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The nationally-ranked Hampden-Sydney College Golf team posted a two-day, 54-hole score of 298-293-295–886 on Sunday and Monday to finish in second place among 11 teams at the 2021 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Men’s Golf Championship played at the Bryan Park Champions Course in Browns Summit, North Carolina.

Junior Hunter Martin of Gloucester finished as the ODAC individual champion, tying the ODAC Championship 54-hole record with his 73-69-69–211 on the par 72, 6,895-yard layout. Guilford College won the event by just two shots with its 299-294-291-884, while GC’s James Mishoe was the individual runner-up with his 73-73-66–212.

Martin becomes the fifth Tiger to claim medalist honors as an ODAC individual champion in the sport, and the first since Brent Gammon in 2003. He birdied four of his final six holes, including three of the last four, during his final-round 69 that featured five birdies and 11 pars, and his two closing rounds of 69 were two of the lowest three rounds during the tournament among the 57 conference golfers. H-SC has now finished as runners-up five times, the most recent back in 2003, as well.

Martin was followed by freshman Meade Slonaker of Penn Laird (76-73-75–224, T-fifth) and junior John Hatcher Ferguson of Rocky Mount (71-76-77–224, T-5th), sophomore Alex Rubino of Charlotte, North Carolina  (79-75-74–228, 14th) and senior Allen Smith of Durham, North Carolina (78-85-79–242, T-32nd). Slonaker birdied three of his final six holes and had four birdies and nine pars during his final round. Rubino had one birdie and 14 pars during his final round.

H-SC posted its season-low for 54 holes and led the field in par 4 scoring (4.15) and birdies (43), tied for second in eagles (1), and tied for third in par 3 scoring (3.43), par 5 scoring (5) and pars (149). Martin led the field in par 4 scoring (3.83) and birdies (14), tied for third in par 5 scoring (4.67), tied for 13th in pars (31) and tied for 14th in par 3 scoring (3.33). Slonaker finished third in par 4 scoring (4.07) and birdies (10), tied for 13th in par 5 scoring (5.00), tied for 22nd in pars (28) and tied for 24th in par 3 scoring (3.50). Ferguson, playing in just his second tournament of the season after a knee injury suffered last fall, tied for first in eagles (1), was sixth in par 5 scoring (4.75), tied for seventh in par 4 scoring (4.20), tied for 15th in pars (30) and tied for 18th in par 3 scoring (3.42). Rubino finished second in par 3 scoring (2.92), ninth in pars (33), tied for 12th in birdies (6), tied for 22nd in par 5 scoring (5.08) and tied for 23rd in par 4 scoring (4.40). Smith tied for 12th in par 4 scoring (4.27) and birdies (6).

H-SC is ranked 20th nationally in the latest Division III Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll, while the Tigers are ranked 24th in this week’s Golfstat Division III Top 25. Guilford is ranked No. 1 in the Golfstat rankings, while third-place finishing Washington and Lee University (293-306-298-897) is ranked 21st nationally.

H-SC will now await the NCAA Selection Show Monday, May 3, for a possible at-large invitation to the 2021 Division III Men’s Golf Championship May 11-14 at the Oglebay Resort and Conference Center in Wheeling, West Virginia.