Teddy Kaste-
This past weekend, the Gustavus Men’s and Women’s Golf Teams each played in a tournament, the men played in the SJU Invite where they took 5th out of 12 teams while the women played in the St. Olaf-Carleton invite and took 7th out of 12 teams.
The first day for the Men was at Wapicada, and it was a dark, gloomy, and cold day in Sauk Rapids. The course was exceptionally tight with thick rows of trees lining each hole ready to smack away any errant golf balls and cause trouble for golfers. The golfers had also never seen Wapicada prior to playing it in a tournament, so Sophomore Sauk Rapids native Cole Paulson stepped up and delivered a 45-minute-long presentation on how to play the golf course. Paulson stated, “Going into a course with a game plan is crucial to creating confidence and situational awareness on the golf course. I was fortunate enough to be the only guy on the team who had played Wapicada in the past so I’m glad that coach gave me the opportunity to provide the team with some insight on the course in our preparation for the SJU invite.”
Junior Teddy Kaste shot a 70 on day one to lead the Gusties, Sophomores Chris Gutuza and Pelayo Perez Crespo shot 74s and Senior Tommy Hiniker fired a 75, which added up to the team total of 293 and was good enough to put the Gusties in a tie for 3rd going into day two.
“Today was finally a round that the team is capable of shooting,” Assistant Coach Randy Stuckey said. “We have been waiting for this. Each player came with a game plan that would produce their best score. I’m glad they were committed to that plan. We are in a good position for a good battle tomorrow. It was a great day for Teddy and fun to see six red birdies on his card. Really a good one for him.”
The conditions were looking rough for day two of the SJU invite with rain and whipping winds in the forecast. Rumblings around the golf course speculated that perhaps day two would just be canceled entirely, making it a one-day event, but the rumors never came to fruition and the golfers played on day two in harsh conditions at Monticello Country Club.
Perez Crespo led the team through the tough conditions on day two, shooting a 74 to move up the leaderboard and into 10th place. First-year Blake Forrest shot a 77 which was followed by Kaste and Gutuza, both posting 78s on day two. Overall, the day was not friendly to the Gusties as they moved down into 5th place out of 14 teams. Bethel won the tournament highlighted by an albatross (A score of 2 on a par 5) from their #1 golfer.
Assistant Coach Stuckey still had a positive outlook on the weekend, despite the poor play on day two he stated, “The solid round they put in on Saturday and during very poor conditions on Sunday, I did not hear any complaints about how difficult it was to play in the cold, windy and rainy conditions. The weather is something you cannot control so you have to accept the conditions and play through it without it affecting your game. As a coach, it is important to emphasize that you accept and embrace the challenge. When you do, you have an advantage over other teams that are not up for the conditions.”
The Women’s Golf Team was at Willenger’s golf club for the St-Olaf and Carleton invite. Senior and Captain Annika Reirson led the way for the women shooting an 83, First-year Maren Masters and Sophomore Lauren Hubbart both turned in solid rounds – both carding 84s, respectfully. First-year Riley Zebroski shot a 90, which totaled a team score of 341, putting the women in 7th place after day one.
Coach Scott Moe said on the day, “Willengers got the best of us today. It’s a really good golf course but it is very tough from about 100 yards and in every hole. We didn’t play that bad, we just were not able to have the recovery shots or the up-and-down that we normally do.”
“The team needs to work on coming out of the gates better and starting tournaments off strong the first day,” Masters said.
The women were ready to get back on that golf course for day two, but the weather had other plans and due to the downpour of rain, the day was canceled and the women went home.
Gustavus’ Golfers have only one more tournament left in the season with the women in the Carleton/St. Kate’s invite and the men in the Bethel triangular. Make sure to show your Gustie Golfers some support in their final weekend of competition!