FRENCH LINK, Ind.  – The Luther College men's golf team has made quite the name for itself in 2023. The Norse took their talents to one of the top tournaments in Division III, the DIII Showcase in French Link, Indiana. Luther proved it earned its place amongst the top teams in golf, finishing second overall with a three-round score of 883, a mere two strokes off the leaders at 881. Brandon Dorans (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Barrington) was the highest individual for the Norse, finishing in a tie for third with a three-round score of 221.

DAY ONE RECAP
Luther put together a strong first day in Indiana, as the team found itself in first overall after the opening day of competition. The Norse shot an opening round 293 before dropping a stroke in the afternoon to finish in first place with a two-round team score of 585. While Dorans ended up being Luther's top finisher after day one, it was sophomore Mark Devlin (Cookstown, Northern Ireland / Cookstown) who took the tournament by storm in round one. The sophomore shot a low-round 68 to open the tournament, as he closed the first round ahead of #8 ranked golfer JF Aber. Devlin would close the day in third place with a two-round score of 145. 

Both Dorans and Jay Fjelstul (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) put together strong performances in the opening two rounds of the DIII Showcase. After shooting an opening round 76, Dorans dropped seven strokes in the second round, shooting a 69 to finish the day in third place with a two-round score of 145. As the team's No. 1 golfer, Fjelstul shot a 72 in round one and 74 in round two, closing the day in sixth place with a score of 146. 

Haakon Rustad (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield), Hogan Reuter (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) and Peter Stiner (Colorado Springs, Colo. / St. Mary's) rounded out the Norse top-5 line up at the DIII Showcase, with Reuter and Stiner both earning top-10 finishes on Monday. Stiner continued to impress after his performance at Monmouth last weekend, shooting an opening round 72 and second round 75 to finish in seventh place with a two-round score of 147. Reuter closed the day in 10th after shooting back-to-back 74s for a two-round score of 148. 

Rustad was the lone golfer to finish outside the top-10 on Monday, though he was still well within the top-16. The sophomore shot a 75 in round one and 78 in round two to close the day in 16th place with a two-round score of 153.

DAY TWO RECAP
It looked like the #35 Norse were destined to pull off an upset at the premiere tournament, as they continued to lead through the early stages of the third round. Dorans and Fjelstul continued to climb the rankings individually, as they both secured top-10 finishes early in the round. Thanks to a third round score of 76, Dorans secured his place as Luther's top individual finisher, as he closed in a tie for third place with a three-round score of 221. Fjelstul also secured his second-consecutive top-10 finish, coming in fifth with a three-round score of 222. 

Rustad recorded the best third round score of any Luther golfer on Tuesday. After closing day one with a two-round score of 153, the sophomore rose from 16th place to sixth thanks to his day two performance, shooting a 70 third round to finish in with a three day score 223. Stiner followed up his ninth place performance in Iowa last weekend with a sixth place performance in Indiana, as he matched Rustad's three-round score of 223 to finish in a tie with his teammate. 

Rueter was the lone Norse golfer to finish outside the top-10, though it was only by two strokes. After shooting back-to-back 74s on Monday, the sophomore shot 79 Tuesday morning, closing the weekend in 14th place with a three-round score of 227. As an individual Devlin finished in the top-10, coming in ninth thanks to his three-round score of 224. 

NOTEABLES

Luther closed the tournament with the best overall score on par 3s and recorded the most birdies of any team at the tournament with 31. Stiner ranked second in the tournament with eight total birdies, while both Reuter and Devlin ranked third with seven total. 

TOP NORSE 

• Brandon Dorans (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Barrington) was the top finisher for Luther at the DIII Showcase, as he claimed third place with a three-round score of 221. Jay Fjelstul (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) also recorded a top-5 performance, coming in fifth with a three-round score of 222. Both earned All-Tournament Team honors. 
• Haakon Rustad (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) was the top golfer on the course for Luther Tuesday morning, as he shot a low round 70 to move from 16th to sixth place. Peter Stiner (Colorado Springs, Colo. / St. Mary's) also finished in sixth place, as he closed the tournament with a three-round score of 223.
• As an individual, Mark Devlin (Cookstown, Northern Ireland / Cookstown) finished ninth with a three-round score of 224. The sophomore shot a season low 68 in the opening round of competition.

UP NEXT
The Norse will return to action on Sunday, April 16 as they compete in the Loras Spring Invite. Tee times are currently scheduled for 10:00 a.m. in Peosta, Iowa.