Petrels Finish Strong at NCAA Championships, Take Eighth

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PENFIELD, Ny. — Senior Sam Karman took 14th overall, and the No. 6 Oglethorpe men’s golf team concluded another season on a high note with an eighth-place finish at the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championships.

Oglethorpe, which last year had the individual national champion on the way to taking third as a team, finished in the top 10 for the 16th time in the last 24 championships. This also marked the 13th time finishing eighth or better during that same stretch, which dates back to 2002.

“We had a tough draw, catching the wrong end of the weather both Tuesday and Wednesday and being on the wrong courses,” said head coach Jim Owen. “We battled through hard to post a pair of decent scores that kept us in it to get to round three. The final nine holes of even par play on Wednesday afternoon was nine of the finest NCAA Championships holes in school history. The weather had our backs up against the wall, but this resilient squad played each of their final nine holes in overall even par to move up the leaderboard and get in position for our outstanding 2 over 290 on Thursday.”

Oglethorpe finished 10 strokes out of the top four, 12 strokes out of the top two, and 18 strokes off the lead, claimed by No. 1-ranked Methodist who won its second straight title by six strokes.

Karman shot 75-75-71-73 to end his outstanding career with a 14th-place finish. Ryan Dunn (73-78-73-75) and Jackson Hiller (76-77-73-73) both finished 32nd overall, and Diego Passos (79-75-74-75) and Corbin Scott (78-79-73-78) took 52nd and 72nd, respectively.

“We were in position to make a run at the top four despite the slow start early in the week,” Owen continued. “The signature of this team all year has been resiliency and battling adversity, and the national championship this week was more evidence of this special team.”

Passos had one of the biggest highlights of the day, finishing his round with a hole-in-one on the par 3 ninth. It helped Oglethorpe finish the final two rounds 10 over par, moving the Petrels up 10 spots over the last two days of play.

The national championship was held Tuesday-Friday, May 20-23, at Midvale Country Club and Cobblestone Creek Country Club.

The week was marred by rain, with Tuesday being the only clear day. Teams played through the rain on Wednesday and Thursday, completing 18 holes as scheduled both days then continued Thursday into round four where the final pairings made it through eight holes. Friday morning featured a 3 ½-hour rain delay, but the tournament still completed the fourth round.

Oglethorpe Scores

Championship Notes

  • In an incredibly tight field, Oglethorpe’s place in 13th overall after day two was only 12 strokes off the lead and seven strokes out of the top five.
  • Oglethorpe made a big move on day two, climbing five spots thanks to a strong finish. The Petrels were flirting with the cut line before going 5 under over the last five holes.
  • Oglethorpe played round two at Cobblestone Creek Country Club in Victor, New York. In that round, Oglethorpe flirted with the cut line but turned in an even par final nine to help secure a spot in the final stage.
  • Oglethorpe posted the fourth best score of round three, firing 2 over par to move up six spots. This move one-upped the day-two move, when the Petrels went from 18th to 13th on the day of the cut.
  • The final round saw Oglethorpe move up as high as fifth on the team leaderboard, 11 strokes out of the lead. This climb happened Thursday after the team had already posted its big move on round three.
  • Passos’ ace on the par 3 ninth marked the second straight season a Petrel aced a hole in the final round of the NCAA Championships. Last year, Beck Lewis aced the par 3 17th on the final day. Passos used a nine-iron on the 138-yard hole, which features an elevated green.

Championship Numbers

  • Oglethorpe shot 14 under on the par 5’s for the tournament. This ranked tied for fourth overall.
  • With 212 pars and 47 birdies, Oglethorpe ranked third and 10th in those categories, respectively. Carnegie Mellon’s 214 pars led the field, just two ahead of the Petrels.
  • Karman ranked seventh on the par 4’s, going 3 over. Dunn ranked third in pars with 48 which was one off the lead.
  • At Midvale Country Club, Oglethorpe posted a combined 5 under as a team on holes 3 and 10.
  • Passos birdied 10 all three times, giving him a 1 under start to all three rounds.
  • Karman birdied hole 3 all three times. Hiller and Scott both birdied it twice.
  • Scott also birdied hole 17 twice.

Oglethorpe Season Notes

  • Oglethorpe finished in the top six in nine of 10 events this 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.
  • The Petrels combined this season for a 172-38-3 record this season, with much of the competition being in the national top-25 and national top-10.
  • Oglethorpe entered the NCAA Championships ranked No. 6 in the coaches poll and in the most recent Scoreboard rankings.

Season Award Winners

  • Hiller earned PING All-Region.
  • All five Petrels who competed at the national championships made the all-conference team. Hiller, Dunn and Karman made the All-SAA first team. Scott and Passos made the All-SAA second team.
  • The Petrels won the SAA athlete of the week award five times this season: Hiller (Sept. 26, Oct. 10), Dunn (March 6), Karman (April 10, April 18).

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