POWELLS POINT, N.C. – For the second time in as many years, the Old Dominion men’s golf team finished in second place at the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate. The Monarchs combined for a 54-hole total of two-under par 850.
It marks the fourth time in the 14 years of the tournament that ODU has finished second. The team also finished second in its home tournament in 2016, 2019 and 2023.
"We had another exciting finish at our tournament at Kilmarlic Golf Club. The guys were right in contention heading into the last few holes and we just couldn’t quite pull it out. I was really proud of our second-place finish, and it was good to end the fall season on a high note,” said ODU Head Coach Murray Rudisill.
ODU recorded a four-over 288 in Sunday’s opening round to move into a tie for fourth place. The Monarchs then followed with a round of 277 in Monday’s second round to jump up to second and added a final round of 285 on Tuesday. The team’s three-day total was just four strokes back of Georgetown, who won the Intercollegiate with a total of 846 (-6). Drexel rounded out the top three with an even score of 852.
Longwood’s Justin LaRue was the individual medalist, winning by three strokes with an 11-under 202. Drexel’s Drue Nicholas, who won the tournament in 2023, placed second with an eight-under 205. Coming in third place was North Dakota’s Nate Peyerl at 207 (-6).
Kaijun Ma was ODU’s top finisher, tying for fifth at four-under 209. The Macau, China native shot a two-under 69 on the first day, bettered that effort with a 68 on the second day, and turned in a final round of 72. Jacob Gunther also had a strong tournament as the senior from Stockholm, Sweden was one stroke behind Ma and tied for seventh at 210 (-3). Gunther’s best round was a four-under 67 on Monday. He had a 70 in the first round and a 73 in the third and recorded the lone eagle for the Monarchs.
Next for ODU was Cullen Campbell, whose three-over 216 tied him for 22nd, and Philip Minnehan came in 24th at four-over 217. James Page had ODU’s best round of the tournament, a five-under 66 on Monday thanks to seven birdies. After starting off tied for 70th with a first round of 82, his 66 brought him into a tie for 35th heading into the final 18 holes. He posted a one-under 70 on the final day to finish tied for 25th at 218 (+5).
Joe MacPherson’s total of 222 (+9) tied for 41st, Jakub Sutor tied for 43rd at 224 (+11), and Garret Cameron rounded out ODU’s scores with a 249 (+36) to tie for 70th.
Ma also tied for fourth in par-3 scoring with an average of 2.87. Gunther tied for third with a 3.89 average for par-4s and Campbell co-led the field with a 4.50 average for par-5s. Gunther and Ma both made a team-high 13 birdies, Page made 20, and Sutor and Minnehan both tallied 36 putts for par.
The Intercollegiate was ODU’s final tournament of its fall season. The Monarchs will begin their spring season at the Dorado Beach Collegiate in Puerto Rico on Feb. 23-25.
Team Results
- Georgetown (287-275-284 – 846) -6
- Old Dominion (288-277-285 – 850) -2
- Drexel (285-286-281 – 852) E
- Saint Joseph's (Pa.) (284-292-279 – 855) +3
T5. Longwood (298-286-279 – 863) +11
T5. North Dakota (299-287-277 – 863) +11
- Drake (294-284-288 – 866) +14
- Omaha (289-287-293 – 869) +17
- Murray State (288-288-297 – 873) +21
- Robert Morris (300-286-295 – 881) +29
- La Salle (303-294-292 – 889) +37
- St. Bonaventure (300-306-284 – 890) +38
- St. Francis (Pa.) (293-299-308 – 900) +48
- Maryland Eastern Shore (301-303-323 – 927) +75
ODU Lineup
T5. Kaijun Ma (69-68-72 – 209) -4
T7. Jacob Gunther (70-67-73 – 210) -3
T22. Cullen Campbell (77-70-69 – 216) +3
- Philip Minnehan (73-73-71 – 217) +4
T25. James Page* (82-66-70 – 218) +5
T41. Joe MacPherson* (73-74-75 – 222) +9
T43. Jakub Sutor (76-72-76 – 224) +11
T70. Garret Cameron* (82-86-81 – 249) +36
*Competed as an individual