WILLIAMSBURG, Va.—Jackson Hiller fired a 2 under 69 in the final round to charge up 13 spots into the top 15 while Reid Korody earned a top-30 finish, and the No. 12 Oglethorpe men's golf team claimed ninth overall this week at the NCAA D3 Fall Preview. The 54-hole event took place at Kingsmill Resort Monday and Tuesday and served as the preview for the spring national championship.
Korody had one of the top highlights of the week with an ace on the par 3 13th, holing out from 175 yards to move to 4 under on his second round.
It was once again an elite field heavy with the nation's top programs, and Oglethorpe lived up to its No. 12 ranking. Hiller (69-72-69) finished 12th individually, Korody (70-68-73) 28th individually, and Ryan Dunn (75-74-72) 51st individually. Dunn also made a big move on the final round by shooting 72 to climb 18 spots.
"We were good but not great," said head coach Jim Owen after the event. "Everybody contributed two of the three days, but to be ultracompetitive in the world we live in, everybody has to contribute all three days. We led the field in par 3 scoring and were competitive in par 5 scoring, but we suffered 13 double bogeys which just renders you noncompetitive."
Barton Abstein (73-77-74) and Jake MacDonald (78-71-75) rounded out the Stormy Petrel lineup in 64th overall.
As a team, Oglethorpe shot 287-285-290 to finish three strokes out of the top six and 21 strokes out of the top three. The middle-round 285 had the Petrels sitting eighth heading into the final day and they even held that same spot in the closing stretch of round three.
"Our goal is top five in every event," Owen continued. "We missed that both times so far this year so hopefully we can turn that around at West Pines and get a good result at home."
Tournament Notes
- Oglethorpe co-led the field in par 3 scoring, tying Emory and Washington and Lee.
- The team was also sixth in par 5 scoring at 13 under par and ranked fourth in pars at 165 and sixth in eagles with two. MacDonald had the team's other eagle with a 3 on the par 5 seventh in round one.
- Hiller ranked third in par 3 scoring at 1 under. Korody ranked seventh in birdies with 13. Dunn ranked fourth in pars with 39.
- Korody had a stretch of three straight birdies in the middle round from holes seven through nine before acing 13.
- Abstein had a great stretch on the final round when he birdied one, three and four on the back nine of day two.
Up Next
Oglethorpe hosts the West Pines Collegiate on Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 5-6, in Douglasville, Georgia. It will be a 54-hole event at West Pines Golf Club and will feature both the A and B teams.
