Oglethorpe Golfer Sets School, Course Record

As it turns out, Anthony Amodeo's 2-under score on the back nine to start the day was just the beginning.

The freshman easily topped that effort at the recent 40th Camp Lejeune Intercollegiate Golf Tournament on March 26, shooting a blistering seven-under 28 over the final nine holes to pencil his name into the record books.

Amodeo, who teed off on the backside, drained back-to-back eagles before closing his memorable afternoon with a birdie en route to a school- and course-record score of 61. His bogey-free, nine-under total included five overall birdies to go along with his two eagles, eclipsing the previous course record of 62 set in 1998 by former Methodist University star and current PGA golfer Chad Collins.

Not too bad for a guy who was coming off a two-over 74 the day before, albeit on a more difficult course.

“I was hitting the ball well and I really wasn’t missing any shots that day,” said Amodeo in what might be the biggest understatement of the year. “It just felt good.”

Long known as an excellent driver and strong ball striker, Amodeo unleashed his entire arsenal upon the par-70, Scarlet Course at Paradise Point Golf Course, successfully converting of two of four eagle opportunities and five of his 13 birdie attempts to easily better his previous career-best round of 66.

His record-setting second round propelled him to a tie for fourth place in individual finish with a three-day total of 211, while also keying the team’s tie for sixth.

“That gave me a lot of confidence,” Amodeo said of his breakout performance. “I knew if I could do it that day, I could do it any day.”

It was just the kind of transcendent performance Stormy Petrels coach Jim Owen had in mind when he first began recruiting Amodeo from nearby Walton High School in Marietta.

The coach had personally watched Amodeo, 19, play in about 10 junior tournaments while in high school, and had been immediately drawn to the cool demeanor and competitive fire that belied Amodeo’s laid-back personality away from competition.

Owen credited Amodeo’s improved decision-making as the difference in his rebound this spring from a somewhat slower-than-expected start to his collegiate career in the fall. He’s now firmly entrenched as the No. 3 starter for an Oglethorpe University team that is ranked 9th in the most recent NCAA Division III golf polls.

“When he makes mistakes,” Owen said, “he doesn’t follow them up with second mistake. His decision-making is now equal to his ball-striking.”

Amodeo attributed some of his recent successes to a more relaxed approach. When he’s not on the course, he can usually be found unwinding with some fishing at a nearby lake or helping out with the school’s sports information office.

The Stormy Petrels will be counting on more of the same from Amodeo and his teammates when they travel to San Antonio to compete in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) championships that begin on April 21.

Regardless of the outcome in Texas, Oglethorpe is expected to receive a berth in the upcoming NCAA field set to begin in Greensboro, N.C. in May. The Stormy Petrels golf team claimed the school’s only national championship in any sport when it won the title in 2009.

 Amodeo is anxious to get underway.

 “I have high expectations for myself,” he said. “I feel like this is how I should be playing. I just have to go out, do my best and, hopefully, the team will play well.”