SANDESTIN, Fla. - The Gustavus men's golf team took flight to Florida this weekend and started the Golfweek October Classic on Sunday, shooting a 308 as a team to sit in 19th place out of 25 teams. 

Playing at the Raven Golf Club on the property of the Sandestin Resorts, the team started the three day tournament, taking on teams from across the country. First-year Noah Gratil (Mellieha, Malta) started the tournament with a 73, two shots over par. Gratil and the Gusties started on Hole 10 and the Maltese National Team member was just one shot over par on each set of nine holes. Sophomore Kyle Peterson (Duluth, Minn.) was the second-best starter for the team on Sunday, shooting a 77. Peterson settled in after a 41 on the first nine holes and played the front nine of the Raven Golf Club just one-over. The final two scorers were senior Blake Forrest (Maple Grove, Minn.) and sophomore Charlie Looker (Cottage Grove, Minn.) who both shot 79s. Forrest is the only returner for the team to this event, also competing last year where he averaged a 76 across three rounds at the Raven. Looker played the first 13 holes even-par, but struggled down the stretch to pull him down to a 79. 

"The guys kept level-headed today and Noah played well," said head coach Scott Moe. "Our other guys had some bad misses that cost them multiple shots. We learned some spots where we can limit risk tomorrow, and we are excited to play it again".

The team will tee off at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time. 6:30 a.m. Central Time for Round 2 of Golfweek October Classic tomorrow.