The Gustavus men’s golf team finished in first place at the Augsburg Invitational on Sept. 9 at Majestic Oaks Golf Club with a score of 600 (+24). Junior Andrew Oakes had his first win, and was named MIAC athlete of the week.

“Winning individually is not what I’m concerned with. No one on the team really is either. We would rather win as a team, but it [the individual win] was definitely a fun bonus,” Oakes said.

Oakes finished with a total of 147 (+3) while Senior Captain Alex Kolquist finished second, one stroke behind Oakes with 148 (+4). Junior Tyler McMorrow finished with 151 (+7), tying for fifth place.

The second tournament of the season was held at Blackberry Ridge on Sept. 15, and at Greystone Golf Club on Sept. 16. The team completed the weekend with a win and a third place.

“I would say we haven’t played our best yet. Our goals from here on out are to just be competitive every tourney and not leave any shots on the course,” Kolquist said.

The team is focused on preparing for the competitions yet to come. On Sept. 23 and Sept. 24, the golfers will head off to the UW-Eau Claire Invitational. Over the following weekend, the team will be competing at the Twin Cities Classic from September 29 to October 1, 2012.

“At this point in the season we’re gearing our games for conference in October so we just need to stay focused and keep playing well,” Kolquist said.

MIAC Championships will take place from Oct. 6 to Oct. 8, 2012, where the team will be golfing in a very competitive atmosphere.

Starting off this season with first place, the Men’s golf team is heading towards fulfilling their goal of getting back to the national tournament this year. The team is also working hard to finish off the conference tournament with a win for their ideal goal of earning an automatic bid to nationals.

The future appears to be promising for these Gusties. With four freshmen and a lot of returning athletes, the Men’s golf team is expected to finish the season with some great results.

“We have great team chemistry. It’s just a blast hanging out with everybody,” Oakes said.

These athletes have been working together to compete at a higher level than previous years. With some of the greatest talent the team has ever seen, the team is headed towards becoming big competition for the conference.

“Our qualifying scores were the best they’ve been since I’ve been here. Our roster is really deep. We have the most talent I have seen since I have been here,” McMorrow said.