SUWANEE, Ga. - With a final-round 289, the
Oglethorpe University men's golf team came from four strokes down
to earn the school's first-ever national title, winning the 2009
NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship at the PGA Village in
Port St. Lucie, Fla.
That national title moment is being recognized
as the Top Moment in the history of SCAC men's golf. Top 20
Moments homepage
Oglethorpe chased down Methodist University, the 54-hole leader,
and held off a charging University of La Verne to earn the
Championship win. The Petrels finished with a four day total of
12-over par 1164 to best La Verne who came in at 16-over par
1168.
Oglethorpe sophomore Olafur Loftsson fired a final round 3-under
par 69 to come from behind to win individual medalist honors at the
Championship. Loftsson finished in a tie with La Verne’s
Mitchell Fedorka and bested him on the first playoff hole to win
the Arnold Palmer award for tournament medalist. For the four-day
tournament, Loftsson finished with a score of 285, good for 3-under
par.
Stormy Petrel freshman Colin Chapman fired a final round of 1-under
par and finished in a tie for 11th place overall. Oglethorpe junior
Scott Pugh carded a tournament total of 296 (8-over) to finish in a
tie for 15th place while senior Hap Kaufold came home with a total
of 298 to finish tied for 27th place. Freshman Matt Bernstein
carded a four day total of 305 and finished tied for 51st.
The national championship is the sixth for an SCAC team
and the first since DePauw University won the 2007 Division
III Women's Basketball Championship. Loftsson's individual title
was the 18th for an SCAC student-athlete.
“This is a great day for Oglethorpe athletics," said
Oglethorpe head coach Jim Owen following the victory. "I could not
be more proud of our guys for bringing home the school’s
first championship. They certainly earned it with their stellar
play on the course.”
Russell Kramer, the SCAC Director of Communications/New
Media, interviewed Oglethorpe head coach Jim Owen as
well as two members of the Petrels' championship squad - Hap
Kaufold and Scott Pugh - one week after that 2009 championship
weekend. To listen to the interview with Jim Owen, click here. To listen to
the interview with Hap Kaufold, click here. To listen to
the interview with Scott Pugh, click here.
To view the complete list of SCAC Men's Golf Top 20 Moments,
click here.
Throughout the 2010-2011 academic year, the Southern Collegiate
Athletic Conference will celebrate its 20th anniversary. A special
logo commemorating the occasion will be used and the league
office will also be releasing the Top 20
moments for each sport the conference sponsors (excluding men's
and women's lacrosse).