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Oglethorpe University

Official Athletics Site of the Oglethorpe University Stormy Petrels
Jim Owen

Jim Owen

Jim Owen Profile

First Season as Head Coach (Men's Golf): 1993-94
First Season as Head Coach (Women's Golf): 1997-98
Tenure (Oglethorpe): 2025-26 is his 45th season
Tenure (Men's Golf): 2025-26 is his 33rd season
Tenure (Women's Golf): 2025-26 is his 28th season
Alma Mater: Berry, 1981

Jim Owen is in his 45th year at Oglethorpe. A 1981 graduate of Berry College, Owen arrived on Oglethorpe’s campus in summer 1981 as a graduate assistant basketball coach and intramural director, beginning a career in which he has become Oglethorpe’s longest tenured coach.

During Owen’s illustrious career, Oglethorpe expanded from six to 16 sports and joined NCAA Division III (1988), the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) (1991) and the Southern Athletic Association (2012).

Owen initially served as assistant basketball coach from 1981 to 1997 before assuming the head coaching responsibilities from 1998 to 2003. He became head golf coach of the men’s team in 1993, leading the program to NCAA Division III national titles in 2009 and 2012.

Owen helped launch women’s golf at Oglethorpe in 1997 and has since led both programs to consistently finish in the national top 25, including the men’s team that consistently ranks in the top 10 and earned a third-place finish at last year's national championships. Michael O'Sullivan spearheaded this latter achievement with the 2024 Arnold Palmer National Individual Champion Award after winning individual medalist honors at the NCAA title event. 

Hall of Fame Inductions | Prestigious Awards

Owen is a member of both the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Hall of Fame and the Oglethorpe Athletics Hall of Fame.

He was inducted into the GCAA Hall at the GCAA convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, in December 2013, joining an elite group of over 125 coaches and ambassadors of collegiate golf. This followed his induction into the Oglethorpe Athletics Hall in April 2001 after 20 years of loyal service to the university.

Owen now serves on both Hall of Fame committees and as a member of the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame Honors Court.

Owen proudly accepted the Dr. Richard Gordin Contribution to Golf Award in 2015 at the Gordin Collegiate Classic in Columbus, Ohio. Gordin was one of the founding fathers of Division III golf, and the Gordin Classic is the premiere Division III national tournament of the fall calendar.

Owen was a past chairman of the committee for the prestigious Byron Nelson Award. Former Oglethorpe standouts Taylor Urbanski and Anthony Maccaglia have both been nominated for this honor, which is given to the collegiate golfer at any level who best exemplifies citizenship, character, community service and on-course performance. Maccaglia was one of five finalists for the award in 2015.

A 20-time conference coach of the year, Owen also has been honored as the south region coach of the year three times in his career and was honored with the Dave Williams NCAA Division III national coach of the year award in 2012 and 2014. Owen was named finalist for the Williams award four times, including most recently in 2024.

Program Success (Men)

Owen took two individual male golfers to the SCAC Championship in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1993, the first year with Owen as head coach. Those two golfers began the program that has developed in the last 25 years into one of the most successful and respected in the nation. Since 2000, a span of 26 consecutive years, the Stormy Petrel men have been ranked inside the top 10 in the nation. They have also finished in the top 10 at the NCAA championships 16 years during that span. Owen has coached 90 all-conference performers, including 24 over the last five years.

Owen and Oglethorpe have won 16 conference championships (10 SCAC, six SAA) in the past 25 years, including four in a row from 2001 to 2004 and three in a row from 2022 to 2024. He was named conference coach of the year in 20 of those seasons.

Graduate student Michael O'Sullivan became the 33rd all-America selection in the program's illustrious history as he was named to both the GCAA and PING all-America teams following his individual national title. O'Sullivan made the all-America first team for both organizations, and he was not even the only all-America selection on last year's roster, as Beck Lewis became the 32nd all-America selection as an honorable mention after his freshman season in 2022.

Owen has also coached two Jack Nicklaus player of the year winners, as Anthony Maccaglia (2015) and Trent Erb (2004) both took home the award for the best individual golfer in Division III. In addition, Owen has coached three Phil Mickelson award winners as the national freshman of the year. Kyle Shealy (2016), Maccaglia (2012) and Joe Green (2003) all took home that prestigious honor.

Under Owen's watch, the Stormy Petrels have had 10 two-time All-America Scholar honorees and 26 total. The list of two-time honorees includes Robert Fink, Corey Garner, Trent Erb, Taylor Urbanski, Matt Rebitch, Anthony Maccaglia, Jacob Arnett, Justin Rickerson, Michael O'Sullivan and Connor Murphy. Isley McClure became the first three-time All-America Scholar in 2022 when the GCAA eligibility rules changed.

