The Gustavus men’s golf team concluded its season Friday by shooting a 303 (+15) in the fourth and final round of the NCAA Division III Championships held in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. The Gusties shot a four-day total of 301-297-307-303 – 1208 (+56), tying Greensboro for 12th place, their best finish since winning the national title in 2004.
Host institution Oglethrope claimed the title by shooting an 1171 (+19), while its top golfer, Anthony Maccaglia won the individual title with a six-under par 282. Teammate Hayden Jones took silver with an even-par 288, and Illinois Wesleyan’s Dex Reese and Redlands’ Jeremy Sander tied for third, each with a four-day total of 290 (+2).
As a team, Transylvania took second with an 1191 (+39), while Methodist was one stroke behind (+40) for third.
Sophomores Simon Erlandsson and Tyler McMorrow paced the Gusties in the final round, each with a one-over par 73. The same goes for the whole tournament as Erlandsson led the team with a total of 72-76-78-73 – 299 (+11) in 22nd, while McMorrow tallied a 72-77-79-73 – 301 (+13) in 31st.
“We came out firing and got off to a great start, then about half way through we made a few bad swings which really took the wind out of our sails,” Head Coach Scott Moe said. “Our guys continued to fight hard and we never gave up. We had very high hopes heading into nationals, but very proud of the way we competed and handled ourselves with class.”
Junior Alex Kolquist followed his 15th place finish at the 2011 NCAA Championships in a tie for 36th. The Hermantown, Minn. native marked his card with a 78-75-72-77 – 302 (+14). Fellow junior Trevor Gervais was next in line in 59th after a sporadic four days at the Mission Inn Resort & Club. Gervais improved his first round score by ten strokes in the second, but then dropped 13 strokes in the third and finished with a 79-69-82-80 – 310 (+22). Second-year Andrew Oakes rounded out the Three Crowns with an 81-77-78-83 – 319 (+31) for 76th.
“This is still a young group with no seniors, so the expectations will be high next year,” Moe acknowledged. “I know this group will want to improve again next year, just like we improved on last year’s showing. I am excited for our future.”