POWELLS POINT, N.C. – The Old Dominion men's golf team spent the better part of Tuesday jockeying with SIU Edwardsville and East Carolina for second place, but the Monarchs did enough on the final few holes to secure a runner-up finish on the final day of the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate. ODU hosted its three-day tournament at Kilmarlic Golf Club.
The Monarchs entered the final round tied for second with ECU and just one stroke ahead of SIUE. The Cougars were the first of the three teams to finish, and some late mistakes by the Pirates allowed SIUE to move into third and one stroke back of ODU.
Kazuki Yamauchi eagled the par-5 12th hole and went birdie, bogey, birdie on the last three holes to finish with a two-under round of 69. Jacob Gunther contributed to the effort with three birdies on the back nine for a one-under 70, and Kaijun Ma was the next to finish for ODU with an even 71. That left Jakob Henriksson, who needed to make par on the 18th hole to seal the second-place finish for the tourney hosts. The senior from Stockholm, Sweden delivered in the clutch, converting his two-foot putt from the left side of the green.
Drexel entered the final day with an eight-stroke lead and held on with a five-under 279 for its last trip around the course. The Dragons finished with a combined two-over par 854. Drexel's Drue Nicholas, who placed second in the 2022 ODU/OBX Intercollegiate, won this year's tournament with a six-under 207. Teammate Griffin Mitchell came in second with a four-under 209, and SIUE's TJ Baker and Radford's Bryce Corbett tied for third at one-under 212.
"We are pleased that we finished our fall with a very good showing at Kilmarlic," said head coach Murray Rudisill. "It was a real battle for second place, and it came down to four of our guys to finish strong on the last few holes. I had challenged them before the tournament to finish up strong, and they worked very hard and responded very well."
Yamauchi was the top finisher for the Monarchs, tying for seventh with a 54-hole total of 216 (+3). Gunther and Ma turned in a pair of 217s (+4) to tie for 11th and Henriksson tied for 15th with a 218 (+5). Rounding out the card for ODU were Jakob Chicoyne, who tied for 53rd with a 232, and Philip Minnehan, who tied for 69th at 241.
Yamauchi recorded the lone eagle for the Monarchs and made a team-high 12 birdies. He also led the 76-player field in par-5 scoring with a 4.25 average. Henriksson tallied 11 birdies for the Intercollegiate, Gunther had 10, and Ma had the tournament high in made putts for par with 40.
"We started the fall season with a good finish in our first tournament, but then had two mediocre events after that. This strong showing will give us a lot of encouragement for working during the off-season and getting ready for the spring," continued Rudisill.
Team Results
1. Drexel (290-285-279 – 854) +2
2. Old Dominion (289-294-284 – 867) +15
3. SIU Edwardsville (288-296-284 – 868) +16
4. East Carolina (287-296-288 – 871) +19
T5. Longwood (293-301-286 – 880) +28
T5. Radford (291-296-293 – 880) +28
7. La Salle (301-294-291 – 886) +34
8. North Dakota (288-301-298 – 887) +35
9. Robert Morris (295-293-301 – 889) +37
10. Drake (299-299-300 – 898) +46
11. Omaha (307-297-295 – 899) +47
12. St. Bonaventure (300-296-321 – 917) +65
13. Saint Joseph's (302-316-304 – 922) +70
14. Navy (310-317-306 – 933) +81
15. St. Francis (Pa.) (324-301-316 – 941) +89
ODU Lineup
T7. Kazuki Yamauchi (74-73-69 – 216) +3
T11. Jacob Gunther (73-74-70 – 217) +4
T11. Kaijun Ma (73-73-71 – 217) +4
T15. Jakob Henriksson (70-74-74 – 218) +5
T53. Jakob Chicoyne (73-82-77 – 232) +19
T69. Philip Minnehan* (83-83-75 – 241) +28
*Competed as an individual
Monarchs Finish Second at ODU/OBX Intercollegiate
