AMHERST, Va. --- ODAC men's golf returns to Poplar Grove Golf Club for the first time since 2008 on Sunday with the first round of the 2026 ODAC Men's Golf Championships kicking off this year's 54-hole event at the Amherst-based venue.
Poplar Grove previously hosted the ODAC men's championship three straight seasons from 2006-2008.
Guilford College won the first two outings, while
Washington and Lee University garnered the 2008 tournament.
The 2026 edition began on Saturday with all teams getting a look at the course in a practice round. They were created with excellent conditions and well-manicured grounds featuring several elevation changes and plenty of water highlighting a challenging layout that uses the natural terrain of the region as well as any links in the state. ODAC competitors will compete on a custom par-72 track that will play to 7,082 with small variations from round-to-round.
Championship play kicks off on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. ET with all players teeing off at the par-4 384-yard first hole throughout the morning and early afternoon. The second and third rounds, however, will start with players teeing off on the first and 10th holes, the latter of which is set as a 506-yard par-4.
Tee times are currently available for round one with others set following each subsequent round of play and based on each schools' position in the team table.
Nine of the ODAC's 10 competing programs enter this year's event the same way they started the 2025 version -- unseat defending champion
University of Lynchburg. The Hornets,
ranked 17th in the Division III rankings by Clippd entering ODAC championship play, snapped a 35-year title drought before lifting the ODAC trophy in 2024 and repeated the effort in 2025 to ensure that Lynchburg fans would not have to endure another long wait.
Individually, Washington and Lee junior
Jonathan McEwen is looking for a third-straight top-three showing after winning last year's individual medal and placing third as a rookie 2024. McEwen has been the top-rated player in Division III by Clippd all season, a fitting position for the reigning Jack Nicklaus Award winner as the Division III Player of the Year and the 2024 Phil Mickelson Award recipient as Division III's Freshman of the Year.
Below is a look at where each of the ODAC's teams rank in the latest (4/16/26) rankings published by Clippd. We also highlight all ODAC players competing at Poplar Grove that are ranked 200th or better.
TEAM RANKINGS (266 Teams Ranked - as of 4/16/26)
- 5th - Washington and Lee University (WLU)
- 17th - University of Lynchburg (LYN)
- 25th - Bridgewater College (BC)
- 39th - Guilford College (GC)
- 45th - Hampden-Sydney College (HSC)
- 47th - Shenandoah University (SU)
- 51st - Averett University (AU)
- 82nd - Randolph-Macon College (RMC)
- 87th - Roanoke College (RC)
- 91st - Virginia Wesleyan University (WLU)
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (showing those ranked 200th or better as of 4/16/26 and slated to compete at the ODAC Championships)
- 1st - Jonathan McEwen, WLU
- 9th - Tim Kaufman, WLU
- 41st - Alan Van Asch, LYN
- 66th - Chase Myers, AU
- 72nd - Brandon Washburn, BC
- 77th - Charlie Wilkerson, RMC
- 92nd - Charlie Krasnewich, WLU
- 95th - Walker Gillespie, BC
- 111th - Andrew Perry, GC
- 115th - Cooper Mizelle, LYN
- 127th - Dylan Olinger, LYN
- 139th - Ben Chamberlin, LYN
- 147th - Luke Combs, HSC
- 162nd - Dan Ailor, SU
- 168th - Benjamin Afzelius, AU
- 171st - Groves Williams, HSC
- 185th - Jayden Hendricks, BC
- 190th - Braden Hermansky, SU
- 196th - Andrew Garcia, RC