HARTFORD, Wis. – The Luther College men's golf team is leaving Wisconsin with some extra hardware. The Norse led the Wisconsin Lutheran Fall Invitational from start to finish, claiming the tournament title with a 36-hole score of 736 (+16). In addition to the team winning the tournament, senior Brandon Dorans (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Barrington) was the invitational's medalist, finishing first as an individual with a two-day score of 142 (-2).
DAY ONE RECAP
The Norse were the top team on the course Saturday afternoon, as they finished the opening round of the Wisconsin Lutheran Invite at +15, holding a three-stroke lead over Division II's Wisconsin-Parkside. Senior Brandon Dorans (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Barrington) put together an exceptional round, as he finished in a tie for first on the individual leaderboard after shooting 71. Hogan Reuter (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) also recorded a top-10 finish on the opening day of competition, shooting a 73.
Mark Devlin (Cookstown, Northern Ireland / Cookstown) shot the third lowest score on the opening day of the Wisconsin Lutheran Invite, as he shot his lowest score of the season, a first round 75. Jay Fjelstul (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) finished Saturday with an opening round score of 77, while Chris O'Brien (Eagan, Minn. / Eagan) and Haakon Rustad (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) shot 79 and 82 respectively.
DAY TWO RECAP
While Luther was good on day one, they were even better on day two, as the team dropped 14 strokes from Saturday to Sunday to claim the team title with a two-day score of 736. In fact, all six golfers on the course either lowered their scores or posted the same number from day one to two in Hartford, Wisconsin. Dorans was steady throughout the entire tournament, as he claimed the individual title after shooting back-to-back 71s, closing Sunday with a two day score of 142 to finish in first as an individual. Reuter was also consistent throughout the weekend. After shooting an opening round 73, Reuter dropped one stroke to shoot 72 on Sunday, finishing in fifth place thanks to his combined score of 145.
Fjelstul climbed the individual standings on the second day of competition, dropping five strokes from his round one score to record his third top-10 finish of the season. After shooting his highest round of the season on Saturday, Fjelstul posted a score of 72 on Sunday, climbing nine spots to finish in the tie for ninth place.
Devlin and Rustad both recorded top-20 finishes for the Norse, with Rustad recording the best turnaround from day one to day two. After shooting an 82 on Saturday, Rustad dropped 12 strokes from his score, shooting the lowest round of the weekend by any Luther golder at 70. The score allowed Rustad to rise from 46th place to a tie for 17th thanks to his two-day score of 152. Devlin finished one stroke ahead of his teammate in 13th place thanks to his two-day score of 151.
Like his teammates, O'Brien also lowered his score from Saturday to Sunday. After shooting 79 on Saturday, O'Brien dropped two strokes on Sunday, closing the tournament with a two-day score of 156.
TOP NORSE
- Brandon Dorans (Harrington Estates, Ill. / Barrington) won medalist honors at the Wisconsin Lutheran Invitational, shooting a two-round score of 142 to win the tournament. The senior shot his lowest round of the season, 71, back-to-back days to claim the title.
- Hogan Reuter (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) and Jay Fjelstul (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) earned top-10 finishes for the Norse over the weekend. Reuter finished in fifth place thanks to a two-day score of 145 while Fjelstul dropped five strokes from day one to day two to finish the weekend in ninth place with a score of 149.
- Mark Devlin shot his lowest rounds of the season, closing the weekend in 13th place with a score of 151, while Haakon Rustad (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) dropped 12 strokes from day one to day two to finish in 17th place with a score of 152.
- Chris O'Brien (Eagan, Minn. / Eagan) finished the weekend in 26th place with a two-day score of 156.
UP NEXT
Luther will close out September in Minnesota, as the team competes at the Twin Cities Classic, hosted by Gustavus Adolphus College. The three-day competition will open on Saturday, September 24 with tee times and starting line ups to be announced later this week.
