PENFIELD, N.Y.—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
- Sam Karman 75-75-71-73=294 | T14th
- Ryan Dunn 73-78-73-75=299 | T32nd
- Jackson Hiller 76-77-73-73=299 | T32nd
- Diego Passos 79-75-74-75=303 | T52nd
- Corbin Scott 78-79-73-78=308 | 72nd
- Oglethorpe 302-305-290-296=1193 | 8th
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.
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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 137-31-3 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).
NCAA Championships Day One Recap
Dunn leads No. 6 Petrels in first round of NCAA Championships
PENFIELD, N.Y.—Ryan Dunn and the No. 6 Oglethorpe men's golf team are both in the top 20 after the first round of the NCAA Championships. Oglethorpe's first 18 holes of the national event took place at Midvale Country Club on Tuesday.
At 14 over par, Oglethorpe is only 12 strokes back of the lead and five strokes out of the top five. The first two days of the event feature a split, with half of the teams at Midvale and the other half at Cobblestone Country Club. Wednesday will see the teams rotate, Oglethorpe heading over to Cobblestone.
Dunn carded two birdies and one eagle on the way to a 1 over par 73. He sits 17th overall. Sam Karman (75) and Jackson Hiller (76) followed next in 54th and 76th, respectively.
Round two of the NCAA Championships is set for Wednesday, and the Stormy Petrels will play 18 holes at Cobblestone Country Club in Victor, New York. Due to the expected inclement weather, the schedule has been updated and the day will begin with a shotgun start at 8:05 a.m. The field will be cut to the top 18 teams and six individuals not on one of those teams after Wednesday's round.
NCAA Championships Day Two Recap
No. 6 Petrels climb five spots on NCAA day two
VICTOR, N.Y.—Sam Karman is in the top 40, Ryan Dunn is in the top 45, and the Oglethorpe men's golf team is tied for 13th after the second round of the NCAA Men's Golf National Championships. Not even the frigid and rain-soaked second day of competition could slow the Stormy Petrels, who danced with the cut line at the turn but pulled through with a strong finish to climb five spots.
Four birdies across the last three holes highlighted Oglethorpe's strong finish. Karman birdied hole eight, Jackson Hiller birdied six and eight, and Corbin Scott birdied nine. Even more, Karman finished birdie-par, Hiller finished birdie-par-birdie, and Diego Passos finished even across his last eight holes, with a birdie on six.
Karman shot 75 and ranks 37th in the field individually, moving up 16 spots. Dunn, who was 17th overall after the first day, shot 78 and is 45th overall. Hiller (63rd) and Passos (81st) are both in the top 100.
Oglethorpe's spot in 13th overall is even with No. 2 Washington and Lee and No. 4 Sewanee. The Stormy Petrels are seven strokes out of the top 10 and 10 strokes out of second place. No. 5 Illinois Wesleyan, who led the field after day one, kept its lead and sits two strokes ahead of No. 15 Kenyon in second place. Only three individuals are under par for the tournament, including Bethel's Will Karkov who sits atop the individual leaderboard at 6 under par.
With the field now cut to 18 teams and six individuals not on one of those teams, Oglethorpe and the remaining teams will continue the championship event with 36 holes across Thursday and Friday. The 36 holes will take place back at Midvale Country Club, where the Stormy Petrels competed for round one.
Pending weather, round three is scheduled for Thursday.
NCAA Championships Day Three Recap
Karman inside top 15, No. 6 Petrels seventh after NCAA day three
PENFIELD, N.Y.—Another big move, this one six spots and well into the top 10, headlined the No. 6 Oglethorpe men's golf team's third and partial fourth and final round of the NCAA Championships on Thursday. With the expectation of stormy weather on Friday, teams played round three as scheduled plus much of round four, halting the championship's final round due to darkness with the Stormy Petrels sitting seventh overall with under six holes left.
Sam Karman moved into the top 15 with a 1 under par 71 followed by an even par effort so far on the final round. Ryan Dunn and Jackson Hiller are 40th and 55th overall, respectively, both going 1 over for round three. Dunn sits at 1 over in round four and Hiller is even par on the last round.
Corbin Scott and Diego Passos carded 1 over and 2 over, respectively, in round three, and both sit at 5 over with three holes left in round four.
Oglethorpe, which entered Thursday in 13th overall, moved as high as fifth and 11 strokes off the lead before settling in at seventh at the conclusion of round three. The Petrels held that standing through the partial final round but will look to improve it when play resumes Friday morning beginning at 7:45 a.m.