Dayton senior wins A-10 championship thanks in part to eagle in final round

“That really felt like the clinching point of that final round and for the tournament,” Cors said Friday. “I usually don’t look at the leaderboard during tournaments. I just kind of play my game, but after nine (holes), I saw I was tied at 7-under. I knew I needed to make a move. The back nine was the much easier nine, and I knew it could get some birdies out there.”

The eagle came on a par-4, 328-yard hole.

“I just hit my tee ball absolutely on a rope,” Cors said. “Just a baby fade. It was just left of the flag, about seven feet above the pin. I had a look at it. I saw the line. I committed to the line. I hit the putt, and it went in. As soon as I hit the putt, I knew it was in, and that was really the turning point.”

Cors finished 11-under for the tournament. He opened with a 71 and shot a college-best round of 68 in the second round to take a two-stroke lead into the final round.

Dayton finished third as a team, eight shots behind Davidson and seven behind Richmond.

Cors will compete at the NCAA Regionals May 12-14. He’s graduating with a degree in finance and marketing. He may miss the graduation ceremony because it will be held May 11.

“First of all, we are all so happy for Ben,” Dayton coach Gip Hoagland said in a press release. “For a senior to work this hard day in and day out and to be rewarded on this stage is amazing. This is such an exciting time for him and we can’t wait to see where he gets to go for regionals. As for the team, they came together over these last couple of weeks. I asked them to put distractions aside and lock in. They did that. Going into the final round, we had a chance but came up a little short. I’m proud of the fight they showed. They didn’t give up. Third place in this conference is a solid accomplishment.

Cors is the first Flyer to win the tournament since Henry May, who clinched a victory with an eagle on the final hole in 2021. Rob Chappell won the championship in 2008.

“This is the tournament we work for all year,” Cors said. “We sit down in our team meetings, and we talk about how this is the tournament that we want to win.”

Cors, a Wooster native and Walsh Jesuit High School alum, won in his final attempt after finishing 10th as a freshman, 17th as a sophomore and 34th as a junior.

Cors felt he had momentum going into the A-10 championship after he shot a final-round 69 on April 12 at the Ohio State Buckeye Classic. He finished 19th out of 81 competitors in that event.

“I had a lot of confidence going in,” he said. “My game was in a good spot.”