INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Committee announced Monday the teams and individuals selected to participate in the 2021 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championships. Gustavus junior Jacob Pedersen (Minnetonka) is one of six golfers in Division III selected to compete as an individual. Pedersen is the first Gustavus men’s golfer to compete as an individual at the national tournament since Alex Kolquist took 15th in 2011.
The championships, held May 11-14 at Oglebay in Wheeling, W.V. are hosted by Bethany College and the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. The team and individual champions will be determined after 72 holes of play or the conclusion of the last fully completed round. Thirty-seven teams and six individuals not on one of those teams have been selected to participate in the championships. After 36 holes of competition, the field will be cut to the top 18 teams and top six individuals not on one of those teams.
This spring season, Pedersen led the Gusties with a 72.8 stroke average with four top-five finishes, including one medalist honor in five events. Pedersen earned All-Conference honors for the third consecutive year after placing fifth at the MIAC Championships.
A total of 191 participants will compete at the 2021 championships. Thirty conferences were awarded an automatic qualification for the championships. Four teams were selected from Pool B, which consists of independent institutions and institutions that are members of conferences that do not meet the requirements for automatic qualification. The final three berths were reserved for Pool C, which are institutions from automatic-qualifying conferences that are not the conference champion and any remaining Pool B teams. The six individuals are selected from the remaining players who have not qualified with a team.