By winning the conference championship, the Quakers earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championship May 16-19 in Lexington. Ky.
“We've had a great year and to cap it off with the conference championship is nice. I'm really happy for the players. We've been solid all year except for one event in the fall. To win on this course gives us some renewed confidence going to Kentucky.”
Led by medalist Sam Davidson, Guilford College won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference golf championship Tuesday at Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro.
The Quakers as a team finished four-over par (868), five shots ahead of the University of Lynchburg and Washington and Lee University. Averett University finished fourth followed by Hampden-Sydney College.
Davidson, a junior from Asheboro who entered the third and final round two shots behind leader Pierce Robinson of Washington and Lee, shot a 2-under par 69 in Tuesday’s final round to finish as medalist. His three-day total of 11-under par edged Robinson by a stroke.
With the win, the Quakers earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championships, which will be held May 16-19 at Keene Trace in Nicholasville, Ky. Guilford would likely have advanced anyway given the Quakers are ranked fifth nationally, but winning the ODAC title only boosts the team’s chances at a national title, said Guilford coach Adam Crawford.
“We've had a great year and to cap it off with the conference championship is nice,” Crawford said. “I'm really happy for the players. We've been solid all year except for one event in the fall. To win on this course gives us some renewed confidence going to Kentucky.”
The win was the 19th conference golf title for Guilford, an ODAC record. Crawford said former golf coach Jack Jensen made winning ODAC titles easy at Guilford. Jensen also won Division III national golf titles at Guilford in 2022 and 2005 and an NAIA title in 1989. “Coach Jensen made things look a lot easier than they actually are. These guys never backed down.”
The final round of the championship was played with the same hole placements used for the 2007 Wyndham Championship, the last time the PGA Tour played at Forest Oaks. Brandt Snedeker won that year.
“This was a tough course all week,” said Crawford. “The guys played great on a really difficult course.”
Davidson said he woke up Tuesday with one goal in mind. “Just be patient,” he said. “The birdie opportunities would come and I needed to take advantage of them when they came.”
He did just that, stringing together three straight birdies starting at the fourth hole. By the turn, Davidson had a one stroke lead over Robinson.
Four Guilford golfers made the ODAC’s all-conference team: Davidson and sophomore Michael Vick made first team. Vick was also named the ODAC’s golfer of the year, junior James Alden and sophomore Evan Mendyk made second team; sophomore Parker Cumbea made third team. Crawford received the ODAC’s Jack Jensen Coach of the Year Award.