Simon Erlandsson. Photo courtesy of Bridget Larson at Sport PiX.
Story Courtesy of Matt Higgins, Assistant to the Executive Director of the MIAC
The Gustavus men’s golf team has plenty to be proud of after a tremendous performance at the Bobby Krig Invitational, which the Gusties hosted over the weekend. Not only did the host school capture the team title against a great 16-team field, with sophomore Simon Erlandsson (Mjolby, Sweden/ Bildningcentrum Facetten) delivering the individual highlight, finishing second in the 96-player field by shooting a 74 or better in each of the tournament’s three rounds. For his performance, Erlandsson has been named the MIAC Men’s Golf Athlete-of-the-Week.
Erlandsson started strong with a first-day 74 (2-over par) at the par 72 Ridges at Sand Creek course in Le Sueur, Minn. He followed with his best performance of the weekend in round two. The Gustie sophomore fired a 68 – 2-under par – at the par 70 Le Sueur Country Club, and he finished with a 3-over par 73, also at LCC, to finish with three-day total of 215 (3 over par). He was second only to UW-Eau Claire’s Jimmy Hutchings, who finished with an even-par 212. As a team, the Gusties won with an 18-over-par 866 (294-283-289) to beat second-place Saint John’s by five shots. The loaded field featured all of the MIAC teams, and five teams ranked in the Top 30.
Gustavus and its super sophomore will try to continue their excellent play at the final event on the regular season schedule this weekend. Saturday and Sunday the Gusties will be part of the field at the Saint John’s Invitational, which will be a two-round, 36-hole event held in St. Cloud, Minn., and Monticello, Minn.