Rochester, MN-
After the first day of competition at the NJCAA Division III National Golf Championships at Chautauqua Golf Course in Chautauqua, New York, Minnesota College Athletic Conference and Region XIII representative M State-Fergus Falls is within striking distance of the national title.
On Tuesday, the Spartans shot a combined first round score of 321, only 3 shots behind the two squads which lead the 30 team field. Round two will be held today, with round three on Thursday and the competition wrapping up with the fourth and final round on Friday, June 8.
Coach Jason Retzlaff and his team will seek to gain ground on Georgia Military College and Vincennes University; GMC and Vincennes have combined to win three national championships in the past five years.
For M State, Mason Landborg led the way in carding a 75 for his first round score which tied him for the third best round of the day across all competitors. Included in his strong performance was an eagle. Vincennes student-athlete Zach Breault led the field with a low round score of 71 on Tuesday.
Overall team standings after First Round:
T1.Georgia Military College (Milledgeville, GA)- 318
T1.Vincennes University (Vincennes, IN)- 318
3.M State- Fergus Falls- 321
4.Sandhills CC (Pinehurst, NC)- 324
5.County College of Morris (Randolph, NJ)- 326
6.Massasoit CC (Brockton, MA)- 327
7.Bucks County CC (Newtown, PA)- 333
8.SUNY Adirondack College (Queensbury, NY)- 335
9.Onondaga CC (Syracuse, NY)- 336
10.Anne Arundel CC (Arnold, MD)- 344
11.Nassau CC (Garden City, NY)- 347
12.College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn, IL)- 357
M State Spartans Individual Results are as follows:
Mason Landborg- 75 (Tied 3rd Individually)
Hunter Moen- 80 (T-18th)
Blake Bloedorn- 83 (T-31)
Nick Kress- 83 (T-31)
Jordan Kern- 84 (T-37)
According to M State-Fergus Falls head coach Jason Retzlaff; "It was as high a scores for the field as we have seen in a round since we have been out here. The winds were whipping and combine that with the extremely fast greens, it made for difficult conditions. We really struggled on the front nine and outside of Mason couldn't seem to get into the flow of the round. But we really hung in there and played very nicely on the back nine. It was one of those rounds that felt like we weren't playing well, but then when we came in to see the scores, it was obvious that the conditions were tough on everybody. We are very pleased with our position heading into round 2. This is a marathon and not a race and patience is of the utmost importance in a 4 round golf championship."
For more on the 2018 NJCAA Division III Golf National Championships, please go to: http://njcaa.org/sports/mgolf/2017-18/div3/national_championship/index
This release sponsored in part by:
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About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.