MUSCATINE, IOWA  – The Luther College men's golf team is used to making history. The Norse made quite a bit more Saturday afternoon, as they went to Muscatine, Iowa and won the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Men's Golf Championship for the second consecutive season. Not only was the victory impressive, as Luther won by 35 strokes, but it was also the lowest three-round score in tournament history, as the Norse set the tournament record with a three-round team score of 891. Additionally, sophomore Haakon Rustad (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) earned medalist honors, while all five Luther golfers finishes in the top-10 and were named All-Conference at the conclusion of the tournament. 

DAY ONE RECAP
The Norse stood atop the standing after the opening day of competition, as Luther's top golfers put on strong performances, including Haakon Rustad (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) and Mark Devlin (Crookstown, Northern Ireland / Crookstown). The duo finished day one in the top-3, as Rustad closed in second place after shooting an opening round 74. Devlin was one stroke and one place behind his teammate, finishing in third after closing day one with a score of 75. 

The Norse No. 1 golfer Jay Fjelstul (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) and No. 3 golfer Brandon Dorans (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Barrington) both finished the first round in the top-10, as they finished in a tie for ninth after shooting 78. Hogan Reuter (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) rounded out Luther's top-5 at the A-R-C Championships, closing day one with a score of 82. 

DAY TWO RECAP
Nearly every golfer improved from day one to day two, as the Norse made plenty of adjustments on the second day of the A-R-C Championships. Fjelstul in particular learned from his day one struggles, as he put together the best score on the golf course, shooting even par to finish with a two-day score of 149. The junior additionally dropped seven strokes from day one to day two, as he birdied on holes six, seven and ten to move six places up the leaderboard to close Friday in third place. 

Rustad and Devlin both shot 73 on the second day of competition, as Rustad overtook the lead as an individual with a two-day score of 147. Devlin again finished one stroke behind his teammate, as his two round score of 148 put him in second place. The sophomore also recorded four birdies in Friday's round, including three on the back nine to help him finish the day at +2.

Reuter put together the biggest jump on the leader board, as he moved from 34th to 12th after an impressive round on the golf course Friday afternoon. After shooting 82 on Thursday, the sophomore dropped seven strokes on day two, closing with a second round score of 75. The improved play helped Reuter move 22 spots up the leaderboard, as he sat in 12th place, within striking distance of the top-10. 

Dorans struggled on the back nine of Friday's round, despite an early birdie on hole 14. The senior bogeyed five holes on the back nine and triple bogeyed the par five on 17, closing day two with a score of 81 for a two-round score of 159.

DAY THREE RECAP
If everyone was impressed by Luther's performance on Friday, the team's performance on Saturday was mind boggling. With three individuals already in the top-10 and a lead of 20+ strokes, the Norse went ahead and destroyed every tournament record in their path. It was clear from hole one that Rustad and Fjelstul were the favorites for medalist honors, as they battled for supremacy of the No. 1 spot as individuals. Thanks to steady pars on the front nine and a birdie on the second hole, Fjelstul eventually tied Rustad in the top spot, opening the way for some very dramatic back nine play. Rustad finished the front nine at +2, and then matched Fjelstul birdie for bogey on the back nine. When the round was finally over, Fjelstul closed the day with the better third round score, shooting even par to finish with a 71, but Rustad beat him by a stroke, claiming medalist and A-R-C Golfer of the Year honors thanks to his three-round score of 219. 

Fjelstul closed the tournament in second place, overcoming a first round 78 to finish top-2 in the tournament with a three-round score of 220. The Norse then waited to see if Devlin, Reuter and Dorans would all close their days in the top-10. They did just that, becoming the first fivesome in Luther history, and head coach Scott Fjelstul's career, to all finish in the top-10 at the conference tournament and earn All-Conference honors. After opening the day in third place, Devlin finished in fourth with a three-round score of 226 while Reuter completed the comeback of the tournament. After closing Thursday with an opening round score of 82, Reuter shot 75 and 76 Friday and Saturday to close the tournament in seventh place with a three-round score of 233. Dorans also earned All-Conference honors in the final A-R-C Championship of his career, finishing the tournament in a tie for eighth with a three-round score of 234. 

TOP NORSE 

• Haakon Rustad (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) was named the A-R-C Golfer of the Year Saturday afternoon after winning the conference championship for the first time in his career. The sophomore closed the three-day event with a three-round score of 219, defeating teammate Jay Fjelstul (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) by a stroke. 
• Mark Devlin (Cookstown, Northern Ireland / Cookstown), Hogan Reuter (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) and Brandon Dorans (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Barrington) also finished in the top-10, becoming the first fivesome in Scott Fjelstul's coaching career to earn All-Conference honors in the same tournament. Devlin finished in fourth with a three-round score of 226, while Reuter rose from 34th to seventh place over the course of three days thanks to his three-round score of 233. Dorans closed the tournament in eighth with a three-round score of 234. 

NOTEABLES
Luther shot under 300 back-to-back days, shooting a 292 in Friday's round before shooting 294 on Saturday. The back-to-back low rounds helped the Norse set the tournament record with a three-day score of 891. Additionally, head coach Scott Fjelstul was named the conference's Coach of the Year after leading the team to its second straight A-R-C Championship. 

UP NEXT
Not only did Luther make history Saturday afternoon, but the team also earned the A-R-C's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, set to take place May 16-19 in Nicholasville, Kentucky. The remainder of the field will be determined in the upcoming days, and more information will be available on www.luthernorse.com regarding the field announcement, tee times and championship schedule.