Owen’s program has produced 17 conference players of the year, most recently Lewis and O'Sullivan who shared the award in 2024. Prior to that, Kenny Park won the award 2021. The complete list is as follows: Tolliver Williams (1996, 1998), Robert Fink (2001), Chris Summers (2002), Trent Erb (2003, 2004), Taylor Urbanski (2008), Scott Pugh (2009), Eric Quinn (2012), Braden Baer (2013), Anthony Maccaglia (2014, 2015), Jacob Arnett (2018, 2019), Kenny Park (2021), Beck Lewis (co-, 2024), Michael O'Sullivan (co-, 2024).

In April 2025, Anthony Maccaglia ('15) became the 11th men's golfer inducted into the Oglethorpe Athletics Hall of Fame. He followed Tolliver Williams ('99), Robert Fink ('03), Chris Summers ('03), Robert Miller ('03), Trent Erb ('04), Corey Garner ('05), Joe Green ('07) and Danny Swanick ('08), Taylor Urbanski ('08) and Eric Quinn ('13).

Last Season (Men)

Senior Sam Karman took 14th overall, leading the No. 6 Petrels to their 16th top-10 finish in the last 24 NCAA Championships. The team’s eighth-place finish also marked the 13th time finishing eighth or better during that same stretch, which dates back to 2002.

Oglethorpe finished in the top six in nine of 10 events on the season, including wins at the West Pines Collegiate and the Bill Cochran Collegiate. The team finished runner-up at the Southern Athletic Association Championships on April 27, falling short only to No. 5 Sewanee, coincidentally snapping a three-year reign of the league's title.

Sophomore Jackson Hiller earned PING All-Region and was one of five Stormy Petrels to make the all-conference team, earning first-team honors. Ryan Dunn and Karman also made the All-SAA first team, and Corbin Scott and Diego Passos made the All-SAA second team.

Notable Past Seasons (Men)

2008-09: Owen guided the Stormy Petrels to the school's first-ever NCAA championship in any sport when the team dramatically rallied to claim the title at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Iceland native Olafur Loftsson became the school's first-ever individual national champion at the event, earning the GCAA's Arnold Palmer award in the process.

2011-12: The Stormy Petrels won their second NCAA national championship in decisive fashion with a 20-stroke victory at Mission Inn Resort and Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. Freshman Anthony Maccaglia became the school's second-ever recipient of the Palmer Award, claiming the individual national championship in his freshman season.

2013-14: The Petrels followed up the 2012 title with a national runner-up finish in 2014, marking the fourth top-four NCAA finish in the program's history. Maccaglia earned his third of four career All-America first team honors after finishing in the top 10 at that tournament, springboarding him to the program's first-ever Palmer Cup selection the following April. Maccaglia remains the only Division III athlete ever selected for the Palmer Cup.

2022-23: Oglethorpe won its fifth SAA title behind a record-breaking performance from Beck Lewis with a second-round 63. This was the Stormy Petrels' second straight title, and they ran away with it by 12 strokes. Lewis’ 63 marked a new 18-hole scoring record for Oglethorpe and the SAA, and he went on to win the event by four strokes.Oglethorpe’s title earned the automatic bid to compete at the national championship, and the Petrels took 12th overall after a leading performance by Tripp Murphy who took T28. The 2022-23 season also saw Oglethorpe rise as high as No. 9 in the national rankings after winning two events and finishing in the top eight nine times in 11 events.

2023-24: Oglethorpe won its sixth SAA title in commanding fashion and followed that up with the program's highest finish at the national championships since 2014 when the team finished runner-up. Led by the individual national title by Michael O'Sullivan, the Petrels shot 3 under par to earn the third best score at the event. The 2023-24 season saw Oglethorpe rank No. 3 nearly all season, only dropping one time to No. 4. All the success of the 2023-24 season helped Owen win SAA coach of the year, and he also was named a finalist for the Dave Williams award, which recognizes the national coach of the year.

Program Success (Women)

Owen helped start up the women’s program in 1997-98 and has built it into a national contender. The program has produced numerous all-America and all-conference honorees.

After several years of posting individual scores, the women's program posted a fifth-place finish as a team at the 1998 SCAC Championships in Danville, Kentucky, launching the program on the path to where it stands today. Then from 1998 to 2001, Kristi Wright twice earned All-SCAC second team honors. She finished eighth at the SCAC Championships in 1999 and ninth in 2001 to give the program its first individual golf honors.

Oglethorpe Hall of Fame inductee Julia Gates ('08) began in 2005 the ascent of the women's program in earnest. During her four years on campus, Gates led the team to a program-best second-place finish at the 2006 SCAC Championships and a third-place finish in 2007. During her four outstanding years at Oglethorpe, Gates earned one All-SCAC first team and three All-SCAC second team honors, as well as qualifying for the NCAA Division III Women’s Golf National Championship as an individual twice.

Gates’ first appearance at the NCAA Championships was the first ever by a Stormy Petrel women's golfer.

