DICKSON, Tenn. — Three Stormy Petrels made the All-Conference first team and another two made the All-Conference second team, leading the No. 9 Oglethorpe men’s golf team to runner-up at the Southern Athletic Association Championships on Sunday. Oglethorpe was edged by No. 5 Sewanee by six strokes in a battle of titans.
Oglethorpe trailed by five strokes after Friday’s round before battling back to within one stroke at the end of day two. This set the stage for a heavyweight fight that saw multiple lead changes throughout Sunday’s final 18 holes and a one-stroke difference between the two in the final stretch.
Sewanee initially extended its early Sunday lead out to four strokes through the first six holes, but a resilient Oglethorpe squad battled back once again and took the lead as the teams made the turn.
That lead went out to as many as three before Sewanee clawed back with a strong finish.
“Congratulations to Sewanee; we gave them all we had, and they were up to the challenge,” said head coach Jim Owen. “We played brilliantly for three days, and they just played one step better than brilliant.”
Ryan Dunn led Oglethorpe with a runner-up individual finish. He was four strokes off the lead and earned All-Conference first team alongside Jackson Hiller and Sam Karman. Hiller took a spot in the top five at fourth overall and had a share of the individual lead after two rounds of action.
“That was a colossal battle between two top-five teams in the country,” Owen added. “We had a tremendous effort by everyone, posting the second lowest 54-hole total in school history. Sewanee was just able to beat it.”
Oglethorpe’s total of 846 was second only in program history to the 2023 squad that won the SAA title with a 54-hole total of 839.
Oglethorpe Awards, Scores
- Ryan Dunn, All-SAA first team – T2 | -6 (72-70-68=210)
- Jackson Hiller, All-SAA first team – T4 | -5 (69-70-72=211)
- Sam Karman, All-SAA first team – 9th | -1 (69-72-74=215)
- Corbin Scott, All-SAA second team – 8th | -2 (72-69-73=214)
- Diego Passos, All-SAA second team – T10 | E (74-70-72=216)
- Colin Alexander – T22 | +8 (75-75-74=224)
- Oglethorpe – 2nd | -18 (282-279-285=846)
Championship Notes
- This marked the 12th time in the 12-year history of the SAA Championship that Oglethorpe finished in the top three. The Petrels have two third-place finishes, four runner-up finishes and six titles.
- With five players earning All-Conference, Oglethorpe brought its total All-Conference honorees to 49 players, for an average of over four players per year. Only two teams have ever placed more than five on the list.
- The five making this year’s list matches the five who made last year’s list and
- Oglethorpe played all 54 holes with no players posting any double bogeys or “others.” This was the first time the Petrels accomplished this feat in a 54-hole event in five years.
- Oglethorpe led the field in par 3 scoring, ranked second in par 4 scoring and third in par 5 scoring.
- The Petrels posted 206 pars, one shy of Sewanee’s 207, and 62 birdies. Both ranked second in the field.
- Dunn led the field in par 4 scoring at 5 under par. Scott finished one stroke off the lead on the par 3’s, shooting 1 under, and Passos ranked second on the par 5’s at 5 under.
- Dunn also led the field in pars with 38. Hiller posted 35, and Alexander and Scott both posted 34.
- Hiller led the Stormy Petrel with 12 birdies, ranking fourth in the field. Passos, Scott, Karman and Dunn all had 11 birdies.
Up Next
Oglethorpe will await official word on earning a trip to the NCAA Men’s Golf National Championships, set for Tuesday-Friday, May 20-23, in Rochester, N.Y. The Stormy Petrels finished sixth in an 18-team national field earlier this season at the national championship site during the fall preview.