Emory golf maintained its status one of the premier programs in the Division III ranks during the 2017-18 season.  With just one senior in the regular playing group, the Eagles established numerous team records while seeing a host of individuals come through with outstanding accomplishments.

Guided by Head Coach John Sjoberg, some of the Emory highlights included the following:

** Making the school’s 21^st  appearance in the NCAA D-III Championships and the fifth during Sjoberg’s seven-year run as head coach.  The Eagles were one of 42 schools to capture a berth to the national tournament and ended the 72-hole event in seventh place.

** Winning its third consecutive University Athletic Association title and 18^th in the program’s history.

** Establishing a school seasonal record with a scoring average of 295.2 strokes per round, topping the previous standard of 296.8 set by the 2016-17 team.

** In addition to its league title, playing its way to three first-place finishes in tournament action – taking home the top spot out 19 teams at the Rhodes College Fall Classic, pacing the 14-team field at its Discover DeKalb Emory Spring Invitational and coming away with the No. 1 position out of six teams and the Kravetz Invitational in Pittsford, NY.

** Seeing two of its players, sophomore Matt Organisak and junior Connor Yakubov land All-America honors as selected by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

** Having two players bring home PING All-South Region honors, Matt Organisak and sophomore Sam Galloway.

** Seeing Connor Yakubov and senior Keenan Hickton named Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars for Division III.

** Having Matt Organisak named the UAA Player of the Year for the second straight season.

** Placing four on the All-UAA Team – Matt Organisak, junior Stefano Butti and Keenan Hickton all on the first team while Connor Yakubov garnered second-team acclaim.  In addition, John Sjoberg was named the league’s Coach of the Year for the fourth time.

** The selection of Keenan Hickton as the Most Valuable Player at the UAA Championships.

** A final No. 4 national ranking at the end of the regular season as chosen by the Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll.

** Having John Sjoberg selected as one of five finalists for the NCAA Division III Dave Williams Award, which recognizes the national coach of the year, for the second straight campaign.

** Matt Organisak chosen as one of 30 Division III semifinalists for the Jack Nicklaus Award for the second straight year.

** Establishing a school record for a 36-hole tournament when it registered a score of 564 (286-278) at the Discover DeKalb Emory Spring Invitational, bettering the previous standard of 567.

** Setting a program mark for a 54-hole tournament, firing a nine-under par 855 (283-285-287) en route to winning the season-opening Rhodes College Fall Classic. The team’s effort bettered the previous record of 866 at the 2016 Jekyll Island Collegiate Invitational.

** Coming through with a school record score of 1180 at the NCAA D-III Championships, shattering the previous mark of 1187 set by the 2011 team. Included in that total was an opening-round performance of 283, which set a program mark for the best 18-hole score at nationals.

** Tying for the No. 3 spot on the school’s leader board for the lowest 18-hole score when it finished at 278 on the second day of action at the Discover DeKalb Emory Spring Invitational.

** Having its players combine for 47 rounds of par or better during the season.

Emory opened the year in grand fashion, winning the Rhodes College Fall Classic with its 54-hole school-record score of 855 seven shots better than runner-up UT-Tyler.  Organisak paced the Emory effort, co-tying for medalist honors with Will Hocker of Webster University with each player firing a 10-under score of 206.  Organisak carded rounds of 71-67-68 with his second-round effort establishing a career best while tying the program's fourth-best outing. His final mark of 206 established a school record for a 54-hole tournament, surpassing Ryan Dagerman's previous standard of 212 at the 2012 Marine Federal Credit Union.

After getting a preview of the course that would host the 2018 NCAA D-III Championships when it finished seventh at the Tournament Town Preview, the Eagles came through with a runner-up performance at the Royal Lakes/Oglethorpe Fall Invitational.  With Hurricane Nate looming as a factor, the 18 teams competing crammed 27 of the 36-hole competition on the opening day of action, with Emory eventually concluding the tournament at seven-over par 583, just four shots off the pace from first-place finisher Greensboro College. Sophomore Sam Galloway distinguished himself at Royal Lakes, tying for third place in the 102-player field with a mark of 140, tying the school’s fourth-best score for a 36-hole tournament. Emory closed the fall with a fourth-place finish out of 18 squads at the Golfweek DIII Fall Invitational in San Destin, Florida, with Keenan Hickton leading the way with a four-under score of 209 (70-69-70) that placed second in the 90-player field while ranking second on the school’s all-time individual ladder for a 54-hole competition.

