The Gustavus Men’s Golf team wrapped up play at the Twin Cities Invite on Monday, finishing eighth out of the 17 team field.
The event was played over three days at Elk River Country Club, The Links at Northfork, and the Edina Country Club.
On the first day of competition, the Gusties traveled to Elk River and played at the shortest of the three courses.
Despite the length, the Gusties were unable to find a rhythm and finished 24 strokes behind St. John’s, the first place team.
First-year Jacob Pederson and Junior Christian Thoen led the Gusties with scores of 74 (two-over-par). After day one, they were tied for eighth place individually.
Senior Max Savini also turned in a great round of 77 and was followed closely by Junior standout Ben Hauge who shot a 78.
The day one total for the Gusties was 318, which put them in 10th place.
“It was a tough day for our team, we just couldn’t get comfortable on the golf course for some reason. The nice thing about this event is that each day presents a completely different course. We look forward to getting out and playing at the Links at Northfork tomorrow and having all of our guys contribute,” Head Coach Scott Moe said.
The Gusties bounced back with a strong outing across the board on day two of the tournament, moving up to fifth place as a team.
“We took advantage of some holes that were downwind and were able to make birdies, and battled through the traps on the course as well,” Moe said.
Once again, it was Hauge and Pederson leading the way for the Gusties with scores of 71 and 73, respectively.
Hauge tied for the overall lowest score on day two and Pederson’s score moved him up to sixth place individually. Savini and Sophomore Max Ullan each turned in scores of 74, which gave the Gusties a nice boost.
“We had a better overall effort from our guys today. I liked to see that we had very nice scores from Ben, Jacob, and both Max’s. I’m really looking forward to the awesome golf course tomorrow at the Edina Country Club,” Moe said.
“We have some areas to clean up this week as we prepare for the St. John’s Invitational.”
—Coach Moe
On day three of the tournament, the Gusties were led once again by Hauge, Savini, and Pederson.
Hauge and Savini both shot 75, and Pederson recorded a 78 to secure top-10 finishes for all three Gusties.
Hauge finished tied for fifth place with an eight-over 224. Pederson was one shot behind Hauge with a 225 (+9) that was good for a share of eighth place, and Savini was one shot behind Pederson with a 226 (+10) that earned him a tie for 10th place overall.
Hauge and Pederson led Gustavus’ top five-person team, and were followed by Ullan who scored +23 for the tournament and finished tied for 46th place, Sophomore Carter Czichotzki who scored +27 and tied for 58th place, and Junior Thomas Carlson who scored +34 and tied for 78th place.
Savini’s strong performance led the Gustavus B Squad, and he was followed by Thoen (+20, t-37th), Junior Joe Foley (+22, t-44th), First-year Sam Skaar (+31, t-73rd), and Senior Blake Heiman (+35, 80th).
“Ben and Jacob continue to play very well for us and Savini had a very good showing on the second team. We have some areas to clean up this week as we prepare for the Saint John’s Invitational,” Coach Moe said.
As Moe mentioned, the Gusties are preparing to compete at the St. John’s Invitational on September 29-30. This will be their last competition before heading to the MIAC Championships on October 6-8 in Jordan, MN.
In other Gustie Golf news, First-year standout Jacob Pederson was named the MIAC Men’s Golf Athlete of the Week after finishing one-under-par at the Pioneer Creek Collegiate Invitational on September 8-9.
If the strong play of Pederson and Hauge can continue, the future looks bright for Gustie Men’s Golf.