MONTICELLO, Minn. - The No. 20 ranked Gustavus men's golf team kept rolling on Sunday at the Saint John's Invitational, winning the event by three strokes. The team leaped up into first after being in a three-way tie for second through one round, using 15 birdies at Monticello Country Club to push away from the field as the only team under par during Round 2.

"It was a great day on the course with the guys shooting the best round of the day at one under and winning by three shots" said assistant coach Randy Stuckey. "Unlike yesterday, we got off to a good start and played well throughout the round, including a strong finish that we always emphasize. Three of the guys were in red numbers today and they included B Team Charlie Looker who shot four under and took second place honors for the tournament, Kyle Peterson, who shot three under, and Jimmy Abdo, who shot one under. A gritty bunch". 

After not scoring for the team in Round 1, first-year Kyle Peterson (Duluth, Minn.) responded with a -3 (68) score to lead the team and help drop his individual score as well, using three birdies between holes 15 and 18 to do so. Sophomore Jimmy Abdo (Edina, Minn.) and senior Wyatt Carlson (Wayzata, Minn.) followed behind Peterson with even-pat 71 scores, putting abdo at -1 for the tournament and Carlson at +3. The mark for Abdo was good for the best individual score on the team, placing sixth overall. The final scorer was senior Chris Gutuza (Johannesburg, South Africa), who bounced back from a +4 (39) front nine with a two-under back nine for a 73. Three Gusties birdied hole 18, which was very timely for Abdo particularly, who ended his round with a birdie and seal the win for Gustavus. 

First-year Charles Looker (Cottage Grove, Minn.) was the standout for the 'B' group, shooting a -4 (67) to propel himself into second place overall, just one shot behind a player from UW-Eau Claire who shot a -6 (65) today. After Looker was a seven shot gap, where senior Pelayo Perez Crespo (Sotogrande, Spain) had a +3 (74) round, where the senior responded from five straight bogeys with an eagle and birdie on his last four holes of the day. First-year Ford Finster (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) was the third scorer with a +5 (76), followed by senior Cole Paulson (Sauk Rapids, Minn.) with a +7 (78). The 'B' group ended in ninth place, ending at +21 as a team, still finishing higher than four MIAC schools. 

The team competes again on Tuesday, hosting the Gustie Triangular at Le Sueur Country Club against Saint John's and Carleton.