HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla.—Ryan Dunn and Jackson Hiller both fired 71 on the final day of the NCAA Division III Men's Golf National Championships, leading Oglethorpe to a 16th-place finish at Mission Resort and Club. The Stormy Petrels bounced back after a tough third day to secure their sixth straight top-16 finish at the national championships.
Dunn, who was the individual leader through 36 holes of the event, settled in to seventh overall, marking the seventh highest national finish by a Petrel all-time. He finished 4 under par after two sub-70 rounds across the first two days then a 1 under par 71 to finish out the tournament.
"I'm both excited and disappointed in our results this week," said head coach Jim Owen. "I'm excited for making the cut for the 25th time in 27 years. Our teams and individuals ground through a tough course, an elite field and difficult conditions to earn our way to play the final two rounds. It was disappointing that we couldn't secure our 17th top-10 finish in program history. That was the first goal for this underclassman-laden team this year."
Hiller followed next behind Dunn at 3 over for the tournament to take 33rd and was named to the all-America first team during the post-tourney awards ceremony. Hiller previously this season earned Southern Athletic Association athlete of the year honors after medaling at the conference championships. He also earned PING all-region and was named a finalist for the Jack Nicklaus national player of the year award.
"We had a solid start with a 7 over 291 on day one, followed it up with a spectacular 4 over 292 on the championship course, and found ourselves in ninth place on target for our top-10 goal and eying a top-four finish and a trophy," Owen said. "Alas, it was not to be. We broke down in round three starting on the difficult front nine of El Campeon. We didn't hold up through those treacherous first eight holes and by the time we got to nine through 18, the scoring holes, our heads had spun off and we couldn't take advantage of those final 10 holes to get ourselves back in the top 10."
Sophomore Ryan Callaham and freshman Barton Abstein both stepped up in a big way for the Petrels in their championships debut. Callaham landed 192nd overall after bookending his week with a pair of 75s. Abstein finished one stroke and four places behind in 196th. He posted his best scores on the first two days, shooting 74 at Las Colinas then 76 on El Campeon.
Sophomore Corbin Scott, making his second appearance at the national championships, posted solid rounds on days two and three. He placed 218th overall.
"This was the youngest team we have taken to the NCAA Championships in over 15 years," Owen continued. "The five guys we took to the championships this week have totaled only five combined NCAA appearances. We didn't have a lot of experience, but we had the proper amount of toughness that it took to make the cut and make a good showing for Oglethorpe."
Oglethorpe Lineup
Championship Notes
- Dunn posted 16 birdies and the team's lone eagle of the week. The birdies ranked seventh overall, six off the lead.
- Callaham cranked out 49 pars on the week, ranking seventh in the field and only four off the lead.
- Dunn (11th) and Hiller (19th) both ranked in the top 20 in par 5 scoring at 6 under and 5 under, respectively.
- Dunn shot 1 over on both the par 4's and the par 3's. He was tied for seventh on par 4 scoring and tied for 25th on par 3 scoring.
- Dunn led the field with only one double bogey across the four rounds of the event.
Season Highlights
- Oglethorpe posted six top-four team finishes this year, including third at the NCAA Fall Preview and second at the SAA Championships.
- The Petrels finished behind only current No. 7 Emory and No. 3 Methodist at the NCAA event and No. 6 Sewanee at the SAA event.
- Three Petrels earned all-conference first team selections: SAA athlete of the year Jackson Hiller, Ryan Dunn and Barton Abstein.
- Hiller also was named to the PING all-region team, NCAA all-America first team, and a finalist for the Jack Nicklaus national player of the year award.
- The team posted a 110-53-3 overall record this season in nine events/27 rounds.
- Oglethorpe entered the national championships ranked No. 10 in the latest coaches poll and statistical scoring. The team also ranked No. 6 in the highly competitive south region.
Day One Recap
Dunn's 2 under par leads No. 10 Petrels on NCAA day one
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla.—Ryan Dunn fired a 2 under par 69 to lead the No. 10 Oglethorpe men's golf team through the first round of the NCAA Championships Tuesday at Mission Resort and Club.
The Stormy Petrels made it through the completion of their opening round, but the second wave of teams was halted in the afternoon due to inclement weather. Currently, the team is tied for 12th overall among the 24 teams who finished their first day.
Dunn's 2 under featured a 1 under, bogey-free opening nine. He then also posted back-to-back birdies on holes 13 and 14 to claim a spot in the top five pending the completion of Tuesday's second wave.
Jackson Hiller (73), Barton Abstein (74) and Ryan Callaham (75) also factored into Oglethorpe's 7 over team effort. The Petrels played their opening round on the Las Colinas course, the longer and more difficult of the two courses played across the first two days.
Round two is set for Wednesday, although the normally scheduled starts could be pushed back depending on the completion of Tuesday's first round. Either way, the Stormy Petrels will switch over to the El Campeon course. El Campeon will also be the course for rounds three and four after the Wednesday cut.
Day Two Recap
Dunn moves into solo lead, No. 10 Petrels advance to final rounds on NCAA day two
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla.—Ryan Dunn carded a 4 under par 68 to move into the individual lead, and the No. 10 Oglethorpe men's golf team climbed three spots and into the top 10 after the second round of the NCAA Championships Wednesday at Mission Resort and Club. The Stormy Petrels made the cut and advanced to the final 36 holes, which will feature only the top 18 remaining teams.
Dunn posted five birdies and an eagle on El Campeon during round two on the way to his second straight subpar round. It followed a 2 under 69 Tuesday on Las Colinas and moved him up four spots into the individual lead by himself. He flirted with a share of the lead but a birdie on his final hole of day two solidified him as the championships' individual frontrunner heading into the final two rounds.
Jackson Hiller followed with a 43-spot climb after firing a 2 under 70 of his own. Barton Abstein and Ryan Callaham shot 76 and 78, respectively, also factoring into the Petrels' team climb of three spots.
After storms stopped play during round one on Tuesday, the tournament is back on schedule with the third round set for Thursday. The 18 remaining teams will compete on El Campeon Thursday and Friday for the final 36 holes.
Day Three Recap
No. 10 Petrels wrap day three of NCAA Championships
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla.—Three Stormy Petrels made a move up the individual leaderboard, but the No. 10 Oglethorpe men's golf team dropped six spots to 15th overall after the third round of the NCAA Championships Thursday at Mission Resort and Club.
The Petrels continue to be led by Ryan Dunn, who held the solo individual lead after day two but dropped to ninth overall. Dunn shot 75 and moved to 3 under for the tournament, four strokes off the individual lead.
Jackson Hiller followed close behind in T36. Corbin Scott, Ryan Callaham and Barton Abstein rounded out the Oglethorpe lineup, each making a positive move on Thursday. Scott carded 77 and moved up 99 places, Callaham carded 79 and moved up 38 places, and Abstein carded 81 and moved up three places.
Thursday was the Petrels' most difficult day on the score card. After shooting competitive rounds of 291 and 292 across the first two days, they posted a 307 on round three, dropping them six spots down to 15th overall. Oglethorpe will enter the final day 18 strokes out of the top 10.
A team and individual champion will be crowned after the next 18 holes as the final round of the national event is set for Friday. The Petrels are set to tee off hole 10 at 8:50 a.m.
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