas Tourism at Boulder Creek Golf Club.