Owls end three-day Jekyll Island Invite in 15th

JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. — Playing in Georgia for the second time this spring, the Kenyon College golf team notched a 15th-place finish at the Jekyll Island Collegiate Invitational. The Owls tallied a team score of 892 over the three-day outing to earn their fifth top-15 finish this season.

The Invitational was played on the 6,700-yard, par-72 Jekyll Island Golf Club/Pine Lakes course in Jekyll Island, Georgia. Kenyon played one round each day from March 17-19, posting round-by-round totals of 299, 288, and 305. The Owls were locked in a four-way tie for 10th after round one before taking the sole position of the No. 10 spot with a strong showing on day two, but an inflated round-three score saw Kenyon finish 15th overall.

Round two produced the Owls’ best score and their best individual showing. Logan Spiess scored a 66 to pace the field on the second day. The senior racked up eight birdies to finish six under par, shaving 13 strokes off his round-one total (79). It was his best round of the season and more than 10 under his per-round average this season (76.92). Individually, Spiess tied for 37th at the Invitational with a three-round total of 220 (+4, 79-66-75).

Kenyon’s No. 2 golfer, Garrett Thesing, tied Spiess, the No. 3 man, for the best individual outing. The junior could not have asked for a much better start after scoring an eagle on hole one of round one. Thesing finished with a 71 (-1) to tie for 11th after round one before going for 75 and 74 in rounds two and three.

Armand Ouellette (225) and Will Hulsey (227) were only slightly behind Kenyon’s leading duo. Ouellette, the Owls’ No. 1, shot 75, 73, 77 to finish tied for 66th individually, while Hulsey, Kenyon’s No. 4, went for 74 in the first two rounds before a 79 in round three, finishing tied for 79th.

Griffin Ward rounded out the Owls’ competitors in the five spot. The junior tied for 136th individually after recording a three-round total of 242 with scores of 87, 75, and 80.

Kenyon’s next outing will take place as close to home as the team will be all season. The Owls will head to Granville, Ohio, for an exhibition, match-play matchup against fellow North Coast Athletic Conference institution Denison University at The Virtues Golf Club on Monday, March 27.