Emory opened the spring portion of the schedule with a fourth-place finish at the weather-shortened Callaway Gardens Intercollegiate, which saw Organisak tie for medalist honors. After defeating New York University and Carnegie Mellon in match-play competition en route to claiming the UAA title, the Eagles turned their attention to the always-competitive Jekyll Island Collegiate Invitational. Competing on the Pine Lakes Course, Emory tied for the No. 4 position out of 30 teams with a score of 870, the program’s second-best mark ever at that tournament. The Eagles continued their positive momentum with a strong outing at the Huntingdon College Spring Invitational at the Wynlakes Country Club in Montgomery, Alabama, checking in at third place out of 16 teams. The Eagles came through with a big effort at their Discover DeKalb Emory Spring Invitational, topping the 14-team field with a school-record 36-hole score of 564 (286-278), six shots better than runner-up Huntingdon College.  The team’s final round of 278 tied the program’s third-lowest score in school annals and was fueled by Stefano Butti’s program-record tying mark of 66. Matt Organisak paced the squad’s overall effort at the Invitational, carding and even-par 140 that ranked third out of 83 players. Freshman Eric Yiu enjoyed a strong showing as well, shooting a 141 (68-73) that slotted him fourth on the leader board.  The Eagles then closed out the regular season by battling artic weather conditions in capturing the six-team Kravetz Invitational in Pittsford, NY.

Emory got off to a blazing start at the NCAA D-III Championships, tying for first-place tie out of 42 teams after shooting a blazing five-under 283 on the Grandover Resort West Course, which established a school record for low round at nationals, shattering the previous mark of 289 set by the 2011 team.   All four of the players who figured in the team's scoring on the first day shot par or better including Organisak whose three-under par 69 paced the squad while setting a school individual record for the best round at the Championships. The Eagles moved over to the challenging East Course for the second round and registered a score of 299, leaving them in fourth place at 582, just four shots from the top spot. One of the 18 teams left standing following the second-day cut, a tough third round that saw Emory card a 303 that pushed it down to eighth place. The Eagles did regroup over the final 18 holes, shooting a 295 that was highlighted by Connor Yakubov’s four-under 68, bettering Organisak’s school record that he established on the first day by one shot.

Matt Organisak played his way to numerous accolades, which included his second straight selection to the PING All-America Second Team. Named one of 30 semifinalists in Division III for the Jack Nicklaus Award a second straight year, Organisak averaged a team-leading 73.2 strokes over 25 rounds of play, the second-best seasonal mark in school history. The Sudbury, Mass., native pounded out 12 rounds of par or better and produced a total of four top-five finishes, which included co-medalist outings at the Rhodes College Fall Invitational and the Callaway Gardens Intercollegiate. Named by the UAA Player of the Year for the second straight campaign, Organisak holds down the No. 1 position on the school’s all-time scoring average list at 73.62 strokes over 48 rounds.

Connor Yakubov was tabbed to the GCAA Honorable Mention All-America Team after logging 25 rounds and averaging 74.0 strokes per outing. Tied for second place on the team with seven rounds of par or better to his credit, Yakubov chalked up three top-10 outings and was Emory’s No. 1 scorer at the Tournament Town Preview in the fall and the NCAA Championships. A Second Team All-UAA choice, Yakubov, was named a Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar. After three seasons in the program, Yakubov stands fifth all-time on the school’s all-time scoring average chart at 74.92 strokes over 66 rounds of play.

Keenan Hickton’s final season in the program saw him capture a first-team spot on the All-UAA Team, while also being recognized as the Most Valuable Player following his effort at the league Championship. Hickton, who tied for second on the team with seven rounds of par or better, averaged 74.4 strokes over 25 rounds of action. His team-leading efforts at the Golfweek DIII Invitational and Kravetz Invitational earned him UAA Athlete of the Week kudos, and his 54-hole showing of 209 at the former represented the school’s second-best ever score for a three-round tourney. Career-wise, he finished in the No. 9 spot on the school’s all-time scoring ladder with an average of 75.90 strokes over 88 rounds.  Keenan was also recognized for his academic prowess with a spot on the Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar Team.

Stefano Butti was a fixture in the playing group, totaling 22 rounds and averaging 74.86 strokes per outing. A First Team All-UAA performer for the second straight year, Butti finished with five rounds of par or better. He ranked among the team’s top two finishers in three events including the Wynlakes Invitational when he paced the squad while registering a fifth-place finish overall out of 88 players with a one-over par 145.  Heading into his senior year, he finds himself fourth all-time at Emory in scoring average (74.71).
 

 Honors and Awards