NICHOLASVILLE, Kent. – The Luther College men's golf team concluded its impressive 2022-23 season at the NCAA Championships over the weekend. The Norse finished amongst the top-30 teams in the nation, concluding the tournament in 27th. After shooting 308 on the opening day, Luther dropped a handful of strokes on day two, shooting 299 to finish the NCAA Championships with a two-round score of 607 (+31).
DAY ONE
Day one weather conditions were less than ideal for the Norse and the entire NCAA Championship field, as lightning and storms delayed the start for nearly two hours. When Luther finally took the course, things were going well to start, especially for sophomore Mark Devlin (Cookstown, Northern Ireland / Cookstown). Devlin shot an opening round 74 on a par 72 golf course, closing the day at +2 and within the top-75.
Haakon Rustad (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) sat just outside the top-75, finishing the opening day in a tie for 78th after shooting 75. Brandon Dorans (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Barrington) shot an opening round 79, while Jay Fjelstul (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) and Hogan Reuter (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) shot opening rounds of 80 and 81 respectively.
DAY TWO
After closing the first day of competition in 27th place, the Norse needed to make up some ground on day two if they wanted to reach the top-18. All five golfers dropped strokes from day one to day two, including Fjelstul. After shooting an opening round 80, the junior shot 76 on the second day, finishing the tournament with a two-round score of 156. Devlin and Rustad also continued their impressive performances on the golf course, as Devlin was the highest individual finisher for Luther. The sophomore followed up his round of 74 by shooting 53 on day two, finishing in 51st with a two-day score of 147. Rustad closed the tournament with a score of 149, as he shot a 74 on day two of competition.
In the final round of his career, Dorans dropped three strokes from his first to second round score, matching Fjelstul's score of 76 Thursday afternoon. His impressive second round allowed Dorans to conclude his Luther career with a two-day score of 155, one stroke ahead of Fjelstul in the individual ranks. Reuter finished with a two-round score of 160 having shot a 79 on Thursday.
