While the Master’s were in full swing at Augusta National, the Gustavus Men’s Golf team hit the links to kick off their 2018 spring season.
The Gusties traveled to Bloomington, Illinois to compete in the Illinois Wesleyan Invite. Although the temperature was just above freezing, the Gusties still managed to shoot low scores and ended up with a third place finish.
“It was really cold out there today but our guys grinded and played really well,” said Head Coach Scott Moe.
Senior Alec Aunan, the reigning MIAC Individual Champion, led the way for Gustavus with a one-over-par 73.
Aunan, a native of Rock Island, Illinois felt right at home as he posted yet another low round for the Gusties.
Sophomore Thomas Carlson competed in the event as an individual and matched Aunan’s 73, which was a career-best round. Carlson’s score was the lowest posted by an individual competitor in the tournament.
Aunan and Carlson tied for ninth-place overall in the field of 100 players.
Sophomore Ben Hauge finished just one stroke behind Aunan and Carlson with a two-over 74.
“Our top three scores were very solid. Great top ten finish for Alec and TC as an individual posting his career-low round. Nice to see some depth and the guys played great for a first competitive round this spring,” Moe said.
Senior Chris Captain also posted a strong round of 75 that was good for a share of 19th place overall.
The Gustavus lineup was rounded out by First-year Max Ullan and Sophomore Joe Foley, who turned in scores of 78 and 83, respectively.
First-year Carter Czichotzki and Junior Jordan Miller competed as individuals and scored 76 and 87 respectively. Czichotzki tied for a 26th-place finish with his score.
The top four scores for the Gusties were tallied up and their 12-over 300 was good for third place out of the 15 teams that competed.
“We came in ready to play and ready to compete. 300 on a day like today was a really good score,” Moe said.
Despite the poor conditions, the Gusties still managed to beat their team average of 303.6, which ranks fourth in the MIAC.
“We came in ready to play and ready to compete. 300 on a day like today was a really good score.” — Coach Moe
The only teams to score lower than the Gusties were Illinois Wesleyan (289, +1) and the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (297, +9).
Prior to competing in Illinois, the Gusties spent spring break in Ponte Vedra, Florida tuning up their skills in preparation for the spring season.
During their visit, they played five different courses in the area and toured the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The seniors on the men’s and women’s teams were treated to a round at TPC Sawgrass, where the Players Championship is played, by Professional Golfer Fred Funk. Funk competes on the PGA Champions Tour and is a past champion at the Players Championship.
As the Gusties look ahead, the schedule is somewhat uncertain.
The Gusties were scheduled to host the Bobby Krig Invitational at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan, MN on Sunday, April 15, and at Le Sueur Country Club the following day. Unfortunately, due to expected bad weather and snow on the ground, the event has been cancelled.
Last year at the same event, the Gusties took third place out of 16 teams.
The Gusties are hoping to reschedule the event to a later date but at this point, nothing is certain.
Their next event will be in Decatur, Illinois at the Milliken Invitational on April 21-22.
Their last scheduled event is the following weekend, April 28-29 at the St. John’s Invitational, but they’ll hope to qualify for the NCAA Division III National Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina from May 15-18.