A continually improving Emory golf program came through with a number of outstanding individual and team accomplishments during the 2016-17 season.  The Eagles featured a young roster that saw one junior, two sophomores and two freshmen comprise the lineup down the season’s home stretch, leading to much optimism for future years.

Guided by head coach John Sjoberg, some of the Emory highlights included the following:

** Making the school’s 20^th appearance in the NCAA D-III Championships and the fourth during Sjoberg’s six-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 tied for 12^th place.

** Winning its second consecutive University Athletic Association title and the 17^th in the program’s history.

** Establishing a school seasonal record with a scoring average of 296.8 strokes per round, topping the previous standard of 297.4 set by the 2010-11 team.

** Playing its way to a first-place finish at the Callaway Gardens Invitational, the program’s first non-UAA title since 2011 (Emory Spring Invitational).

** Recording six top-five finishes during the season including a runner-up effort out of 14 teams at the Discover DeKalb Emory Spring Invitational and a third-place effort out of 19 squads at the Golfweek D-III Invitational.

** Seeing two of its players, sophomore Stefano Butti and freshman Matt Organisak land Second Team All-America honors.

** Having three players bring home PING All-South Region honors, Stefano Butti, Matt Organisak and freshman Chuck Isgar.

** Having Matt Organisak named the UAA Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year

** A final No. 3 national ranking at the end of the regular season as chosen by the Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll.

** Coming through with the school’s second-best team score for a round at 277 during the second day of action at the Discover DeKalb Emory Spring Invitational.

** Claiming three First Team All-UAA berths (Organisak, Butti and Hickton) and one second-team nod (sophomore Connor Yakubov). In addition, John Sjoberg was named the league’s Coach of the Year for the third time.

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

** Finishing with the program’s No. 2 all-time mark for a 36-hole competition when it carded a 568 (291-277) at the Discover DeKalb Emory Spring Invitational.

** Turning in the program’s fifth-best NCAA Championships score, totaling a 72-hole performance of 1,212 strokes.

After opening the fall portion of the schedule at the Rhodes Classic and the NCAA D-III Fall Preview, the Eagles began to demonstrate what they were capable of with solid back-to-back showings at the Oglethorpe/Royal Lakes Invitational, where they finished fourth out of 14 teams, and the Golfweek DIII Fall Invitational, where they ranked third on the leader board out of 19 squads. Organisak burst upon the scene at Royal Lakes, firing back-to-back rounds of two-under par 70 with his final score of 140 placing fifth in the 102-player field and tying the school’s fourth-best mark for a 36-hole tourney.  At the Golfweek DIII Fall Invitational, Organisak, along with classmate Chuck Isgar, paced the team’s effort while tying for fifth place on the 95-player leaderboard with a three-round score of 214, tying the Eagles’ third-best ever individual effort for a 54-hole event.

Eagerly awaiting the start of the spring ledger, Emory made the most of its playing opportunities by compiling four straight top-five performances.  The Eagles claimed the top spot in the 18-team field at the Callaway Gardens Invitational, bettering runner-up LaGrange College by a shot. The title represented the Eagles’ first non-UAA first-place finish in a tournament since 2011.  The Eagles followed Callaway by defending their UAA title, defeating New York University, 5-0, in their first match before edging Carnegie Mellon, 3-2, in the finals, with sophomore Connor Yakubov giving Emory the win over the Tartans with a dramatic decision on the first hole of a playoff.

Emory followed that tourney with a strong performance at the Jekyll Island Collegiate Invitational, posting a fifth-place finish out of 29 teams. Stefano Butti spearheaded the team’s showing, crafting a brilliant 54-hole score of one-under par 215, tying for the fifth spot out of 150 entries and for the sixth-best effort in school history for a three-round tourney.  After a fifth-place performance at the Wynlakes Intercollegiate, the Eagles capped off their regular season by finishing runner-up at the Discover DeKalb Emory Spring Invitational, coming up one shot shy of No. 1-ranked Huntingdon with a season-best 36-hole performance of 568, the school’s second-best all-time score for a two-round tournament.  Connor Yakubov topped the squad and stood fifth overall in the 88-player field with an even par 140, which included a career-best three-under par 67 on the final day of play that represented the best score by any Emory player during the season and that tied for fourth best in school annals.  Butti aided in the cause as well, tying for the No. 8 spot with 142.

The Eagles were one of 42 teams to compete at the NCAA Championships and, after making the cut after the opening two rounds, ended up tied for 12^th place.  Butti distinguished himself at the competition, tying for ninth place overall out of the 215 original competitors with a 72-hole score of five-over par 293 (75-74-74-70), the fourth-best mark ever turned in by an Emory player at nationals. His final-day performance of two-under par 70 tied him with a number of former Eagles for the program’s best individual round ever at the NCAAs. 

Matt Organisak came through with a memorable first year, culminating with a Second Team nod on the PING All-America squad. Named one of 30 semifinalists in Division III for the coveted Jack Nicklaus Award, Organisak averaged of 74.08 strokes over 23 rounds of play, second among the team’s regulars to the scoring group and good for fifth place on the school's seasonal ladder. Named by the University Athletic Association as both Player and Rookie of the Year, Organisak either led or tied for the team’s lead in three tournaments including the Oglethorpe/Royal Lakes Fall Invitational where finished fifth out of 102 players with a 36-hole score of four-under par 140 (70-70), with that effort tying the program's fourth-best effort for a two-round tourney, 
 

Stefano Butti enjoyed a strong spring season and concluded the campaign with a team-best scoring average of 73.88 strokes over 18 rounds of action.  A Second Team PING All-American, Butti also played his way to First Team All-UAA accolades and chalked up a team-best six rounds of par or better.  He ranked as the Eagles’ top scorer in two events including the NCAA D-III Championships when his final mark of 293 that tied for ninth overall on the leader board while representing the school’s fourth-best individual score at nationals. 

Junior Keenan Hickton, the elder statesman on the squad, garnered First Team All-UAA kudos and was recognized for his performance in the class room as well, earning Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-Scholar Team recognition. Just one of two players (Organisak) to compete in all 23 rounds of action, he averaged 75.56 strokes per outing and finished as the Eagles’ No. 1 finisher in three tournaments including the 54-hole NCAA DIII Fall Preview, which saw him fire a career-best three-under par 69 during the first round. 

Honors and Awards