Greatest Moment No. 1
We complete the announcements of the 10 Greatest Moments in Oglethorpe Athletic history as voted on by Stormy Petrel fans and alumni by revealing Moment No. 1.
Moment No. 1: May 16, 2009
The Oglethorpe University men’s golf team wins the 2009 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship held at the PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Florida by erasing a four stroke deficit on the final day of the tournament to claim the school’s first NCAA title in any sport. Their cold-blooded come-from-behind victory stands as the greatest moment in Oglethorpe athletics history as voted on by Stormy Petrel fans and alumni.
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 (Reyjakvic, Iceland) 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 (Franklin, North Carolina)
fired a final round of 1-under par and finished in a tie for 11th
place overall. Oglethorpe junior Scott Pugh (Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania) carded a tournament total of 296 (8-over) to finish
in a tie for 15th place while senior Hap Kaufold (Albany, Georgia)
came home with a total of 298 to finish tied for 27th place.
Freshman Matt Bernstein (Atlanta, Georgia) carded a four day total
of 305 and finished tied for 51st.
Oglethorpe head golf coach Jim Owen, a fifteen year veteran
coaching the team, said, “This is a great day for Oglethorpe
athletics. 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.”
The accompanying photo shows the 2009 Championship team celebrating with their newly collected hardware off the 18th green at the PGA Villages in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
To view the complete listing of Greatest Moments that were selected, go here
