HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. - The NCAA, in coordination with the GCAA, announced the Division III PING All-Region teams on Sunday night and two Gusties have earned their way onto the Region VI team. 

Sophomore Jimmy Abdo (Edina, Minn.) and senior Chris Gutuza (Johannesburg, South Africa) were the two honorees for the Gusties, both contributing strong seasons to lead the No. 18 ranked Gusties to an at-large bid for the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships on May 12th through the 15th. 

Abdo has led the charge the entire season, coming into the Championships with a 73.0 scoring average. Abdo's season started outside of the NCAA realm, making a cinderella run to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Amateur. After making waves on the national stage, Abdo returned home and maintained a high level of play, including an eighth place finish at the NCAA Preview, going -3 through three rounds. The Edina native's scoring average ranks third in the MIAC, only behind two other All-Region honorees and has finished in the top five at three events this season. The spring has been particularly strong, finding his rhythm with a T-3 performance at the Illinois Wesleyan Spring Invite before a T-2 result at the Bobby Krig Invite. 

As for Gutuza, he sits just slightly behind at a 73.2 season average across 26 rounds for Gustavus. The South African started the season at the Minnesota Golf Classic by finishing tied for fifth in a split Division I/Division III field and was highlighted by a T-3 finish at the Twin Cities Classic. While Gutuza did not win an event this season, his consistency has been what has helped propel the Gusties to the Championships, finishing with three top five performances and five top-10 finishes. The senior holds the two lowest rounds of the season, a 63, which is the lowest round in school history, and a 66, which is tied for the sixth-best in school history. 

Abdo and Gutuza are joined by fellow MIAC competitors Jesse Balc and Jacob Ferrin of Bethel, Ryan Engel of Concordia, Gavin Grahek of Saint John's, and Sam Higaki of Carleton on the All-Region IV team. 

The Gustavus men's golf team has arrived in Florida and is preparing for the 2026 Division III NCAA Men's Golf Championships, taking place May 12th through 15th at Mission Inn Resort. 

ABOUT THE GCAA

Established in 1958, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) is the professional organization of men's collegiate golf coaches. The GCAA's mission is to support its member coaches from six divisions, including the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA, by creating educational opportunities, providing resources, and promoting its members with the purpose of enhancing their overall performance as coaches, mentors, and teachers. The GCAA also recognizes the excellence and achievements of its members and their student-athletes in academic, athletic and civic endeavors.

ABOUT PING

PING designs, manufactures and markets a complete line of golf equipment including metal woods, irons, wedges, putters and golf bags. The family-owned company was founded in 1959 in the garage of the late Karsten Solheim, a mechanical engineer with an extensive background in the aerospace and computer industries. His frustration with his putting inspired him to design his own putter, which created a "pinging" sound when striking a golf ball. This sound was the source of the name now synonymous with innovation, quality and service throughout the world of golf. Solheim and his company are credited with numerous innovations that became industry standards, including perimeter weighting, custom fitting and the use of investment casting in the manufacturing of golf clubs. His insistence on adhering to strict engineering principles and tight manufacturing tolerances raised the level of product performance and quality throughout the golf industry. Solheim is the only person to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as a golf club manufacturer. Today, the Phoenix-based company is under the direction of Solheim's grandson, John K. Solheim, who leads a team of more than 800 dedicated employees committed to helping improve the games of golfers around the world.