She finished tied for 18th at the 2007 tournament at the Mission Inn Resort and Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, a tournament that was, coincidentally, hosted by Oglethorpe. She earned all-America first team honors that year, the first Oglethorpe women’s golfer to earn all-America honors of any type.

Gates did it again in 2008, finishing 13th at the NCAA Championship in Waverly, Iowa, again taking home all-America honors.

The Katie Dale era ran from 2007 to 2010 and included a 2008 trip to the NCAA Championships as an individual. In between, she earned four straight all-America scholar awards. She was named All-SCAC first team in two of her four years of competition and took second team honors the other two. Dale finished tied for 64th at the NCAA Championships in Iowa, the only appearance of her career. Dale became the second Oglethorpe women's golfer inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in April 2022.

The SCAC chapter closed in 2012 and the new Southern Athletic Association was formed. In the school's first year as part of the SAA, sophomore Jordan Krahn set a then 54-hole school record at the 2013 SAA Championship in Birmingham, Alabama, earning All-SAA second team honors in the process.

Another outstanding era of women’s golf began in 2019 with the recruitment of Sarah Hsu. An eventual four-time all-America honoree, four-time all-America scholar and SAA player of the year, Hsu’s career was marked by numerous record-breaking performances. Hsu holds over a dozen record, including the 18-hole (66), 36-hole (66-73, 139) and 54-hole (66-73-74, 213) marks. She also won three tournaments over the course of her COVID-19-shortened four-year career.

Last Season (Women)

The Stormy Petrels took fourth at the SAA Championships behind all-conference second team honors from Elizabeth Powell and Sophia Morettini. Powell was the team's primary scoring leader and helped Oglethorpe finish top five in three tournaments.

Notable Past Seasons (Women)

2013-14: Elizabeth Kim finished 15th at the NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship at Mission Inn and earned All-America second team honors, making her the second golfer in program history to become an all-American.

2016-17: All-SAA performers Hailey Willman and Mara Tiger came in and built a great foundation for the program.

2017-18: Oglethorpe finished second at the SAA Championships, marking the highest ever SAA finish in program history, and tying for the highest ever conference finish. The Petrels matched that feat in 2019, as well, finishing second at the conference championships once again.

2018-19: Sophomore Ana Garcia and freshman Angel Sanchez earned All-SAA first team honors. Sanchez earned all-region honors for her efforts as well. Willman led the Petrels to a second-place finish at the SAA Championships, garnering All-SAA on the first team alongside second team honoree Angel Sanchez. Willman and Sanchez both went on to earn all-region honors. It marked the second straight all-region honor for Sanchez, and the first such honor of Willman's career.

2020-21: Seniors Emma Meadows and Angel Sanchez joined Willman, Chelsea Gatterdam and Katie Dale as the only four-time All-America Scholar honorees in Oglethorpe women's golf history. Meadows and Sanchez join a school record six total all-America scholar honorees for the 2021 team: Meadows, Sanchez, Graci Hallenbeck, Kharynton Beggs, Sarah Hsu and Mary Sheffield Akers.

2019-20: Freshman Sarah Hsu earned the program's first all-America honors since 2014, taking honorable mention accolades from the WGCA. She also joined four teammates in earning all-America scholar honors for the 2020 season. Angel Sanchez and Emma Meadows both earned their third all-America scholar honors, while Graci Hallenbeck earned her second. Hsu and fellow freshman Kharynton Beggs both earned their first such honor.

2020-21: Oglethorpe continued its streak of top-four conference finishes. Hsu once again won All-SAA first team, finishing fourth individually at the tournament and joining senior teammate Alivia Mattiace as the only two All-SAA honorees. Hsu also earned her first trip to the NCAA Division III Women's Golf National Championships as an individual, finishing 15th at that event after shooting an impressive 2 over par 74 to lead the tournament after round one. Hsu doubled up with another all-America honor, this time taking home second-team accolades.

2021-22: Hsu advanced again to the NCAA national championships as an individual, this time in Houston, Texas, where she finished 14th individually. Hsu led the field for much of day one of the championship before landing the No. 2 spot after the conclusion of the first round. 

Education | Personal

Owen originally hails from Rome, Georgia, where he was a standout football and basketball player at Coosa High School before earning a scholarship to play basketball at Berry in 1977. At Berry, Owen was a three-year starting guard and was named basketball team MVP his senior season. He was also named most outstanding senior athlete, the highest honor awarded each season at Berry.

Owen earned a Bachelor of Science in education from Berry in 1981 and later earned a M.Ed. from Georgia State University in 1986.

Owen currently resides in Duluth, Georgia, and is the father of two grown children. His son, Jayce, attended Oglethorpe and played baseball as a catcher. His daughter, Michaela, was a four-year letterman for women’s golf at Auburn, playing there from 2015 to 2018.

Golf Timeline