Dayton freshman surprises himself by winning A-10 golf championship

That approach worked as the Dayton Flyers freshman May sank the putt to eagle the 18th hole and win the Atlantic 10 Conference individual championship Sunday at the Reunion Resort and Golf Club in Orlando, Fla.

May became the first UD men’s golfer to win medalist honors at the A-10 championship since Rob Chappell in 2008 and the first freshman to win.

May had not finished higher than 15th in previous events this year.

“This whole spring has been a really big learning experience for myself,” May said, “just because the college game is a lot different than the junior game, and I definitely notice some things that I have to change about my game.”

The course in Orlando fit May’s game well, he said, but he surprised himself with his performance. He also took pride in Dayton’s team performance. The Flyers finished second, nine shots behind Davidson. One week earlier, Dayton finished 17th out of 17 teams — 58 shots behind the winner, Illinois — at Ohio State’s Robert Kepler Intercollegiate in Columbus.

Dayton had more success earlier in the spring, winning the 12-team Pinehurst Intercollegiate in March and then its own tournament, the Dayton Flyer Intercollegiate, in April.

Dayton senior Connor Quigley, an Oakwood High School graduate, and sophomore Kyle Schmidt, a Lakota East graduate, each shot a 1-under 71 in the final round Sunday to finish fifth and sixth respectively. Ryan Clements finished 27th, and Hayden Zimmerer finished 48th.

“I was definitely really proud of the way that we battled the last day,” May said. “We definitely had a struggle the second day. The team accomplished a lot this spring, and I’m really proud of the way all my teammates carry themselves and help me be the best I can be.”

May, a graduate of Saint Thomas Academy who’s from Edina, Minn., shot a 3-under 69 in the final round. Prior to his eagle on No. 18, he had birdies on No. 15 and No. 17. He shot 67 and 74 in the first two rounds and finished at 210 (6 under), beating Davidson’s Alex Ross by one stroke.

“I don’t like to look at leaderboards,” May said, “but I got to 3 under through 10, and I knew I was leading at that point and I had a good feeling.”

May was named the A-10′s Most Outstanding Rookie. He’s the third Flyer to win that award, following Chris Woeste (2008) and Chappell (2006). He also earned a spot in one of the six NCAA regional tournaments, which will be held May 17-19. He will find out where he is playing when the tournament selection show airs at 2 p.m. Wednesday on the Golf Channel.

This is the 12th season for Dayton coach Gip Hoagland, a 1993 UD graduate, and this was the program’s second runner-up finish in the last four seasons. They finished second in 2018 and also finished second in 2008.

“I couldn’t be any happier for this team,” Hoagland said in a press release on DaytonFlyers.com. “They played hard all week, fought through adversity and gave a good run at it. This team is special and I’m proud to have gone through this crazy year with them. Henry was just amazing. He had a great weekend and just never let up. His finish on the last four holes was so good. He just kept hitting great shot after great shot. It is going to be so exciting to go to the NCAA Regional with him. Congratulations to Davidson and coach (Tim) Straub. They were great this weekend and I know they will represent the A-10 well (in the NCAA tournament).”