The Gustavus men’s golf team hits the road this weekend to open its 2012 season at the Augsburg Invitational held at Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake, Minn. The tournament will be a two-day event, taking place on Saturday, Sept. 8, and Sunday, Sept. 9. After placing third in a field of 21 teams at Majestic Oaks last year, the Gusties will look for another strong effort this weekend.
2011 National Golf Coaches Association of America (NGCAA) Second Team All-American and two-time MIAC All-Conference senior Alex Kolquist (Sr., Hermantown, Minn.) will look to lead the charge heading in to the 2012 season. The Gusties finished second at the MIAC Championships and 12th at the NCAA Championships a year ago. Fellow senior Trevor Gervais (Sr., Fergus Falls, Minn.) will also look to lead the Gusties entering a new season.
Other notable returners for the Black and Gold include MIAC All-Conference performers Coby Rowley (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.) and Andrew Oakes (Jr., Hermantown, Minn.). The trio of Oakes, Kolquist, and Rowley finished third, fifth, and tenth respectively, giving the Gusties the most all-conference players in a season since 2007 when Ajeetesh Sandhu `11, Eric Harris `09, and Jordan Hawkinson `08 teamed up to finish first, third, and fourth, respectively. Junior Tyler McMorrow (Jr., St. Cloud, Minn.) led the team in stroke average per round last season (75.0) and returns this year with low scores in mind once again.
After losing just one senior to graduation last season, the Gusties appear to be a quality contender for the 2012 MIAC crown. Under the guidance of Head Coach Scott Moe, Gustavus is poised to make a run at its seventh MIAC title.