Men’s golf gets a mid-tier finish

The Minnesota State Men’s Golf team finished in the middle of the pack at the NSIC Preview in Blue Springs, Missouri Tuesday. 

Adams Point Golf Course is a 6,890-yard course that plays to a par-72. It hosted 20 teams from both the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association to showcase their skills and get a feel for the course before the NSIC Championship in two weeks. The Mavs shot 310 Monday which positioned them in 12th place, but their 305 performance Tuesday jumped them up to 10th place to finish the tournament. The combined shooting of 615 tied them with Sioux Falls. 

Going into the tournament, head coach Alex Schmitz highlighted that he wanted to “keep big numbers out of play,” despite the 10th place finish, this was mostly achieved. Three Mankato golfers were individually able to tie for 25th place while junior Jack Klimek finished at 36.

Last year at the NSIC Preview, the Mavs took ninth place with a worse score of 617. Even though they had a better finish at the tournament, the Mavs still saw big improvements individually. 

Senior Ben Laffen shot a high 80 Monday but was able to find his groove shooting four birdies Tuesday which allowed him to shoot an even par. Laffen finished shooting 152 alongside his teammates Joe Bigger and Marcus Belka. Last year, the best individual scores from the Mavericks came in 32nd place and 41st, so this year they found big jumps on the leaderboard.

The Mavericks now face two challenges ahead of them. Their next tournament is hosted by the winners of the NSIC Preview. The Mavs will travel to compete in the two-day long Central Missouri Mule Invite at the Mules National Golf Club. The Central Missouri Mules dominated in the NSIC Preview as they took home first and shot 580. With 35 less strokes taken compared to the Mavs, it’s going to be a difficult task to beat them.

Following the Missouri Mule Invite, the Mavs will have to travel back to Adams Point Golf Course to finish out the season at the NSIC Championship. MSU has a lot of work on their hands and if they want to finish out the season strong they will have to hone in on their craft, stay patient on the course and make every shot count.

Write to Luke Jackson at Luke.Jackson.2@mnsu.edu

Header Photo: Minnesota State’s Men’s Golf team finishes in 10th place at the NSIC Preview in Blue Springs, Missouri Tuesday. (Courtesy MNSU Athletics)