The Kenyon golf team opened its 2023-24 season with a pair of tournaments last weekend. Half of the 10-person team headed to Lexington, Kentucky, to compete against 17 other teams in the Transylvania Fall Invitational. The remaining golfers traveled 30 minutes down the road to Granville, Ohio, to take part in the Ted Barclay Invitational. 

In Lexington, the Owls had a solid start to the two-day tournament, shooting 585 as a team on the first day after two rounds. By the end of the weekend, Kenyon came back with a forceful drive and had a strong finish, shooting 292 on Sunday and 877 for the weekend, earning a sixth-place finish overall. Jaiden Koonar ’27 and Jonathan Oakes ’27 led the way for Kenyon over the two days, as they both shot 218 and tied for 22nd. Armand Ouellette ’25 was right behind the two first-years, with a 221 across the three rounds. Will Hulsey ’26, who earned first-team All-NCAC honors last year, shot a 222. Garrett Thesing ’24 tied for 36th place with a 223, capping off a successful first tournament for the Owls. 

Oakes was proud of the team’s performance in Kentucky.  “[I]t was a solid start to the season and we only hope to go up from here,” he wrote in an email to the Collegian. Oakes is optimistic about the upcoming season: “ [The team] is composed of a lot of guys who can play really good golf on any given day.” 

Back in Ohio, the reserve team competed in the Ted Barclay Invitational at the Denison Golf Club. Overall, the Owls placed seventh in a field of nine teams. Griffin Ward ’24 led the squad shooting a 152 over the two-day tournament, earning him 19th overall individually in a field of 56 golfers. Over the course of the weekend, the team shot a crisp 306 on Saturday and 313 on Sunday to finish with a score of 619 on the weekend. As the season continues, the Owls are excited to improve. Ouellette says that with a first-year centered team, everyone is upping their game. “We’re very competitive within the team and that inspires the guys in the lineup to play well or risk losing their spot,” he wrote in an email to the Collegian. In just two weeks, Kenyon will travel to their next event, the Gate City Invitational in Greensboro, North Carolina.