Golf Performance Academy alum, Jonathan Oakes, set a new record for Kenyon College; a tie as second best individual score in a 54 hole tournament, after receiving a final score of 211 (the lowest on the team) at the Savannah Golf Invitational on March 5th. Oakes shot rounds of 72, 66, and 73; his 66 also tying him in second for best 18 hole mark in Kenyon golf history. Hailing from Dobbs Ferry, New York, Jon is a first year at Kenyon College and graduated from the Academy in 2023.
Oakes started playing golf when he was 4 years old and tried the sport for the first time due to his love for the Wii Sports game. He began his time at the Academy in 2020, and was able to get first place in several tournaments, including the 2022 Met PGA Future Series at Bethpage, the 2022 Met Junior PGA Championship, and the 2022 Westchester Junior Championship. Oakes’s scoring average at the Golf Performance Academy was 73, with his lowest score being a 67 and was ranked, as of September 2022, 6th in the state for Junior Golf.
The Kenyon Owls finished with a tie for eighth at the Savannah Golf Invitational; the seven teams ahead of them are all nationally ranked. The combined team score of 872 set the program record in 54 hole tournaments, Jon Oakes finishing with an individual tie at ninth place out of 95 golfers. Kenyon is currently ranked 24th on the Golf Coaches Association of America poll. Keep an eye out for them, and Jon Oakes, as they move up through the ranks in hopes to reach the NCAC Conference championships and a regional bid.