With a lineup heavily composed of upper classmen, the 2013-14 Emory golf team recorded a number of highlights.

Competing in the talent-laden South Region that featured 12 of the nation’s top 20 D-III programs, the Eagles experienced a variety of highs and lows throughout the campaign, and by the time they had put away the clubs at the end of the year, the squad had come through with some noteworthy accomplishments.

** Bringing home its third University Athletic Association Championship over the last four years and the program’s 15^th overall league title.   Emory recorded a nine-shot win over runner-up Rochester in claiming the championship, coming through with a 36-hole team score of 582, just one shot from the tying the conference record.

** Freshman Colby Hipp becoming the 12^th different Emory player and first since 2010 to win UAA medalist honors, firing a one-under par 143 that was one shot better than junior teammate  Alex Wunderlich. Hipp’s final score tied Ryan Dagerman (2012) for the program’s second-lowest score ever at the UAA Championships while Wunderlich’s performance represented the fifth-best mark at the event.

** Seeing Colby Hipp earn UAA Rookie of the Year honors.

** Having Johnathan Chen post medalist honors at the Emory Spring Invitational, shooting a brilliant three-under par 69 that represented the best 18-hole performance by an Eagle during the year, and then prevailing on a second playoff hole over Methodist University’s Jeff Wells.

** Having three players earn First Team All-UAA honors with Hipp, Wunderlich and senior Johnathan Chen earning that distinction while senior Will Roth was a second-team honoree

** Seeing Johnathan Chen earn a third-consecutive spot on the Georgia Cup All-State Team.

** Placing Alex Wunderlich on the Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar Team. 

Under the guidance of third-year head coach John Sjoberg, the regular playing group consisted of the senior trio of Chen, Roth and Alec Berens, with Wunderlich and Hipp comprising the majority of the other two spots.   The first four played all 22 rounds that the team recorded while Hipp logged 19 rounds of competition.  Chen ended the season with the team’s best scoring average with a 74.91 strokes-per-round effort that was good for ninth place on the program’s season ladder.  Wunderlich finished second in scoring average (77.18 spg) while Berens was third (77.41 spg).

In addition to its first-place effort at the UAA Championships, the Eagles turned in a strong performance at the Callaway Gardens Collegiate Invitational, placing fourth on the leader board out of 16 teams.  Chen led the Eagles’ contingent at the tourney, carding a three-over par 147 (73-74) that tied for seventh in the 101-player field. 

Chen, who ranked as the Eagles’ No. 1 player in five events during the year, also distinguished himself at the Jekyll Island Invitational with a three-round score of 222, good for 22^nd place out of 150 contestants.  Earlier in the season, Chen fired a solid three-over par 216 (72-73-71) at the Golfweek D-III Fall Preview at the Raven Golf Course in Sandestin, Fla., good for 10^th place in the 90-player field and the seventh-best mark in school annals for a 54-hole tourney.

The 2013-14 campaign marked the end of the collegiate careers for Chen, Berens and Roth.  Chen, a two-time All-American, finished third on the program’s all-time ladder with a 74.94 strokes average over 94 rounds of competition.  Berens finished 21^st on that list with a 77.65 average while Roth was 22^nd, posting an effort of 77.75 strokes.

Honors and Awards