DECORAH, IOWA – It was a picture perfect weekend for the Luther College men's golf team. Well, almost picture perfect. The Norse overcame a blustery Sunday and Monday and overpowered the competition at the Luther Spring Classic. As a team, Luther won the competition by 31 strokes, earning first place with a two-round score of 583, as four of the team's top-5 golfers finished in the top-5. Junior Jay Fjelstul (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) won the tournament as an individual at -4, shooting even and under par over the course of two days.
DAY ONE RECAP
The Norse led the competition from start to finish despite adverse conditions Sunday morning and afternoon. With temps barely above freezing, Luther shot an opening round 299 on its home course, finishing the day in first place by seven strokes. Fjelstul led the way for the Norse on the course. Despite struggles on the front nine, the junior closed the day with a 72 to finish even par. Teammate Mark Devlin (Cookstown, Northern Ireland / Cookstown), who was competing as an individual, also shot 72, making four birdies on the back nine to finish in a tie for second with Fjelstul.
Haakon Rustad (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) was the only other Luther golfer to finish in the top-5, though Brandon Doans (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Barrington) finished eighth on day one to put three Norse golfers in the top-10. Rustad shot an opening round 73 to close the day in fourth place, while Dorans closed in eighth with an opening round score of 76.
Hogan Reuter (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) and Peter Stiner (Colorado Springs, Colo. / St. Mary's) rounded out the Norse top-5 at the Luther Spring Classic. Reuter shot an opening round 78 to close in a multi-way tie for 17th place, while Stiner closed in 36th after shooting an 82 on Sunday.
In addition to Devlin, Chris O'Brien (Eagan, Minn. / Eagan) and Logan Fritz (Johnston, Iowa / Johnston) competed at the Luther Spring Classic. O'Brien shot an opening round 76 to finish in a tie for eighth, while Fritz opened the tournament with an 83.
DAY TWO RECAP
Every single Norse golfer dropped strokes from Sunday to Monday, including Fjelstul. After shooting an opening round 72, the junior was -4 on Monday, allowing him to win the tournament with a two-day, under par score of 140. It marks the first tournament Fjelstul has won during the spring season after a handful of top-5 finishes at previous events. The 68 is also the lowest round he has shot this spring.
Devlin earned his first top-5 finish of the season, as Sunday's play on the back nine carried over to Monday. The Irishman was one of three Luther golfers to shoot under par, finishing at -2 thanks to a two-round score of 142. Rustad secured his fourth place finish with a second round score of 72, finishing with a two-round score of 145, while Dorans moved from eighth to fifth after dropping three strokes from day one to day two, finishing with a two-round score of 149.
Stiner made the biggest leap of the day, as he was outside the top-35 when competition started Monday morning. The sophomore dropped 11 strokes from day one to day two, closing Monday with a second round score of 71. The round allowed him to move from 36th to ninth, as Stiner earned a top-10 finish thanks to his two-round score of 153. Reuter finished in the top-20, as he shot back-to-back 78s to close the weekend with a two-round score of 156.
In addition to Devlin, the Norse individual golfers also had fantastic tournaments at the Oneota Country Club. After closing in eighth place on day one, O'Brien ended in a tie for seventh after shooting back-to-back 76s for a two-round score of 152. Fritz dropped four strokes from day one to day two, procuring a two-round score of 162.
TOP NORSE
- Jay Fjelstul (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) earned medalist honors for the first time this spring, winning the Luther Spring Classic with an under par score of 140. Mark Devlin (Cookstown, Northern Ireland / Cookstown) finished second with a two-round score of 142 while Haakon Rustad (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) and Brandon Dorans (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Barrington) rounded out the top-5.
UP NEXT
The Luther Classic counted as the Norse final spring competition before the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Championships. The conference tournament is scheduled to take place May 4-6 in Muscatine, Iowa.
