St. Peter, Minn. – Day two has determined the fate Gustavus Adophus men’s golf team’s all season long. For the most part, day two has been a thorn in the Gusties’ collective side. Today at Bunker Hills Golf Course, Gustavus’s day two performance – its best of the season – has put the Scott Moe’s squad in striking distance of the top of the podium at the 2014 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
After shooting a 307 (+19) to finish day one in a tie for second place alongside Bethel University, Gustavus knew that day two would once again determine impact its fate as it makes a run for an MIAC title. With that said, the Gusties responded with a 305 (+17) and now sits alone in second place with a 612 (+36).
“It wasn’t quite as windy today, but the pin placement was much tougher,” said Head Coach Scott Moe. “The greens weren’t as fast as they’ve been in the past so that made it a little more challenging. Because of that, guys hit what they thought were good putts and ended up leaving a few just short. We battled well today as a whole. A few guys didn’t get off to a great start yet were able to put it together on the back nine. Day two has been our Achilles heel all season but with a strong finish this afternoon, we’re poised to make a push tomorrow. I’m excited to see them go out and put it on the line.”
Bethel University jumped into the top spot after shooting a 302 (+14) this afternoon. The Royals hold a three stroke advantage on the Gusties heading into the final day with a two-day total of 609 (+33). St. Thomas rounds out the top three in third at 613 (+37), while Saint John’s is one shot back of the Tommies at 614 (+38).
Leading the Gusties on the second day of competition was Andrew Brandt (Jr., Medina, Minn.) who shot a one-under on the front nine and a two-over on the back nine for a one-over 73. Combined with a 78 (+6) in the opening round, the junior moved up ten spots and now sits in a tie for sixth place with a 151 (+7).
“We needed someone step up and Andrew did that,” said Moe about Brandt’s performance. “He made limited mistakes and caught one bad break that led to a double. Other than that he was steady and put together one of the better rounds of the day.”
Next in line was Chris Captain (Fr., Rochester, Minn.) with a four-over 76. Captain, who led the field after carding a one-under 71 on day one, shot one-over through the first nine and then three-over through the back. He birdied three times on the front, but was plagued by a double and five bogeys over the course of the day. Captain now ranks second overall with a 147 (+3) heading into the final round.
“After a great first day, Chris was able to battle and stay in the hunt with another consistent performance this afternoon,” Moe said about Captain. “Although he ran into a snag with a double on nine, he put together some nice holes on the back but couldn’t get anything to fall from that point on. Chris is going to be in the last group tomorrow and I think he and Andrew both will respond very well on the tournament’s final day.”
The remaining three members of the squad all posted six-over 78s. Matt Spier (Jr., Prior Lake Minn.) sits in a tie for 13th with a +11 155 (77-78), Matt Rastetter (Fr., Maple Grove, Minn.) ranks 28th with a +15 159 (81-78), and Andrew Krasaway (Jr., Hermantown, Minn.) is in 37th with a +19 163 (85-78).
On top of the individual leaderboard after 36 holes is Johnnie Ryan Gallagher with an even-par 144. Gallagher followed up his opening day 72 (E) with a 72 (E) this afternoon to jump ahead of Captain by three strokes. Alex Kapraun of St. Thomas ranks third with a 148 (+4) after shooing a 76 (+4) on day two.
“Getting off to a good start and seeing a couple of putts fall will be big tomorrow,” commented Moe about the final day of the tournament. “The back nine is where you win this tournament. There are some good finishing holes at Bunker, so if you can keep it in play and not get greedy, you’re going to hold your spot on the leaderboard and have a shot at making a run.”
The Gustavus men’s golf team will be on the course tomorrow morning at 10:20 a.m. with Krasaway first up on the tee. Rastetter, Spier, Brandt, and Captain will follow in eight minute increments with Captain setting off in the final group of the tournament at 10:52 a.m.
FROM THE MIAC
The three-day, 54-hole MIAC Golf Championships conclude Monday at Bunker Hills with both the men’s and women’s tee times beginning at 9 a.m. Spectators are welcome to attend and there is no admission fee, and spectators are encouraged to read and follow the tournament’s spectator rules.
There will be a short awards ceremony following Monday’s final round to honor the top teams and individuals. The championship teams will receive the MIAC championship plaque, as well as the conference’s automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division III Golf Championships. The top 10 individual finishers will be named to the All-Championship team, and will be automatically eligible for All-Conference honors in the spring.
Fans who can’t make the trip to Coon Rapids can follow all the action on the MIAC Golf Championships web site, which will include unofficial hole-by-hole live scoring updates, results, pairings, tee times, recaps, photos and more. Fans can interact on social media throughout the tournament on the MIAC’s Facebook page, or on Twitter using the hashtag #MIACgolf. The MIAC’s YouTube channel also includes a promotional video for the event.