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SAUK RAPIDS, Minn. – No. 20 Gustavus men’s golf continued their season on Saturday with the first day of the Saint John’s Spring Invitational, held at Wapicada Golf Club. After one day, the top group sits at +3 overall, led by junior Blake Forrest<\/a> and Jimmy Abdo<\/a> with 1-under 71 scores. After the first 18 holes, the team sits tied for second place, just one shot behind UW-Stout in first.\u00a0<\/p>\n “The guys got off to a rough start with seven bogies and a double through the first five holes, then finished with six bogies the last four holes” said assistant coach Randy Stuckey. “We also didn’t drive the ball well and had to take extra strokes punching out. Uncharacteristically the guys had some difficulty with the speed of greens. After the tough start, they turned it around and played golf like they’re capable of. Tomorrow is the biggest round of the season that could put us in a good position for the national tournament. The guys know it and have to embrace the challenge and opportunities ahead of them. It’s going to be a real battle tomorrow.”<\/p>\n Junior Blake Forrest<\/a> (Maple Grove, Minn.) shot had a perfectly clean front nine, shooting an even-par 35. The back half was a bit more of a rollercoaster for the junior, who had three birdies and two bogeys, but was able to maintain a high level and par the last three holes to shoot a 35-36-71. As for sophomore Jimmy Abdo<\/a> (Edina, Minn.), it seemed going into hole 18 that he would end at +1 (73), but an eagle on the par-5 18th hole launched him under par and lifting the team up a few spots. Seniors Chris Gutuza<\/a> (Johannesburg, South Africa) and Wyatt Carlson<\/a> (Edina, Minn.) rounded out the scoring for the group, ending with +2 (74) and +3 (75) scores, respectively. Gutuza got out of the gate a +3 through two holes, but was able to climb back to even par through 16 holes before bogeying 17 and 18. Carlson was +3 through four holes but also shot better through the middle section getting to +1 through 13 holes before bogeying two of the last five.\u00a0<\/p>\n First-year Charles Looker<\/a> (Cottage Grove, Minn.) was the top scorer for the ‘B’ group, shooting an even-par 72. Looker had five birdies and five bogeys in the round, only ending with par on eight holes. Fellow first-year Ford Finster<\/a> (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) and senior Pelayo Perez Crespo<\/a> (Sotogrande, Spain) were the second best finishers for the team, each ending +2 (74) on Wapicada. Finster went 35-39-74 with two birdies while Perez Crespo had a cleaner scorecard with just one birdie, but a double bogey on hole 14 kept him above par. Senior Cole Paulson<\/a> (Sauk Rapids, Minn.) was the last scorer at +6 (78), but the highlight for Paulson was an eagle on the par-4 seventh.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tomorrow is the final day of the Saint John’s Invitational, with a shotgun start set for 10:00 a.m. at Monticello Country Club.\u00a0
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