Aidan Oehrle ’25

A Pittsburgh native, Aidan Oehrle ’25 played in the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur and helped his high school golf team win a state championship before coming to Lehigh.

PROFILE: Aidan Oehrle ’25, Lehigh’s Men’s Golf

Second-year golfer Aidan Oehrle ’25 helped Lehigh earn its first Patriot League men’s golf title since 2013 and a trip to Las Vegas.

Story by

Stephen Gross

Photography by

Christa Neu

Tags

A 4-under par 140 tied Aidan Oehrle ’25 for second at Lafayette’s ABARTA Coca-Cola Collegiate Invitational and helped the Mountain Hawks capture their third team title this past season. That performance earned the Pittsburgh native an honorable mention for Patriot League Men’s Golfer of the Week for the week of April 19. Oehrle and his teammates capped the season qualifying for the NCAA Las Vegas Regional in May.

Major: Finance

What’s your dream job?

Professional golfer.

When did you get started in golf?

Aidan Oehrle ’25

Aidan Oehrle ’25 helped Lehigh men's golf win its first Patriot League title in a decade.

I’ve been golfing since I could walk. My dad started around 25, but my grandfather always played, so it’s been in the family. There’s a picture of me when I first learned to walk on a putting green with a little putter.

What’s the most challenging thing about golf?

The mental aspect. I'd say that's what makes golf so hard. There's some weeks where you're hitting it really well and then all of a sudden, you're not, and your confidence starts to fall. It's a game that you'll vary a lot and you have to be mentally tough, mentally strong and believe in yourself and sometimes that's hard. If you're hitting bad shots in a tournament and you're nervous, it's hard to keep doing that.

You played in the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur. How did you qualify and what was that experience like?

They do 18 holes, a local qualifier. The top two normally go. I was second. I shot a 3-under [par] in that qualifier, and then the tournament was at a country club in North Carolina. … You’re treated like a pro. You have a whole locker for yourself. You get things with your name on them, a bunch of gifts. … You’re playing with the world’s best. I played with the number one ranked European golfer both days, and it almost seemed like he was already a pro. That was definitely a cool experience to be with top players and knowing that I got myself there, I have the capability to be playing with them.

Was that a confidence boost or did you feel like you belonged going into it?

I definitely felt good that I got there, but when I was there I was definitely nervous. I probably put too much pressure on myself just because that's probably the biggest event for a junior to play in, and you're with all the best players. I don't think I allowed myself to just play golf. I probably got in my head a little but it was a good learning experience

Lehigh men’s golf just won its first Patriot League title in a decade. What was it like to be part of that?

It was unbelievable. … [On the final hole] I left my birdie putt this short (motioning an inch with his index finger and thumb), and I was kind of mad because I thought maybe we would need that to win. But then I’m like, ‘What’s the deal?’ [Learning from teammate Edmund Broderick ’24 that they were ahead by five strokes,] I kind of lost it. I started going crazy, freaking out like, ‘Wow, we did it!’ I had to walk back to the clubhouse, and I ran over to my team before I even put the scores in. I was so excited, and we all started hugging each other, some of them were crying. It was a crazy feeling to have such a big part in it, to finish in third individually and have all my scores count. I felt like I was a big part. It was pretty awesome, a pretty cool feeling.

What’s your proudest athletic achievement so far? Your high school team won a state championship. You played in the junior amateur. Won a Patriot League title.

It would have to be winning the Patriot League because that’s the whole goal when you come to Lehigh. That’s all you really talk about the whole year—from the first meeting all throughout the year, that’s the end goal.

Did you play any other sports?

I played soccer up until I was 11. I had three concussions so I quit that. I played basketball up until freshman year of high school. But I was never really into the team practices, having to go to scheduled practices all the time. I just liked being able to go practice golf whenever I wanted to on my own. The only thing I would say that I've missed is the team part, being competitive with a team and winning with a team. But obviously [in golf] you have a team in high school and college, so that feeling kind of gets brought back.

As a Yinzer, are you a big Pittsburgh sports fan?

I definitely root for them and I like going to the games, but I'm not diehard. I don't get upset if they're losing, but I like watching the games. I'm not interested in baseball—the Pirates. They're actually having a great season now but ever since I was little they always stunk. So I never liked going to those games. But the Pens have been great and the Steelers, always a solid team. So yeah, I'm a supporter.

What’s one fun fact that people may not know about you?

I’m a twin, but I feel like everyone knows that I have a twin sister. … I can play the guitar. I can do a front flip.

Aidan Oehrle ’25

Aidan Oehrle ’25 says the mental aspect is the most challenging thing about golf.

One of the reasons you chose Lehigh was because Saucon Valley Country Club would be your home course. Has it lived up to expectations?

Oh my goodness. Yeah, it's unbelievable. It has got to be one of the best, if not the best home course in college golf. It's so good. … Saucon could really hold any PGA tournament right now. The condition it's in, it's pretty awesome. We're pretty lucky to have that, to be able to practice at such a tough, prestigious course with great conditions. It kind of tests all parts of your game. The greens are fast, the bunkers are deep. You're getting the best test and you can know where your game's at.

Did you play Saucon before coming to Lehigh or did you just know about its reputation?

When I visited, I went out there with the assistant coach and he just showed me around. But I never played [before committing], I just heard great things about it and knew it was ranked well. You can kind of tell when you're at a good course.

What's the best thing about Lehigh’s men's golf program?

How close everyone is on the team. There's 10 of us, and we're all best friends. I think having that bond with each other, having a trusting relationship with everyone, being able to be honest and open and being able to go to them whenever you need help or just hanging out whenever you want [is great]. We have a pretty good relationship with each other so that's probably been the best thing. I feel like all of them are like my brothers … that made it a lot more special being able to win the Patriot League with them because we all work so hard with each other.

What's the best thing about Lehigh as a university?

(Laughs) Definitely not the mountain, walking up the hills. Not that. That's the worst. I like the size a lot. I like how it's not too big of a campus, you know most people. Classes aren't too big. You can get pretty close to your professors. And then also the networking and what they do with the business program is pretty great. They have a lot of opportunities. That's just a great way to get your career started and get networking. They always have events to help you with that. If you take advantage of that, you'll be pretty set for the rest of your career.

Story by

Stephen Gross

Photography by

Christa Neu

Tags

Related Stories

Mason Black pitching for Giants

Mason Black's Giant Debut

The Lehigh product became the second former Mountain Hawk to make their major league debut in the past two years.

Perry Kingson possessing a soccer ball in a match

PROFILE: Perry Kingson ’25, Lehigh Men's Soccer

Playing in Europe and having an uncle who is a Ghanaian national team alum, Perry Kingson ’25 continues his family's ties to soccer at Lehigh.

lacrosse team

Lehigh Men’s Lacrosse Team: Four-Time Patriot League Champs

The team earned an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament but fell to John Hopkins.