LE SUEUR, Minn. - The No. 19 ranked Gustavus men's golf team finished off their regular season with a win against Carleton and Saint John's in the Gustie Triangular, hosted at Le Sueur Country Club. 

The top team for the Gusties finished in first in the 36-hole, single-day match, topping the Carleton Knights by two strokes, while topping the Johnnies by 11. The 'B' group for the Gusties finished in fourth as the only team of the three to bring a full second squad, shooting 13 strokes behind the top group. 

Round 1

In the first round, the No. 39 ranked Knights were the top group at +8, followed closely behind by the Gusties at +12. Senior Chris Gutuza (Johannesburg, South Africa) got his final regular season day started well, shooting an even-par 71, including a 32 on the back nine after a 39 front half. Sophomore Jimmy Abdo (Edina, Minn.) had the second best score with a +3 (74), which included a strong response after a quadruple bogey on hole 12, carding birdies on holes 16 and 17 to bring him back down two strokes. Junior Blake Forrest (Maple Grove, Minn.) ended his first 18 holes with a +4 (75) mark, while first-year Kyle Peterson (Duluth, Minn.) rounded off the scoring with a +5 (76). Overall, the top group ended with at +12, looking like they needed a strong turnaround at their home course in the last 18 of the regular season for a chance to win. 

As for the 'B' group, all five golfers for the team were within five strokes, with each player shooting one shot better than the last. First-year Ford Finster (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) led the squad with a +5, followed by senior Pelayo Perez Crespo (Sotogrande, Spain) with a +6. First-years Sam LaFrenz (Edina, Minn.) and Zach Havron (Lakeville, Minn.) ended the scoring, going +7 and +8 respectively. The team had nine birdies overall but struggled to keep bogeys off the scorecard, limiting the effectiveness of said birdies. Sophomore Aradheea Gawade was the top individual, shooting a +4 (75), with a 39-36 perfomance.

Round 2

In the final 18 of the regular season, Gutuza continued solid form, shooting a 73 (+2) in his final guaranteed round, carding three birdies and an even-par back nine to lead the Gusties and finish in second place individually for the tournament. Two other golfers, Abdo and senior Wyatt Carlson (Wayzata, Minn.), also finished with a +2 (73) through 18, highlighted by a Carlson eagle on the par-five 12th. Abdo shot a 36 on the front and 37 on the back, while Abdo went the opposite. Forrest ended the scoring with a +7 (78), carding two birdies in the finish. The score as a team was +13, which was the second best score, only behind the 'B' group for Gustavus. 

The reigning MIAC Men's Golfer of the Week, Charlie Looker (Cottage Grove, Minn.), shot a 72 (+1) in the afternoon, including a back nine without a single par to go +10 overall and move up 10 spots to finish tied for 10th. LaFrenz was +2 (73) in the afternoon, moving him up six spots into 10th after 36 holes. Perez Crespo and Finster scored also, with +4 (75) and +5 (76) rounds, ending at +12 total in the afternoon. Individually, Gawade shot an even-par 71 in the afternoon, shooting a 39-32-71, just like Gutuza did in Round 1. While not competing for the 'B' team, Gawade did do well enough to finish third overall. 

"Final rounds for any golfer always carries a bag of emotions" said head coach Scott Moe. So thankful for our seniors, Chris, Wyatt, Pelayo and Cole; such great ambassadors for the college and the game of golf. Can't say enough about how they have carried themselves these last four years. As always, can't wait to see what's in store as they depart Gustavus".  

"We have had a successful year with four wins and we hope that will be enough to receive an at-large bid next Monday. Hopefully we get that opportunity, I believe we have a team that can make a run". 

This was the last promised round for the No. 19 ranked Gusties, who now await the NCAA at-large selections, which are released on May 4th. If selected, the team will travel to Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. to play at Mission Resort & Club, which they have played at this year already in the NCAA Preview.