The Kenyon men’s golf team was back in action over the weekend, heading south to the Jekyll Island Collegiate Invitational in Jekyll Island, Georgia. In the tournament, the Owls saw a successful three days, finishing third in a field of 30 teams.
Despite the strong finish, Kenyon got off to a rocky start in Friday’s first round, ending the opening day in 17th place. Jaiden Koonar ’27 and Connor Gray ’28 weathered the storm for the Owls in round one, leading the way with even finishes. Koonar found his groove in the final few holes of the front nine, birdieing three straight holes en route to his low-scoring day. Gray had his shining moment of the first round on the seventh hole, where he carded his only eagle of the tournament. Jonathan Oakes ’27, Adrian Jordan ’28 and Rafael Frias IV ’27 were not far behind Kenyon’s day one leaders, recording finishes of 2 over, 3 over and 4 over, respectively.
After a disappointing round one, the Owls came out rejuvenated on day two, finishing 12-under par as a team, the fourth-best round score any team would muster throughout the tournament. This time, it was Jordan that led the way with a 5-under par finish. Jordan came out of the gates blisteringly hot, putting in three birdies to start the round before settling in for 10 straight pars. He ended the day with a bang, recording an eagle on the 18th hole to get the Owls back into the mix. Oakes and Frias IV were excellent as well, each chipping in 3-under scores. Oakes recorded four birdies and an eagle, while Frias IV carded five birdies. Additionally, Gray finished 1 under and Koonar rounded out the pack, shooting 1 over.
In the final round of competition, the Owls continued their good run of form with a 9-under finish on the day. Oakes was dominant throughout, posting a 6-under individual score, the best of any Kenyon player across the weekend. After carding five birdies in the first 17 holes, Oakes, like Jordan the day before, recorded an eagle on the final hole to cap off the impressive weekend. Frias IV followed Oakes, finishing at 2 under with five birdies. Gray came in at 1 under, while Jordan scored even par and Koonar finished 5 over.
In total, Oakes put in Kenyon’s best overall effort, narrowly missing the top 10 at 11th place and 7-under par, which earned him NCAC of the Week Honors for the third time this season. Next came Gray and Jordan, who tied for 34th at 2-under par. Frias IV carded 1 under and 45th and Koonar rounded out the pack in 83rd at 6-over par.
After the match, Oakes was proud of the Owls’ ability to maximize their score on each hole. “We’ve been a good team at making birdies and taking advantage of scoring opportunities when presented with them,” he wrote in an email to the Collegian. “We can still improve on limiting high numbers (such as double bogeys), but I think in general we’re getting better at that.”
Up next, the Owls will travel to Prattville, Alabama, for the Capitol City Invitational on April 6-7. Looking ahead, Oakes was optimistic about the team’s chances in the postseason. “Our goals are to win NCACs, and then give ourselves a chance at winning the national championship,” he wrote. “Realistically we’d consider a top-five finish at nationals more than a successful season.”