Following second place finishes in 2008 and 2009, the Gustavus men’s golf team is poised to challenge Saint John’s for the conference title at the 2010 MIAC Championship held Oct. 2-4 at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids, Minn. Head Coach Scott Moe, in his 15th season at the helm of the Gustavus men’s golf team, will look to top returner and sophomore captain Alex Kolquist (Hermantown, Minn.) to lead the young, but talented Gustavus team.
Alex Kolquist, and newcomers Simon Erlandsson (Mjolby, Sweden) and Tyler McMorrow (St. Cloud, Minn.) enter the conference tournament with the top average on the team at 75.2 strokes per round. Kolquist has finished in the top-10 in two tournaments this fall, taking third (150) in the Augsburg Invitational and seventh in the Frank Wrigglesworth Blugold Invite. Erlandsson had a breakout weekend in his collegiate debut, winning the Augsburg Invite with a 70-72-142, while McMorrow has also cracked the top-ten twice this season, taking second (147) at the Augsburg Invite and finishing seventh (150) at the Saint John’s Fall Invite. Andrew Oakes (Hermantown, Minn.) will fill the fourth spot in the lineup, entering with an average of 80.2 strokes per round.
Battling for the fifth spot will be sophomore Trevor Gervais (Fergus Falls, Minn.), Alex Pederson (Kiester, Minn.), and Matt Jensen (Edina, Minn.). Pederson recently placed second (145) at the Frank Wrigglesworth Blugold Invite and currently has a 77.5 average per round. Falling next in line are Gervais (78.0 avg./per round) and Jensen (78.7 avg./per round).
Gustavus shot a 297 in round one, 304 in round two, and a 300 in round three for a total 901 at the 2009 MIAC Championship. “For us to compete and make a run at the championship, we need to turn in four good scores each day. In this conference, it is going to take three solid days of good golf to win it,” says Head Coach Scott Moe.
The Gusties won the Augsburg Invite shooting a 611 (+35), placed second at the Frank Wrigglesworth Blugold Invite with a 608 (+35), and finished fifth at the Saint John’s Invite after firing a 608 (+32). Gustavus is shooting a 305 (+17) average per round this season, with a low round of 293 at the Saint John’s Invite.
The Gusties enter the MIAC Championship ranked 24th in the country according to the most recent World Golf/Nike Golf Coaches’ Poll. Saint John’s ranks fifth, while St. Olaf ranks 21st. For a complete look at the Division III Top-25 go to http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/blogs/college-golf/